Yet another explorer.exe problem

[Guest]

I have looked at previous messages on this topic, but don't find one that is
quite like the problem I'm having.

I'm using Windows XP Professional (Version 5.1.2600, SP2) on a
Pentioum 4 3.2 GHz computer with 1 GB of ram.

In the last couple of months, I have been having problems with my
explorer.exe. At least half the time when i click on the explorer
icon or if i start it by right-clicking the Start button and choose
Explore, I get an error message saying that explorer.exe has
encountered an error and needs to close (note that it never opened
when I get this message). I send the error message to Microsoft (not
that I ever get a response), close that window, and then re-click the
explorer icon, and it works. That was annoying, but now I'm having
more serious problems.

Now, when I turn my computer off and turn it back on the next day or
later the same day, sometimes it won't complete the start-up. I get
the icons at the bottom of the screen, but the icons in the system
tray do not fill in, and the desktop icons do not appear. I cannot do
anything except the Task Manager. I may have to shut down and restart
two or three times, and then I will get my desktop icons with a notice
behind them asking me if I want to restore my Active Desktop. I click
the button provided, and all is then okay.

All of these problems seem to be related to my explorer.exe, but I
have no idea what to do about it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help.

MikeJanus

 

[DanS]

I have looked at previous messages on this topic, but don't find one
that is quite like the problem I'm having.

I'm using Windows XP Professional (Version 5.1.2600, SP2) on a
Pentioum 4 3.2 GHz computer with 1 GB of ram.

In the last couple of months, I have been having problems with my
explorer.exe. At least half the time when i click on the explorer
icon or if i start it by right-clicking the Start button and choose
Explore, I get an error message saying that explorer.exe has
encountered an error and needs to close (note that it never opened
when I get this message). I send the error message to Microsoft (not
that I ever get a response), close that window, and then re-click the
explorer icon, and it works. That was annoying, but now I'm having
more serious problems.

Now, when I turn my computer off and turn it back on the next day or
later the same day, sometimes it won't complete the start-up. I get
the icons at the bottom of the screen, but the icons in the system
tray do not fill in, and the desktop icons do not appear. I cannot do
anything except the Task Manager. I may have to shut down and restart
two or three times, and then I will get my desktop icons with a notice
behind them asking me if I want to restore my Active Desktop. I click
the button provided, and all is then okay.

All of these problems seem to be related to my explorer.exe, but I
have no idea what to do about it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help.

MikeJanus

Typically, problem like this with Explorer and IE are spyware/adware
related.

I would do, in safemode, Adaware, Spybot, MSAS (I'll get blasted here for
that), and HiJack This!. That will usually pick up all of the common
infestations.

At the first re-boot into safe mode, I would also open regedit, and look
at this key...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
, the setting on the right, named 'Shell'. If you haven't changed the
shell, and I doubt you did, it should read explorer.exe. I did run into 1
package that added an entry to that line after explorer.exe. All entries
under that setting are run every time your computer boots up, EVEN in
SAFE MODE.

If you don't find anything and still suffer the problems, there are more
advanced steps to take, but I'd stick with those first.