Possible virus on my computer but not sure...need some help please??

This actually happened on my old computer, now it's on my lab top which by the way is a Dell Inspiron B130 if that helps. anyway when i open Internet Explorer i can use it for a while but when i'm on a site too long or try to open up another page it decides it wants to freeze up i get the little sand timer and have to close. sometimes it even happens right when i open. i don't know if it's gonna get worse or go away. all my spam and virus protection is up to date and i think there is a way to fix this but i'm not really sure. it's making me mad so any advice or directions to fix this from a computer tech or knows what's going on would be helpful and appreciated. thanks!

Possible virus on my computer but not sure...need some help please??live update

Internet Explorer freezes, shuts down without warning, or the computer reboots.

This problem is often caused by out-of-date video drivers. Go to the Web site run by the manufacturer of your video card and download, then install, the latest (non-beta) drivers for your video card.

Alternatively, you can try the following:

1.

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.

On the left side select the Switch to Classic View, Click Display, click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.

3.

Click the Performance or Troubleshooting tab (depending on your operating system), and then reduce hardware acceleration a notch at a time until your system stabilizes.