explorer.exe doesn't run

[Guest]

Last night I got a message saying that I had updates ready to download from
Microsoft, which isn't unusual, so I downloaded and installed them and was
then asked to reboot..

rebooted and there is no task bar and I can't right click on the desktop.

I opened task manager and it showed that explorer.exe was not running.. when
I told it to run it pops up for barely a second and terminates.

I uninstalled the last things i had installed in hopes that would fix it,
and I tried to do a system restore, but there were no restore points shown.

I ran both of my anti-virus // anti-spyware programs and nothing was found
and there are no strange instances running in task manager...

any ideas on what to try next? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

--Rachel

 

[General Mailbox]

This is getting freaky. Too many people having trouble that seems to relate
to explorer.exe.
Things like the desktop missing all the icons, and some missing taskbar.
Sorry, I don't have an answer, but hope someone does soon.
Kevin

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Nothing freaky about it. 99.9% of the explorer issues are related to spy/ad
programs. 99.9% of the solutions involve running anti-spyware removal tools,
but they should be done (and are most effective in) safe mode where they
will not be interferred with by the undesirable processes running and
resisting removal.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[George Hester]

Rachel reinstall the operating system and in the future do not install
security patches from Microsoft you really have no need for. I am not
saying they are bad but if you have applications on your machine that cannot
coexist with these patches then that's the way it is. There is really no
reason for you to install most security updates from Microsoft as in truth
they are really for corporate enterprises that get attacked daily by unusual
methods which in your case is not likely to happen. Sure I'm speaking to
closed ears here I understand that. But those enterprises do not install
applications like the general public does and so the chance of conflicts
increases significantly for the general user when installing these "fixes."

What you have here is a hook into Windows Explorer that you probably always
had and wanted. The security fix broke that and now you have what you have.
You might try looking at the recent history of what you installed (go to
Windows Update for that) and see if you can uninstall them. But if the
machine is unusable that really doesn't help.

 

[Don Taylor]

Nothing freaky about it. 99.9% of the explorer issues are related to spy/ad
programs. 99.9% of the solutions involve running anti-spyware removal tools,
but they should be done (and are most effective in) safe mode where they
will not be interferred with by the undesirable processes running and
resisting removal.

99.9% of statistics are made up and have never actually been measured.

 

[Guest]

George --

That's what I figured it was coming too, I really was trying to avoid
reinstalling!! Normally I'm not so hasty about installing updates and this
just goes to show that one can never be hasty! heh.

 

[Steve N.]

George --

That's what I figured it was coming too, I really was trying to avoid
reinstalling!! Normally I'm not so hasty about installing updates and this
just goes to show that one can never be hasty! heh.

You should be able to do a repair install rather than a complete
re-installation:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Steve

 

[Guest]

Thanks Steve! the repair fixed it!
--Rachel

 

[Steve N.]

Thanks Steve! the repair fixed it!
--Rachel

Great! Thanks for following up.

Steve