Trouble with IE

[ITlover]

Their is a problem with IE on my friends computer.
IE error open a pop up and automatically closes it. The user has to open 5 to 10 times before the start wokring on IE.

He is using WinXP/with SP2.

My friend has I think uninstalled and reinstalled the browser IE but still he is having the same problem. Can their be a problem with SP2? Can SP2 cause such problems of pop ups?
According to my limited understanding and knowledge, it could be a virus causing such problems ,could it be?

Any solutions?

[Kov-Ice]

What does the error message say exactly? Yes, it could be malware. Try booting in Safe Mode with Networking, and then see if it happens. Run up-to-date virus scan while in Safe Mode.