Computer help needed

Factual Questions
1

I am suddenly receiving the following error message whenever I try to open things like Firefox, Google, Yahoo, and probably more that I haven’t tried yet. I am running Windows XP Home Edition and it is up to date, so far as I know. Computer is a Dell Dimension 3000 and has performed faithfully for at least the last three years. Any, the error message follows:

[Exception… “Component returned failure code: 0x80570015 (NS_ERROR_XPC_CI_RETURNED_FAILURE) [nsIJSCID.createInstance]” nsresult: “0x80570015 (NS_ERROR_XPC_CI_RETURNED_FAILURE)” location: “JS frame :: chrome://searchshield/content/overlay.js :: InitSDK :: line 352” data: no]

Please remember that I am far from being computer educated—I can use one so long as it works----if it doesn’t work, I’m dead in the water.

Thanks for any inputs, advice, recommendations, criticisms, or what have you. Please don’t tell me to change operating systems. That only makes my head hurt.

2

The AVG extension causes this according to this thread. You can disabled it from Tools > Addons and right-click on AVG and select disable.

If that doesnt work then uninstall AVG. Once its working again you can reinstall it.

3

It could be any addon or extension, not just AVG. Disable your extensions one by one until you find the culprit. To do this in Firefox, go to Tools > Add-ons, click the one you want to disable and click the Disable button which appears.

4

My understanding is that “searchshield” an AVG technology. SO “chrome://searchshield” means AVG.

5

Thanks for the suggestions; it does appear to be add-on related.

I disabled all my add-ons; the good part is that I don’t have that many. The good thing is that enabling them one at a time allowed Firefox to start and run trouble free. The bad thing is that when I enable AVG, I get the following information dialog: “TypeError: Components.classes[cid] is undefined.” Pressing the OKAY button in that dialog box allows the computer to start smoothly. BUT—at the moment, I have no anti-virus program; AVG doesn’t open. What now, please—I can’t stay on-line without an anti-virus program.

6

AVG or one of its core components is possible corrupted, it sounds like. I’d uninstall the current installation of AVG, download the latest build here, then re-install it. If you’re paranoid, you can go offline to do the re-install, but IMO it’s not necessary. Just don’t download anything else or click strange links.

7

This seems to have done the trick. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I would survive computer failures without you guys.

8

I apologize for crediting only Q.E.D. with the answer; I meant to include your response as well.