Internet Explorer freezes and I have to power down to recover

Do you use AVG by any chance?
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24313788/memory-error.html 

In tools --> manage add-ons disable most of your addons. Everything except most used. IE8 is rather stable but addons can crash it frequently.

I've experienced this with IE8, now and again. This is why I decided that my main Browser is Chrome. At least with Chrome, the Web will still load and will tell you what hanged. Example if you're trying to go to a Web page with a big flash presentation (hate it), it will still load without the flash. Then Chrome will alert you that this app. hanged.
BTW: I don't work from Google

If you limit your IE8 addons to number supported by Chrome - it will work really ok.
and I don't work for MS ;))

I had an issue exactly like this, it turned out to be a memory (ram) issue. When I removed one of the ram sticks, it worked fine for a work, I replaced both sticks after that.

work day rather

I do not use AVG

I have all add-ons disabled except for shockwave flash object

I will try the memory check to see i that helps

If all else fails - have you tried Tools, Internet Options, Advanced Tab, Restore / Reset buttons (click on both).

I am still experiencing the problems.  If I do Restore/Reset on explorer what will it erase? Will I lose my settings for my LAN connectivity, etc?

It will take IE back to how it was when it was installed.

Well I still have the problem and I replaced the memory as per Dell support.  I turned off all add-ons.  I also installed Firefox as per Dell, and the same thing happens while I am using it, it freezes and I have to turn off the computer.  It does not seem to happen quite as often with Firefox but it is hard to tell for sure.  At first I thought this was an IE problem, now I am not so sure.  Dell keeps giveing me things to change but it has not cleared it up.  Any more suggestions?

I have tried all of the suggested actions and nothing has worked.  I have turned off the Dell wireless manager and gone back to windows.  Now even Mozilla freezes so I am not sure it is IE only.  I cannot determine a patern of when it happens but the last two days it froze my system at least 10 times.  You can close this question but it is not resolved, I just live witht he condition.  I have Dell gold service but they cannot solve it either after several attempts.  Do not close it as abandoned, just unresolved.

Have you set the laptop back to factory installed software to see if the problem persists as it was when shipped?
Worth taking a Ghost image before you wipe it.

If I take it back to factory settings will I lose my data or just applications installed since I received it? I hesitate to do this option because I do not want to go back to square one but I can see it might be the only option.  Is there a checklist of steps to do when going back to factory settings and rebuilding from there so I minimize the effort and do not make things worse?

Thanks.

Yes - all will be lost, hence the suggestion to use something like Ghost to take an image of the laptop as it is currently, which will save all your settings and data so that you can put the image / data back again if necessary.