Windows explorer crashes becaue of long filenames?

[Guest]

I reinstalled Windows around the first week in April. Ever since then,
windows explorer crashes regularly when I'm accessing files. Much of the
time, it just stop responding, and I have to force it to shut down (taking
the shell with it, of course). Sometimes I get the "explorer has encountered
an error" message.

I finally got fed up with it last night (5/6) and reinstalled Windows.
However, the same thing is happening.

It appears to be related to longer filenames or folder names. For example,
the folder I just accessed has a name like
"FirstName1LastName1FirstName2LastName2&FirstName3LastName3_2006_VacationDestination"
and the files in it are name
"FirstName1LastName1FirstName2LastName2&FirstName3LastName3_2006_VacationDestination_001.jpg"

Once I access a folder and Win Explorer crashes on it, I can never access
that folder again without a crash, regardless of rebooting.

Again, this is a fresh install of windows (less than 12 hours old) and I
have not even had time to do any websurfing, other than going to the MS
website and downloading patches & updates.

I'm not sure that it's the filename causing the crash, and I've goggled for
a solution, but haven't come across anything. It's just weird.

I'm using WinXP Pro SP2, with IE 7.0 (although I just installed it during
reinstall yesterday). The machine has 2 gigs of memory, a Sony CD/DVD writer
and an HP CD writer (there have been no special drivers installed for this CD
writer - It is a really old one, and I just use it as a back up general CD
drive - I checked the "Share to Web" KB issue, but that is not installed on
this machine).
I also have 2 HDDs. One is a 250 gig drive, partitioned into a 50 gig and
200 gig drives (the first holds the OS; the second is storage). The other HDD
is 300 gigs. all partitions are NTFS. The CPU is Intel Celeron 3.06 with a
VIA chipset. I also have an ATI Rage Fury Pro AGP Video Card (it's an older
card, but still works fine).

Geez, I just tried to access a folder, and Windows explorer crashed again -
and this had a short folder name and contains files with short names. This is
getting ridiculous. No warning, just a general freeze.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance

 

[Guest]

Have you considered a virus or other malware?

 

[Guest]

Have you considered a virus or other malware?

It's a fresh install on a reformatted harddrive. I haven't surfed anywhere
except to ms.com, yahoo.com, and msn.com, and I don't have email set up yet.
Besides, I run Mcafee and MS anti-spyware nightly.

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

"Tonyo UK" wrote:

It's a fresh install on a reformatted harddrive.

SP2? If not, is firewall on?

I haven't surfed anywhere except to ms.com,
yahoo.com, and msn.com, and I don't have email set up yet.

Ok, that's 8/10 convincing

Besides, I run Mcafee and MS anti-spyware nightly.

That's only about 3/10 convincing. They are running in a potentially
infected environment that well positions the malware to defend itself
against such scanners, so a negative result is not 100% convincing.

The problem sounds more like hware than sware, such as a failing HD
that gets stuck in retry loops, but I'd try this:
- Safe Mode
- MSConfig startup axis suppression
- IE, Tools, Options, Advanced; [_] 3rd-party browser enh
- NirSoft Shell Extension Viewer; disable 3rd-party integrations

I'd also unplug external devices that show up as drives, including
LAN, and I'd choose a view that doesn't dig into files for extra info.

-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Tip Of The Day:
To disable the 'Tip of the Day' feature...

 

[Guest]

SP2? If not, is firewall on?

Yes. SP2 - first thing I downloaded. I'm behind a router, with its firewall
also turned on. I also have McAfee's firewall installed and on.

Ok, that's 8/10 convincing

The only reason I've been to MSN is that it is the default homepage for IE
upon start up. As soon as IE is up, I change my homepage to mail.yahoo.com.
I also use mozilla firefox, which I have stored on a backup DVD along with
other files.

That's only about 3/10 convincing. They are running in a potentially
infected environment that well positions the malware to defend itself
against such scanners, so a negative result is not 100% convincing.

Agreed, but little spyware will survive repartitioning my HDD and
reformating, which I did less than 24 hours ago.

The problem sounds more like hware than sware, such as a failing HD
that gets stuck in retry loops, but I'd try this:
- Safe Mode
- MSConfig startup axis suppression
- IE, Tools, Options, Advanced; [_] 3rd-party browser enh
- NirSoft Shell Extension Viewer; disable 3rd-party integrations

Most of the hardware is relatively new. I built this system from scratch
last October, with a new mobo, new memory, and a new HDD. The only "old"
item is the graphics card. The second HDD is less than a month old. I know
that age is not always an indicator of health, but what are the odds of it
happening?

I'd also unplug external devices that show up as drives, including
LAN, and I'd choose a view that doesn't dig into files for extra info.

I have a creative MP3 player, but it's not connected, and I've disabled the
shell extensions already. No dice. The only thing I haven't done is the axis
suppression thing (and I'm not sure what that is or why I should do it).

BTW, I had this problem once with Win2K, and know of at least one other
person who had it on a win2K.

I just read somewhere that system volume informaation can a problem if HDDs
are formatted under different versions of windows. It's a longshot (I've been
using the same version of windows for over a year, so I doubt that it would
affect different installations of the same version). I'm going to wipe all
three partitions and rebuild them from scratch. Maybe that will work.

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

SP2? If not, is firewall on?

[/QUOTE]

Yes. SP2 - first thing I downloaded.

I'm behind a router, with its firewall also turned on. I also have
McAfee's firewall installed and on.

Sounds good, but I don't know exactly how good. Add-on firewalls may
not be in place from the moment access begins, which was a design goal
of SP2's firewall, and one reason to keep it on.

The only reason I've been to MSN is that it is the default homepage for IE

I snap those necks *before* I go online, pointing to "blank"

If IE was designed for safety, "blank" would be no file, or a built-in
empty <html></html>. It isn't, so it points to a real HTML file on
the HD that can have anything written into it by malware.

So, check that "blank" really is, via Notepad

I also use firefox, which I have on a backup DVD

OK, GMTA - I agree, you're pretty thorough.

Agreed, but little spyware will survive repartitioning my HDD and
reformating, which I did less than 24 hours ago.

Recurrance would be from restored "data" (tho that's more usually
viruses than stand-alone-file malware) or direct primary (re-)attack.

Doesn't sound very likey tho, I agree, so...

Most of the hardware is relatively new. The only "old" item is the
graphics card. The second HDD is less than a month old. ...what
are the odds of it happening?

The querst is for a bathtub-shaped distribution of failures over time.

There are always some weakly-made (or damaged-in-transit) parts that
you want to fail early, before they ship (hence the "burn-in"
tradition). Thereafter you want everything to work until obsolete,
then it's OK if they all fail at once.

But mechanical items that wear, are more likely to have a "tick"
curve; the early fails and DoAs, then a slowly but steadily ramp-up of
failures over time, as different usage patterns stress parts towards
failure within different timescales.

Your new kit should be OK, but can be killed by overheating etc.
especially as your usage will be stressful. Watch those HD temps!

HDs also get killed or damaged by bumps and dirty power.

I have a creative MP3 player, but it's not connected, and I've disabled the
shell extensions already. No dice. The only thing I haven't done is the axis
suppression thing (and I'm not sure what that is or why I should do it).

The "startup axis" is the term I use to refer to all the points at
which software can be set to run when the system starts up, and many
of these are controllable via MSConfig and (less reversably)
HiJackThis. It's a more well-trod integration set than shell
extensions, but new hooks keep coming to light.

BTW, I had this problem once with Win2K, and know of at least one other
person who had it on a win2K.

OK... interesting.
Are your HDs running in the UDMA mode you'd expect?

I just read somewhere that system volume informaation can a problem if HDDs
are formatted under different versions of windows. It's a longshot (I've been
using the same version of windows for over a year, so I doubt that it would
affect different installations of the same version). I'm going to wipe all
three partitions and rebuild them from scratch. Maybe that will work.

You could just nuke the SVI from Bart CDR boot instead - a new one
will be rebuilt on the fly, and it's safe unless you use NTFS features
that use it, as EFS possibly might.

I'd prefer a scalpal over a sledgehammer any day

---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Don't pay malware vendors - boycott Sony