BleepingComputer.com: dell support script causing frequent crashes

Hi,

I am using a relatively new Dell Inspiron 1525 w/ Vista. Lately it has been freezing with increased frequency, typically while on the internet. I'm using Firefox but there doesn't seem to be any problems.
At every startup, however, I get a message that says the there is a script error on the following page:

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Dell%20Support%20Center/sscommon/common/snapins/shell/ss_shell.htm?config=..%255c..%255c..%255c..%255cgs_agent%

Do you want to continue running scripts on this page?

It seems to be a dell program, but I have had a hard time finding any information on this error. Could this be the reason for the frequent crashes?
I am currently using Trend Micro PC-Cillin and Malwarebytes AntiMalware and they haven't turned up anything out of the ordinary. I consulted with a person at Dell support and they said it might be a problem with the built in webcam driver. Really?
Anyone heard of this problem? What can I do?

ANY help is appreciated!

thanks ahead of time,

-chemed

Have you recently removed any programs? Have a look in the Event Viewer for errors that happened at the time of the script error

This is one of the FEW times that I'd recommend using MSCONFIG.EXE - for testing purposes.

To do this, go to Start and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab and look for anything related to Dell

Post a list of the names (in the Startup Item column) that you find so we can make some suggestions.
Exit from MSCONFIG by clicking on the CANCEL button.

Is there a specific place to look in the Event Viewer? It seems as though there's quite a bit of "events", some 10,000+.
Also, I did open MSCONFIG to take a look at the startup programs. I turned off the auto start function for the webcam utility. I didn't, however, see anything that matches up with the script page that is mentioned above. Upon restart, the script still had an error, but the computer never froze while I was using it.
I'm out of town right now and won't be back until Monday (on another comp. right now), when I get back, I'll post the information that you guys asked for.

thanks a million!

-chemed

MSCONFIG is a troubleshooting utility - only use it to test things, then set it back to Normal.
Look for errors in the System and Application log files.

SO, Should I set MSCONFIG back to default settings?

IMO you should always set MSCONFIG back to default settings. If you're looking for a free tool to manage startups, I'd suggest this: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...s/Autoruns.mspx

Here is the list of Startup programs:

Windows Defender
Alps Pointing Device Driver
Raid Event Monitor
Dell Wireless WLAN card wirleless network tray applet
Trend Micro Internet Security
OEM2MON.exe <--------------------Creative Technologies
IDT Audio
JAVA Platform
Adobe Acrobat
Intel Common User Interface
Macrovision FLEXnet connect (appears twice)
Supportsoft sprtcmd (appears twice)
Digital Line Detection
Quickset

Here are the list of programs that are de-selected
Dell Webcam Manager
dscactivate
Cyperlink PowerCinema
Quicktime
Google Toolbar Notifier

Try disabling the 2 instances of Supportsoft sprtcmd
If that doesn't work, then you're going to have to dive into the Autoruns program looking for that item.
If you notice, there's lot's more startups listed in Autoruns than in MSCONFIG