Explorer Problems

[John Wilkinson]

I have recently begun to have problems with Windows Explorer (not Internet
Explorer). The problem manifests itself in EXTREMELY slow response times to
simple clicks to expand "My Computer" or the C: drive. The hourglass appears
and remains sometimes for a minute or more. If I leave it alone, it
eventually returns with results, but it acts like it has gone to sleep for a
time.

During this "sleep" the hard disk access LED is not active and a check of
Task Manager shows no other applications running, no process consuming big
percentages of cpu time, and frequently says Explorer is "not responding".
Again, if I leave it alone it ususally returns results after a prolonged
wait.

I suspect some exe or dll has become corrupted. I read somwhere (possibly
here) that there is a utility in Windows that will check for corrupted
components (and maybe replace them from the installation CD).

Does anyone have any ideas concerning Explorer or know of the existance of
the app mentioned above?

Your help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[roger]

Hi John,

The app you mention is sfc, and you can put the XP CD in the CD ROM,
go to start > Run > cmd
and type
sfc /scannow

the program will fix missing or damaged system files.

But before you do that, try this:
Going to Control Panel > Internet Options > Advanced Options and
disable third-party browser extensions.

If the above works, you might try using the free utility BHODemon to
disable any foreign Browser helper Object:
http://www.definitivesolutions.com/bhodemon.htm

Good luck

 

[John Wilkinson]

Thanks.

Questions: what would internet browser options have to do with Windows
Explorer (the file browser)? Also, do you know if the sfc application would
know that a legitimate update to Windows components has been made since the
original XP install?

 

[roger]

Hi,

The Internet Browser and the Windows browser are intimately linked.
Several posters have complained of freezing problems with the control
panel and this has helped them. Why?
Everything on the computer depends on everything else.

There are also questions of the architecture of the operating system
that Microsoft programmers could answer.

The sfc program might need to look in the ServicePackFiles\i386
folder, but at any rate, it would be much better if you went to
windows update afterwards and checked the updates available.

Hope this helps