Windows Explorer works in Safe Mode not in Normal Startup

[Danno]

I'm trying to help with a friends Dell laptop running XP. Everything was
working fine when suddenly Windows Explorer and all programs that utilize it
(Control Panel, My Computer, My Documents, etc).

However, if you boot into Safe Mode, Windows Explorer works fine. I have
read about a repair, reinstall that looks like it might help. I have an XP
disk, but not the one that came with the laptop (used). Can I use my disk
to do the repair, reinstall?

I am trying to avoid doing a System Restore as his last restore point is
kind of old, and all we need to do is repair Windows Explorer. Would SFC
help? Could it be a driver conflict, maybe caused by an Auto Update of
Windows?

I'm pretty knowledgeable about computers, but I'm not real familiar with XP,
and I've never seen this problem before.

Any help appreciated,
Danno

 

[Leythos]

Try my Explorer Shell Fix tool. Download it here

PCBUTTS1, you've exposed yourself as the PIRATE/THIEF we all have said
you are.

You've been clearly exposed as a thief when you pirated code containing
a special marker enter by the real author, the file named
"obatssrsghde.exe" was a marker inserted into Stuarts batch file you
stole from him, it was a KEY that proves you're a thief:

For those that don't know, Stuart inserted the obatssrsghde.exe marker
into his batch file to prove, to the community, that PCBUTTS1 / The Real
Truth MVP is actually a lying thief, and PCBUTTS admitted in his own
post that he created the marker and claimed to know what it was - even
claimed to have submitted the malware to anti-virus vendors, but the
joke was on him, Stuart told everyone in the community about it BEFORE
it appeared in PCBUTTS1 download.... There is no actual file named
obatssrsghde.exe in the malware community, it was a ruse.

The key is in the spelling (shifted one character):

obatssrsghde.exe
pcbuttsthief

If you change (add) 1 character to each letter you will see that
"obatssrsghde" is actually the marker "pcbuttsthief" - proving that
PCBUTTS1 is a thief.

Are there other markers - YES, does PCBUTTS1 know about them - no,
they've been there for a long time, but this is the most obvious one.

Face it Chris/PCBUTTS1/TRT, you've exposed yourself in public.

 

[Jose]

I'm trying to help with a friends Dell laptop running XP.  Everything was
working fine when suddenly Windows Explorer and all programs that utilizeit
(Control Panel, My Computer, My Documents, etc).

However, if you boot into Safe Mode, Windows Explorer works fine.  I have
read about a repair, reinstall that looks like it might help.  I have an XP
disk, but not the one that came with the laptop (used).  Can I use my disk
to do the repair, reinstall?

I am trying to avoid doing a System Restore as his last restore point is
kind of old, and all we need to do is repair Windows Explorer.  Would SFC
help?  Could it be a driver conflict, maybe caused by an Auto Update of
Windows?

I'm pretty knowledgeable about computers, but I'm not real familiar with XP,
and I've never seen this problem before.

Any help appreciated,
Danno

Sounds like a common malicious software infection.

You should start with some scans you can download if/when you can get
Internet access.

In normal mode if you just see the desktop background, enter Task
Manager with CTRL+ALT+DEL. If explorer.exe is not running in the
Processes tab, it needs to be or you will have no desktop.

Click File, New Task and in the box enter:

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

If still no desktop, try Safe Mode with Networking, but somehow you
need to accomplish this first:

Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware
detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

They can be uninstalled later if desired.

 

[Barry Schwarz]

Try my Explorer Shell Fix tool. Download it here http://www.ms-mvp.org/

This is not the MVP site despite its fake logos.

The correct MVP site is http://www.mvps.org/.