[SOLVED] Windows Explorer has stopped working....Windows Explorer is Restarting

[Amcgrap]

As this site has solved some unbelievable problems (BSOD's and others) on my notebook system. I now have a problem on my desktop with an incessantly looping "Windows Explorer has stopped working....Windows Explorer is Restarting". This occurs when running in regular Windows 7 mode, as well as Safe Mode. The intervals are approx. every 10 seconds, which makes it almost impossible to try any repairs. I have tried everything to my knowledge (I am not a technician, but consider myself fairly good at troubleshooting from years of experience). I have gone to restore points, was able to run SFC using the command prompt without any integrity findings. I would rather not reinstall the system because of the vast number of programs I have installed.

I haven't been able run Malwarebytes or any other windows diagnostics software because Explorer keeps crashing every 10 minutes. I thought of Malware because of the inability to run anything long enough to function.

Any prior experiences with something like this?

Thanks.

 

[writhziden]

Do you have any restore points to run System Restore to before the problems started?


Have you tried a clean boot: How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot?

If that is not feasible due to the explorer crashes, follow the guide to stop services that might be causing conflicts on your system. That guide can be run through the Windows recovery options instead of having to run inside Windows itself.

Manually Restore the Registry From its Backup in Windows may also be worth looking into.

 

[Amcgrap]

Thanks for your prompt reply. They are very good suggestions and I will try them one by one. Presently I am attempting a Windows 7 Repair just in case.

 

[Corrine]

Let us know how you progress, Amcgrap.

 

[Amcgrap]

It wasn't good as to the Repair attempt and I just realized of an interesting thing with Win 7...the restore points supposedly fail, error 0x8000ffff, yet when the system reboots, it tells you that the restore was [FONT=arial, sans-serif]successful[/FONT]. It's bizarre. I will have to try the other troubleshooting suggested. My company's IT in-charge was stumped, although I have learned so much in the past by troubleshooting, especially with you folks, that it didn't surprise me that he had never seen this type of case. My goal is to salvage the system. I had an unfortunate hard disk failure in my system some months ago and it took me one month to [FONT=arial, sans-serif]re-install[/FONT] and get everything back to normal.

Thanks.

 

[Corrine]

Hi, Amcgrap.

Have you tried System File Checker? To perform a SFC (System File Checker) scan which will check and fix any corrupted files on your system do the following:

• Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.
• Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then right-click Run as administrator.
• If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue
• At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow (note the space before the backslash)
• When the scan is complete, if no errors are found, restart your computer and post back
• If the message does not say "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity violations", restart your computer and run System File Checker up to three times with a shutdown/restart between each run.

 

[Digerati]

I have gone to restore points, was able to run SFC using the command prompt without any integrity findings.

Since the desktop (the main UI for Windows Explorer) is so graphics oriented, this is often cause by a bad graphics driver. You might try disabling that (forcing Windows to use its own native drivers) and see what happens.

Please tell us about your hardware.

Any errors showing up in Event Viewer?

 

[Amcgrap]

Sorry about the interruption of this string of posts as I was traveling and away from my desktop system. Just to give an idea of what is happening, see the attached short video clip. You'll note that it makes it almost impossible to access any applications before Explorer crashes again. The system information I was able to pull up in safe mode, which is also attached. I had to zip both files because your system for some reason would not let me upload the NFO and AVI files. Please let me know if you have a problem with them.

The frequency of crashing has increased since the video clip, really making it difficult. Again, this happens in safe mode as well. The only difference in safe mode is that several windows built-in apps don't crash (very few like System Information).

Just about ready to do a reinstall, but would rather not because of the number of apps I would need to re-install and the amount of time it would take to get my system up to where I need it.

Thanks.

 

[writhziden]

Difficult to provide help without knowing what steps have already been followed and what the results were. Did you do the steps I provided in my previous post?

What about the steps in Digerati's post?

 

[Amcgrap]

Sorry but the following was a post that I never completed because I couldn't upload the attached file:

I was able to use several utilities in safe mode to detect events and possible conflicts. I am attaching a series of files with occurrences from 11-30 and 12-06 (today). I am not an expert in this area as you all are, but am I wrong in assuming that the conflict may be between PDFCORE8_x64.dll and Explorer.exe? That DLL is part of a program I use extensively, PDF Coverter 8.0 from Nuance. I have never had a conflict and use it as well on this notebook computer without any problems.

As to both your recommendation and Digerati's, the only thing I did not try was disabling the graphics driver, as per Digerati. My biggest problem has been having access to the system long enough to execute anything. As I mention above, today in safe mode the problem persisted and suddenly stopped allowing me to run some diagnostics. Previously I also mentioned that it is very odd that I tried going back to restore points but the process seemingly failed. When rebooting the system told me that the restore had been successful, but the problem persisted. All restore points post the one I chose were still there. Very odd. Hopefully, the attached file with events will tell you something. That PDFCORE8_64.dll continues to be mentioned. Let me know what you think.

 

[Digerati]

PDFCORE8_x64.dll and Explorer.exe? That DLL is part of a program I use extensively, PDF Coverter 8.0 from Nuance. I have never had a conflict and use it as well on this notebook computer without any problems.

That PDFCORE8_64.dll continues to be mentioned. Let me know what you think.

I think you are trying to fix Windows it appears to be a problem with your PDF converter. Did you check their site for updates? If me, I would uninstall that program, reboot, see if it boots normally, and stays up?

 

[Amcgrap]

I'll give that a shot. Another oddity is that now when running in safe mode, the problem all of a sudden does not exists. I used Process Explorer from Systernals and find that in safe mode it cannot find the subject DLL, where when running Windows in regular mode, the DLL runs, is attached to Explorer and the problems persist. Will let you know after the uninstall.

 

[Amcgrap]

Thanks for the tip as the following happened:

- I tried to uninstall PDF Converter 8.0 in safe mode and it would not let me because there was a problem with the installer (? suspicious)
- Against my better judgment, I deleted the DLL file (risky) and then ran Windows in normal mode
- Everything ran fine and I then uninstalled PDF...in normal mode
- I am running some full virus scans and already made sure that there wasn't any malware in the PC
- It is running at the office and we'll see how everything is in the morning

You were absolutely right about my trying to fix Windows vs. an App! I always assumed that when Explorer, one of the key elements for running Windows went wrong, it was a system issue....especially when it was reacting the same way in safe and normal modes. I guess Windows problems can seem like a needle in a haystack, and continue to be complex.

I am glad I found this site and the pros that work it...this year I have probably saved 80-120 hours of troubleshooting by myself with no guarantees because of your expertise. I've had Desktop and especially Vaio issues which you helped me solve.

I will keep you informed of the continued success of today's actions, before closing this case.

The next question is should I reinstall PDF Converter 8.0 and see what happens? I am not a fan of Adobe, which is why I switched to alternative Apps. Their bloatware made me weary years ago and especially when you couldn't alter a PDF file in any way vs. others that made our lives easier by converting PDF files to Excel, Word, etc. PDF Converter 8.0 is the best of the Apps I have experimented with (at least 5-6 top in the market).

Thanks again.

 

[Digerati]

You were absolutely right about my trying to fix Windows vs. an App! I always assumed that when Explorer, one of the key elements for running Windows went wrong, it was a system issue....especially when it was reacting the same way in safe and normal modes.

If the operating system runs all your other programs just fine, I don't understand why you would assume the one failure was due to the OS. That said, don't feel bad - automatically blaming Windows (or Microsoft or even Bill Gates) is a common occurrence.

The next question is should I reinstall PDF Converter 8.0 and see what happens?

I don't know. Are you actually using PDF Converter to "convert" PDF files? Or just view (and maybe edit) them?

I don't like Adobe products either. While bloat is a problem, it is the constant and sheer volume of newly reported security vulnerabilities in their products that keeps me away from them when possible.

Since you know how to uninstall it again, if it causes problems again, you could try reinstalling it again to see what happens. If you don't need that specific Adobe alternative, you might check out Foxit Reader - that's what I use and recommend in place of Adobe Reader.

 

[writhziden]

Good call with the PDF Converter, Digerati. I agree with your advice about the Converter and installing it to see if the problem occurs again; sometimes these things happen due to a program or its files becoming corrupted.

It may not be a bad idea to reset your System Restore and then make a restore point prior to installing the software again. To reset System Restore:

1. Click Start
   
   
2. Type System Protection into the Search programs and files box
   
   
3. Click Create a restore point
   
   
4. Click Configure (do this for all drives that protection is enabled on)
   
   
5. Put a tick in the option to Disable system protection (do this for all drives that protection is enabled on)
   
   
6. Click Apply
   
   
7. Click Yes in the dialog that opens asking if you want to disable protection on the drive
   
   
8. Put a tick in the option to Enable system protection
   
   
9. Click Apply again
   
   
10. OK out of the windows

 

[Corrine]

The only problem with the Foxit Reader is that it includes a toolbar reputed to have a certain adware/trackware functionality. I switched to Sumatra PDF several years ago. It is open source, light weight, no extras, particularly no toolbars. I particularly like the ability to select/copy text from a PDF file with Sumatra PDF.

 

[Digerati]

The only problem with the Foxit Reader is that it includes a toolbar reputed to have a certain adware/trackware functionality.

I ALWAYS - and I recommend everyone ALWAYS use the "Custom" install option when installing any program - especially free programs so you can opt out of any extra toolbar or fluff the makers may add.

FoxIt Reader is like many "reputable" programs and it provides a super easy installation program that allows you to opt out of the Ask! toolbar.

To be sure something has not changed, I uninstalled FoxIt Reader, downloaded and installed the new version. There was no custom install option. Instead, the install walks you through the installation and provides a clearly understandable options page where it is a simple step to opt out of the toolbar.

I don't see a problem here.

 

[Corrine]

No problem for you, Digerati, because you are aware. We know from experience that most people click Next -> Next -> Next -> OK without reading the EULA or what is shown on the installer.

 

[Amcgrap]

Thank you all for the advice. I actually use PDF Converter to do extensive editing of PDF's, as well as converting them to different formats. It has many useful features. I will try and reinstall it and take the advice of the restore point. I just arrived at the office and the system is up and running well. This whole problem was really bizarre, especially since Explorer was crashing every 5 seconds towards the end and it was so difficult to run anything to diagnose what the problem was. The bottom line I guess is that it was the DLL gone haywire all of a sudden after functioning well for over 6 months.

Thanks again. I was a step away from having to re-install everything.

 

[Digerati]

We know from experience that most people click Next -> Next -> Next -> OK without reading the EULA or what is shown on the installer.

No doubt Corrine. But it is a common practice to add "fluff" to programs by free, and paid programs too! Even major security suites attempt to foist all sorts of stuff on our systems we don't need and will never use. So because many of the best programs are free, we cannot (IMO) stop recommending those that want to add fluff, just because they do.

The exceptions are (1) for those programs that do not allow us to opt out and (2) for those programs that add real spyware or malicious code. While the Ask toolbar may be annoying, it is not spyware or adware.

Is the Ask Toolbar "spyware"?

I think it is more important for us to teach how to opt out, rather than try to keep users from being exposed to installation options and tactics that are becoming ever more popular - even by "legitimate" makers.

This whole problem was really bizarre, especially since Explorer was crashing every 5 seconds towards the end and it was so difficult to run anything to diagnose what the problem was. The bottom line I guess is that it was the DLL gone haywire all of a sudden after functioning well for over 6 months.

The problem is, whenever Windows crashes, there is a chance a critical file does not get properly closed, and becomes corrupt. Subsequent crashes may cause wider and wider corruption until the system becomes unusable.