IE8 JS error - can't load control panel functions, 'features > customize'. Anyone else?

Have just run up against a problem in IE8 when testing the "Features > customize" functions in the Scholar Site control panel.

IE8 generates an error and does not render the customization panel. It just spins until you cancel. All the other functions seem okay up to this point.

• To test the problem I created a clean install of OpenScholar with a clean database.
• All the enabled modules are from the standard install except for the following:
  --- OpenScholar LDAP (activated)
  --- LDAP Integration (installed to /sites/all/modules/contrib/ and activated)
  --- No Request New Pass (installed to /sites/all/modules/contrib/ and activated)
• The only change to the user permissions was to remove 'create own OpenScholar site' from anonymous users.
• Under /configuration/performance, optimize is enabled for css and javascript.

The error shows up in relation to '\sites\all\modules\contrib\ctools\js\ajax-responder.js' and in the many 'js' files that show up in default/files/js/

IE debugger seems to indicate some sort of JScript runtime error, "Object doesn't support this property or method". The code generating the error is the same in all cases: var index = link.indexOf('?');

Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_784f595d3eaa2f18dcb9fb5288c66578.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method ajax-responder.js?g, line 350 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method ajax-responder.js?g, line 350 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5
Object doesn't support this property or method js_3661eab7f7d7fcc6967883f161a22a68.js, line 1433 character 5

I've attached some screen shots. Anyone else come up against this? Not seeing any information so far in the group or issue queue.

Thanks!