Having some trouble with your Web browser? Specifically, Internet Explorer? If you've noticed that your Microsoft browser has felt as if it's been crawling to a halt lately, then we have some good news for you: Microsoft knows about the issue and has recently issued a hotfix to correct it.

 

If you have no idea what we're talking about, we'll start from the top. There are two Internet Explorer updates that, when applied to any iteration of the browser between Internet Explorer 7 and 11 (yikes), could eventually cause the browser to grind to a halt. The culprit? "Web applications that implement consecutive modal dialog boxes," reads Microsoft's hotfix.

 

So how do you know if you have these updates installed? If your browser hasn't yet gotten sluggish, but you want to prevent it from doing so in the future, start by hitting up your Windows Control Panel. Once there, click on the icon for "Windows Update." In the windows that appears, click on the "View update history" in the left-most sidebar (and while you're here, make sure you've downloaded and installed all the latest Microsoft updates for your system!)

 

Within the list of updates, which we recommend you sort by name just to make the entire process easier, you're going to want to look for one of two different patches: KB2962872 or KB2976627. If you system automatically downloads and installs Windows updates, odds are good you have both—like this article's writer.

 

If you'd like to head off Internet Explorer's issues at the pass—or if you're already suffering strange slowdowns—you'll want to check out Microsoft's KB2991509 article. In it, Microsoft has a laundry list of update links for all versions of Internet Explorer from 7 to 11, for all operating systems. That includes 64-bit verisons; if you're not sure whether you're running a 64-bit OS, Microsoft has you covered there as well.

 

Simply click on the correct package for your Internet Explorer and Windows OS combination, download it, and install it. It's that easy.

 

It's unclear if or when Microsoft will roll out the hotfix as an automatic update, but it never hurts to fix your browser early, right?

I have noticed a problem with it. It takes forever to load and there is noticeable lag. I'm just glad we have alternatives like Chrome and Opera.

I just gave that hotfix to a client with issues and it crashed her system so she had to use System Restore and is now a firm convert to Chrome.

I think they are thinking about changing the name to getaway from these issues?