Recently I have been getting disconnected from the internet (every 10-20 minutes) with the message "microsoft ie has encountered a problem and needs to close."
Appname: iexplore.exe

What OS / version of IE?

Try going to Start - Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs - Locate Microsoft IE & choose Remove. Now choose Repair.

Have you ran a scandisk / defrag? Does this seem to happen on a particular website or just in general?

Corey