There was a problem sending the command to the program...

I am using Win7 Ultimate 64 bit. I can open ie8 in 64 bit but not in 32 bit, which is where I have most programs loaded. I keep getting the message "There was a problem sending the command to the program"..I have looked all through the forums and found similiar problems but nothing addressing this. I have tried numerous diagnostics, safe mode boot up all to no avail. I cannot reinstall ie8, I tried ie9 but that didn't work too well. Why will it open in win7 64bit and not 32bit ie8. I regret having to resort to reformatting my hard drive...what a tedious problem that is. Someone somewhere has had this problem and had it fixed so I am looking for that person. Any ideas anyone????

This refers to Vista, but I wondered if these simple steps might work for you in Win 7:
Vista 64 Bit - IE8 32 bit will not open, but 64 bit will - Microsoft Answers


Some troubleshooting steps:
Internet Explorer 8: Web sites do not display or work correctly

Self-help steps for a beginning to an intermediate computer user

Introduction: When you try to use Internet Explorer, it does not work quite right. Internet Explorer may work for a while, but then it may stop. Or Internet Explorer may restart unexpectedly, or you may receive an error message. Additionally, Web sites may not display or work correctly. What could be causing these problems?

Internet Explorer problems can be caused by a number of things. And it is difficult to say what is causing your particular problem until we examine it a bit. That's what the step-by-step methods in this Web content are designed to do. We'll ask you a few questions, and then, based on your answers, we'll determine which of these methods we should have you look at first.

Will one of these methods definitely do the trick for you? In most cases, we think so. However, nothing is for sure, of course. But if none of these methods work for you, we'll still have some other suggestions that you can try. We know how important it is for you to be able to use Internet Explorer problem-free. That's why we'll do whatever we can to get it working again for you.

Click to expand...

If you decide to uninstall to allow a re-install:
How do I uninstall or remove IE as a troubleshooting step?
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I tried all the above plus other fixes I have found elsewhere to no avail....I tried ie9 but had to uninstall it as it did the same thing so it all points back to the 32bit of internet explorer, something is preventing the command from being sent. My only other option is a reformat of my hard drive. I have run 20 different anti virus programs and malware and found some things but nothing that when eliminated restored function to 32bit. So I now know what time it is.....

Have you tried troubleshooting from here - troubleshoot is the bottom of the left-hand menu:
Internet Explorer 8 Help & How-to - Microsoft Windows

Did you try the winsock reset as described in the link to Microsoft Answers in my previous post?

I did try the winsock reset and it did not work...I really appreciate your help and if you ever run across another fix you may think could be helpful then by all means send it to me....I am always looking..

You could try running an sfc /scanner file checker:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

There is a thread here on Microsoft Answers which says Vista in the title and refers to Windows 7 in the post, but the problem is the same as yours:
On Vista 64 Bit - IE8 32 bit will not open, but 64 bit will. - Microsoft Answers

More to consider:
Tips for solving problems with Internet Explorer

Irene...thnxs for the tips and I did try scannow and also chkdsk f/ /r but I have visited the latest site you recommended so I am off to see what they have that may be useful...again...thnxs for your help...