On my GFs laptop it happens quite frequently with Firefox and iTunes, particularly just after start up. Then the machine won't shut down and you have to pull the battery.
So, it may not be an issue with IE, it might be an issue with something else, e.g. a program or service, during startup that is not responding or waiting for a response that it is not getting and f**king things up.
I'll let more knowledgeable people jump in with potential solutions.