IE crashes during upload/browse file/attachement

this problem is 100% constant and crippling to normal day-to-day computer use.

on my laptop, running vista 64, for months now every time i try to attach a photo in email or upload any files through any applet that pops up a "browse file" window, it freezes and HARD crashes windows. lately it's crashing so hard ctrl alt delete won't even kick in.

in yahoo email, it was letting me attach so long as the file was in the default 'browse' folder (my documents)--but if i tried to change the folder it'd free.
now it freezes all the time, esp. when it opens to the default "my photo" or anything else.

what causes this? i cannot find any info or other people w this problem on the net, but i'm convinced that's my lack of search-savvy (i believe every computer problem you can have is had by many, many people).

this laptop is a piece of lemon crap. i've taken it back under first-year factory warranty and have had every componet save for the ram replaced. i brought up this issue to them as well but they do not resolve software problems.

so. any thoughts?