Internet Explorer launch gets error 2. What do I do?

Question

Last night I was surfing the internet and suddenly Internet Explorer stopped and I got the message that unexpectedly quite because of error 2. I cannot get it to start again, PLUS of course my email is in Outlook Express, and that's not functioning. What can I do??? Help please!
You can email me at [email protected] with an answer. I am really stuck! (If I can't get the application back, is there somewhere in my computer that my address book and my favorite places are stored that I can get to???)
Thanks.
Noah

Answer 1

Hi, alienbx -
Welcome to Apple's Discussions.
Re Internet Explorer -
Try increasing the Preferred memory allocation - adding 20 or 30 thousand, or even more, is not excessive.
Article #18278 - Assigning More Memory to an Application
Also, before running the program again, clean out its Temporary Files folder (that folder is usually emptied when IE is quit, but if IE crashed, rgw folder was not emptied and may retain a damaged file). You'll find that here - System Folder >> Preferences >> Explorer >> Temporary Files
You may also find it helps to trash IE's cache file, which is named IE Cache.waf. You'll find that here - System Folder >> Preferences >> MS Internet Cache >> IE Cache.waf
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Re Outlook Express -
Try compacting OE's database files. You can do that by holding down the Option key while starting up OE - you'll be asked if you want to compact the database files; click okay, and follow the prompts.
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There is one file that is used by both IE and OE, writing to it so frequently that it sometimes gets damaged. That file is the Internet Preferences file, which is created by the Internet control panel but is also used by other programs. You can throw it away, and then restart the Mac - then open the Internet control panel and a new Internet Preferences file will be created automatically.
Note - throwing that file away will reset all settings in the Internet control panel to defaults, so those would need to be re-entered afterwards. If that control panel can be opened now, it may be of advantage to take screenshots of each of its pages before trashing the Internet Preferences file - doing so makes re-entry of the info a lot easier.
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OE's address book is kept with the rest of OE's database files, here - (hard drive) >> Documents >> Microsoft User Data >> Identities. In the Identities folder will be at least one folder, perhaps more if you've created additional accounts (identities). The original one should be named Main Identity; there will be an additional folder for each additional account. I'm not sure, but I think the Address Book is the file named Mailing Lists.
IE's Favorites are kept in a separate file in the Explorer folder in Preferences; the file's name is Favorites.html
Those are good files to back up regularly.