"Save as..." crashes my browser

[ohpfan]

I am using an Acer 5050-3242 laptop w/ an AMD Turion MK36, 2.0 GHz processor, 100GB HDD, 1GB of DDR2 Memory, & the OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition.

My issue is that when I try to save files (right-click -> Save Image As . . .), I have to do it within one second, or else it crashes my browser. I've tried this in both Firefox and IE, with the same results on both. (I posted this in Firefox, as that is my predominantly used web browser.)

As I mentioned, if I save it to whatever folder a file was last saved to, it will save as the original filename . . . but only if I press 'ENTER' as soon as I left-click on the 'Save as . . .' option. However, if I try to alter the filename, select a different folder, or even change to a new file type (i.e. change a *.gif extension to a *.jpg) in Paint, for instance, it crashes and I lose the project. I even tried to copy [CTRL+C] the project and paste [CTRL+V] it, with no luck -- the clipboard couldn't read/paste after the "crash". I even tried to paste it into Word, with no desirable results.

I've ran both the AVG 7.5.519 and Ad-Aware 2007 softwares, plus I emptied out my cookies & temporary internet files. The only thing I haven't done is restart my laptop. I guess I'm afraid to do so, in case it's a virus that would take control of my laptop.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance for looking at my issue.

[Broni]

Restart is first, very basic step to solve problems.
If, after restarting, the problem still exist, start Firefox in its Safe Mode: Start>All Programs>Mozilla Firefox>Firefox (Safe Mode)

[patio]

How much free space is on this HDD ? ?

[ohpfan]

Re: Broni
I don't restart my laptop more than once every 2 weeks.  I dunno, just a pain to have to wait to get online, I guess.  I will try your idea tomorrow, though.  Thanks for the info!

Re: patio
My HDD is divided into 2 drives.  In the C: Drive, 499,023,972 bytes (475MB) are left over; 43.8 GB is the max for this drive.  The D: Drive has a max of 44.3 GB, with 27,103,887,360 bytes (25.2 GB) free.

I have attempted to transfer files from C: to D: via two windows opened, but Explorer [and Dr. Watson] create an error message and they close before I select what files to "drag and drop" or even anything at all is moved.  I do know a little about MS-DOS (a.k.a. "Run . . ." in XP), but not that experienced in all the key command words.

I tend to read into what people say, but from what I guess: there isn't enough space on the C: Drive to run Windows properly.  I can attempt to clean out (move) files to the D: Drive to free up space. 

Thanks for the help you two!

[Broni]

In the C: Drive, 499,023,972 bytes (475MB) are left over; 43.8 GB is the max for this drive.

You'll need 4-6GB free on this HD for Windows to operate correctly.

[ohpfan]

Thanks for the quick response!

I will try to free up that much space on the C: Drive.   As a rule of thumb, would that be the only reason why the errors are happening?  Is there anything else known -- such as program software issues or viruses -- that would cause the odd experiences that I've discovered?

[Broni]

It's hard to say. I doubt, it's a virus. With lack of free space, weird things happen.

[ohpfan]

Sorry for the delay in replying.  I just restarted my laptop 10 minutes ago, after I transferred data to the D: Drive.  I currently have 7.30 GB of free space, out of the 36.5 GB max for the C: Drive. 

After the restart, I tried to send a file attachment via Yahoo mail.  If I know the file location, it processes fine.  However, if I have to search throughout the computer's folders for the file, it crashes my Firefox browser.   Also, I tried to save a picture to the hard drive, which crashed my Firefox yet again.

I'm about at my wit's end.  I've restarted the laptop, as suggested, and I've  freed up space in the laptop for Windows to run properly. 

Are there any other options to help me out?

[Broni]

Next step...create new profile in Firefox, as described here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager