V
*Vanguard*
In Task Manager, you'll see at least one instance of explorer.exe which is
for the Windows desktop GUI. Occasionally I'll notice another instance of
explorer.exe but there is no Explorer window open, and on shutdown there
will be a bitch message about explorer.exe not responding.
With Task Manager open, I see one instance of explorer.exe (used for the
GUI). I then open Explorer and see the second instance of explorer.exe. If
I close Explorer, the second instance of explorer.exe disappears. However,
if I open Explorer and do something, like use a context menu to run
something, then closing Explorer does NOT get rid of the second instance of
explorer.exe. For example:
1. I load Windows. One instance of explorer.exe shows in Task Manager.
2. I open Explorer. A second instance of explorer.exe appears.
3. I right click on a .txt or .bat file to select Edit which opens Notepad.
4. I close the editor (Notepad).
5. I close Explorer.
6. The second of explorer.exe remains loaded in memory.
The order for steps 4 & 5 can be reversed without altering the result in
step 6. So what is Windows XP's problem in closing the second instance of
explorer.exe? If I follow the above steps with a subsequent open of
Explorer, it must be reusing the second instance of explorer.exe because a
third instance does not appear.
I never had this behavior under Windows 2000. The install of Windows XP was
a fresh install (i.e., delete partitions, create partition, format
partition, install Windows XP). I've done a full scan using a recently
updated anti-virus program (Norton's). I've ran updated and ran Ad-Aware
and Spybot. The problem really doesn't look to be an infection but rather
Windows XP's inability to close an instance of Explorer in which another
shell was created to run another process, like when I select a file in
Explorer and then right-click to edit that file. While there is a KB
article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=328849 which makes it look the
fault of whatever app you started from Explorer, in the example provided
above, I was using Microsoft's own notepad.exe program. Another KB article
at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314228 indicates a defect in Windows
XP but claims it was resolved in SP1. I have Windows XP Pro SP1 (and
Windows Update report no further updates available).
Microsoft has obviously interred some major blunders in Windows XP that has
made is less reliable than using Windows 2000, like the one mentioned in
their KB article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822430 in which
Explorer should have never been involved in building an missing index for
the contents of an .avi file since that's what the app should do if an index
is required (i.e., it shouldn't be Explorer's job to verify and alter the
contents of an .avi file). I'm wondering if Microsoft pulled another
blunder and leaves an instance of explorer.exe loaded so it can be reused on
a subsequent *possible* open of Explorer. The problem is that upon shutdown
that instance is often unresponsive and you have to kill it to complete the
shutdown. Man, I miss my old Windows 2000.
for the Windows desktop GUI. Occasionally I'll notice another instance of
explorer.exe but there is no Explorer window open, and on shutdown there
will be a bitch message about explorer.exe not responding.
With Task Manager open, I see one instance of explorer.exe (used for the
GUI). I then open Explorer and see the second instance of explorer.exe. If
I close Explorer, the second instance of explorer.exe disappears. However,
if I open Explorer and do something, like use a context menu to run
something, then closing Explorer does NOT get rid of the second instance of
explorer.exe. For example:
1. I load Windows. One instance of explorer.exe shows in Task Manager.
2. I open Explorer. A second instance of explorer.exe appears.
3. I right click on a .txt or .bat file to select Edit which opens Notepad.
4. I close the editor (Notepad).
5. I close Explorer.
6. The second of explorer.exe remains loaded in memory.
The order for steps 4 & 5 can be reversed without altering the result in
step 6. So what is Windows XP's problem in closing the second instance of
explorer.exe? If I follow the above steps with a subsequent open of
Explorer, it must be reusing the second instance of explorer.exe because a
third instance does not appear.
I never had this behavior under Windows 2000. The install of Windows XP was
a fresh install (i.e., delete partitions, create partition, format
partition, install Windows XP). I've done a full scan using a recently
updated anti-virus program (Norton's). I've ran updated and ran Ad-Aware
and Spybot. The problem really doesn't look to be an infection but rather
Windows XP's inability to close an instance of Explorer in which another
shell was created to run another process, like when I select a file in
Explorer and then right-click to edit that file. While there is a KB
article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=328849 which makes it look the
fault of whatever app you started from Explorer, in the example provided
above, I was using Microsoft's own notepad.exe program. Another KB article
at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314228 indicates a defect in Windows
XP but claims it was resolved in SP1. I have Windows XP Pro SP1 (and
Windows Update report no further updates available).
Microsoft has obviously interred some major blunders in Windows XP that has
made is less reliable than using Windows 2000, like the one mentioned in
their KB article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822430 in which
Explorer should have never been involved in building an missing index for
the contents of an .avi file since that's what the app should do if an index
is required (i.e., it shouldn't be Explorer's job to verify and alter the
contents of an .avi file). I'm wondering if Microsoft pulled another
blunder and leaves an instance of explorer.exe loaded so it can be reused on
a subsequent *possible* open of Explorer. The problem is that upon shutdown
that instance is often unresponsive and you have to kill it to complete the
shutdown. Man, I miss my old Windows 2000.