This is really weird. I was working on my home machine last night…mainly in WORD, I went to open Explorer and it said: IE has caused an error in KERNAL32.DLL and will now close.
And then it won’t open…I try it again and nothing. I restore to a different time and nothing…
So does anyone know why IE caused this error and won’t start? Techy SDMB friends can you help?
What OS are you using, Phlosphr?
I’m assuming you mean Kernel32.
This DLL is the very centre of your 32bit Windows operating system. Everything uses it. This means it could have be a thousand and one things that brought about IE6’s demise. But it’s obviously trying something that the Kernel doesn’t like when it starts up. Have you installed any IE add-on gubbins recently? Have any trashy ‘freeware’ apps you’ve downloaded recently installed any?
You may find a reinstall is your easiest way out.
I have had this happen to me and I have come to the conclusion that kernal32 is pure EVIL. I hope that helps.
Q - I’m running ME on that particular machine.
Should I just bite the bullet and get XP Pro?
As for free ware…the most recent thing I downloaded is Zone Alarm…a few months ago. I also have Ad Aware and Spy Bot Down loaded a long time ago as well.
Oh, hell yes! ME is a steaming pile of…well, you get the idea. 
In the meantime, you can try the IE repair tool (I’m pretty sure ME has it). Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, and look for IE in the list and select it. There might be an option to repair the installation.
The kernel of any operating system is its core and contains the functions that all applications use. The fact that IE6 caused an error in there is no surprise, it just means somebody got a D- in their C++! 
My advice: try reinstalling IE6 (it should be available from Microsoft’s site) before going through the headaches of installing a new OS.
When in the computer store, I picked up the XP Upgrade and asked the nearest two employees whether or not I should upgrade from ME. . .simultaneously, they said, “YES” and that ME actually stood for Miserable Experience, or Microsoft Experiment.
In the end, it was worth it. No question.