explorer.exe 100% cpu usage

[jason]

Hi I am having problems with icons and folder ony my
desktop in particular My Computer and Network Places.
When I d-click an icon on the desktop the window does not
come up and an explorer.exe processes takes 100% of the
cpu usage. The computer slows heavily and the only way to
access drives and data is through Internet explorer.
Sometimes I need to log off and log in to cpu usage
becoming normal. But again if I d-click on My Computer or
Control Panel the problem repeats itself. The only
article I found closely related to this problem is this
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;819946 but here the article is about right-clicking a
folder not d-clicking or left clicking.I have tried what
it suggests but to no avail. I also tried Scandisk and
Defrag but to no avail.

My windows xp is fully updated with latest service pack
and I a running on AthlonXp2400+ with 512 ram.

Regards
Jas

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.

Second, download, install and run Ad Aware:
www.lavasoftusa.com
Note: you should always be well backed up before running an application of
this type.

If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel, open System, go to
the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, remove the
check from "Automatically Restart" under System Failure. This will cause
the system to blue screen instead of restarting on errors and the
information on the blue screen may give a clue as to the source of the
issue.

Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for
errors corresponding to the crash, double click the error, the information
contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.

Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.

Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. Do not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.