explorer.exe? never starts in XP

[Todd Anderson]

This problem just started for me today... computer has been running fine for
3 years, I keep it firewalled, antivirus updates, windows updates, all
current. Haven't installed anything in approx. 3 months on that machine.
Just a spare computer that my wife uses for websurfing and email.

When I bootup the computer, I get to the user screen, and click my wife's
icon. Looks like it's working fine, the desktop appears, the mouse cursor
moves, but when you go to the taskbar, the cursor is showing that it's busy,
and stays this way. No Start button, no taskbar, no clock, etc. When I
click on desktop icons, nothing happens. I bring up Windows Task manager,
and try to close explorer.exe, as it appears to be hanging up. Each time I
do this, drwatson.exe appears.

When I click on my icon from the user menu, my startup appears normal too.
However, the busy mouse cursor doesn't appear when I hover the taskbar. But
if I click on anything, nothing happens, other than the screen appears to
redraw. Basically I can access the Start menu, but anything I click in
there does what I just described.

In either case, I can't access the Run menu (no Services.msc, or msconfig),
or System Restore, or anything that could help diagnose this problem. Any
advice and, hopefully, solutions would be much appreciated! TIA

Specs

Athlon 1800
WinXP Home
512 mb memory 2X256 pc2100
80 gig drive, IDE ATA 100
Creative Audigy audio
Nvidia Ti4400 VGA
Linksys Wireless network card

hardware hasn't changed in 2 years

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Hi Todd,

are you able to boot into Safe Mode? If yes, do you have these problems (no
explorer.exe and task bar etc)? If these boots up properly, let me suggest
that you create a new user account in safe mode and reboot, and login to
your new user account. The old one is corrupted for some reason.

if safe mode gives you the same issue, please boot into recovery console and
do a :

chkdsk c: /f

You might also wnat to check out:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822705

 

[Todd Anderson]

I wasn't able to boot into Safe Mode, so unable to create a new user
account. Booted into recovery console, ran chkdsk, said it fixed some
errors on the volume, but still doing the same things on boot into Windows.
I've also tried a repair install, but now it's asking for viaagp1.sys file
from a CD that I don't have, when I cancel that to proceed, it hangs on
Installing Network.

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Can you try and use that CD on another computer, or verify that the CD has
the file viaagp1.sys?

Or just do a clean reinstallation. Seems that lots of stuff are going on
weird on your machine

--
Jabez Gan [MVP]
Microsoft MVP: Windows Server
http://www.blizhosting.com
MSBLOG: http://msblog.resdev.net

 

[Roeland]

Hi folks

I have the same problem.

Let me tell you what I've done and discovered till now (FYI, I'm a
professional IT-er with 15 year experience)

Explorer process gets killed a few miliseconds after it has been
initiated, without a message.
As a result explorer as shell doesn't show up, hence only your
wallpaper
Not one program in the startup folder, nor HKlocalmachine/run nor
HKCurrentUser/run entries gets called.Services run fine.
Eventlog (application/system/security) has no disturbing items in it
The shell entry in the registry is OK
Booting in safe mode gives no changes
Creating a new account gives no changes
Taskmanager works (thanks heaven for that)
Nearly all programs can be started without a problem using the
taskmanager, with the very specific exception of IExplore (internet
explorer)
However an alternative browser Netcaptor (based on IExplore) works
fine. Through this browser I can browse the computer
Control Panel Items can't be opened (*.cpl)
Checked all processes running (including services) all were to be
trusted (mostly OS-related)
Multiple antivirus and antispyware runs (all trusted ones, don't worry,
eg Windows Defender, Adaware, Giant antiSpyware (purchased), Norton AV,
Trend Micro online scan ) give no result.
Autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini and other 'startup'-files are
completely checked and verified
One thing I still have to do (but can't right now because of a broken
Windows XP CD) is a System File Check (SFC /scannow).
My best guess (since all other options I can think of are not valid) is
that some file (like a dll) that's being used by explorer.exe is
corrupted. (hence I wanna run SFC)

If anyone has the same experiences (read 'troubles') and found the
solution, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
PS. Clean Reinstalling my system is not really a solution, in my humble
opinion

Kind regards,

Roeland