Friday, July 8, 2011

Internet Explorer 9 Stopped Working Error

After installing the latest version of Internet Explorer, many people have had problems while trying to browse. Two of the most common complaints is that Internet Explorer 9 stops responding while moving from site to site or an error occurs when trying to launch IE9. In both of these cases, a pop-up window appears with the following message: “Internet Explorer has stopped working.”

When this pop-up window appears, Windows shuts down IE9 and attempts to find a solution to why the browser stopped responding. After searching for a solution, Windows notifies the user on whether the problem has been solved or not. The reason that this error occurs in the first place is due to IE9 entering into a loop that basically has no end. As a result, IE9 shuts itself down.

For obvious reasons, it can be very annoying to have your Internet browser constantly hanging or shutting itself down. The following steps should stop this from happening:
  • After the error has been encountered, restart your computer
  • Launch Internet Explorer 9 in No add-ons mode by completing the following:
  • Click Start – All Programs – Accessories – Systems Tools
  • Click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons)
If IE9 opens correctly and no error message is encountered, then it is likely that the error is being caused by an add-on. To determine which add-on is causing IE9 to crash:
  • Close IE9 (No Add-ons) and launch IE9 as usual
  • Click on Tools – Manage Add-ons to open the pop-up window
  • Make sure that Tools and Extensions is highlighted and then change the drop down under Show to All add-ons
  • Select all the add-ons by clicking holding down CTRL-A and clicking on an add-on in the list
  • Click Disable all in the lower right corner and then close the pop up window
  • Browse as usual and see if an error occurs
If you browse and have no problems, then at least one of the add ons is causing the error message. To determine which one, open the Manage Add-ons window and enable one add-on at a time. Once you have found the add-on causing the problem, you can delete it (and re-install if necessary).

Friday, July 1, 2011

iTunes Unknown Error 3194

The iTunes unknown error 3194 can appear for those who have an iPhone, iTouch or iPad. The downside of this error code is that there are a variety of reasons why it may appear, but the upside is that it is relatively easy to fix. In most cases, unknown error 3194 appears when firmware is being restored on an Apple device.

Anytime you try to restore a stock or custom firmware on an Apple device, iTunes sends a request to the Apple servers to verify the IPSW files associated with the Apple device and to sign the files with the Exclusive Chip ID (ECID) of the device being worked on. This is called the SHSH Blob. When new firmware is released by Apple, it can cause the Apple servers to stop signing the older versions, which results in the unknown error 3194 message.

As a workaround for this error, Cydia has created an SHSH blob caching server. If you run into the unknown error, you can correct it by pointing your iTunes towards Cydia’s servers instead of to Apple servers and save your SHSH blobs for your firmware there. To add Cydia’s SHSH caching servers, do the following:
  • Download TinyUmbrella
  • Install and launch TinyUmbrella
  • Click on the Advanced tab
  • Check the box beside “Set Hosts to Cydia on Exit”
  • Click on Apply
  • Reboot your device or computer
Once you have followed these steps, try to restoring your firmware. The unknown error code 3194 should no longer appear.