Windows 7 - Right Click on desktop causing Explorer.exe crash!!!

Well, uninstalling 7zip did not help...nor did using ShellExView to disable every non-Microsoft context menu...so I reinstalled the OS...from scratch...and we will see.

Well, that was fast. Boom.

I rebuilt, allowed it to install updates, and only added two items - Avast & Firefox...and hit my first explorer crash within ten minutes.

This absolutely sucks. If MS does not address this issue fast, I am going back to XP.

I have a sporadic issue with Explorer crashing as well (not always with right clicking - can be when I close windows) and called MS support twice today. I explained to them it was sporadic and comes and goes. I emailed both people the error message details (some of the error details were different actually). The first person had me do a disk cleanup and clean prefetch. The second person had me disable startup programs and non-MS services and reboot. She asked me if I still had the issue and I said it was sporadic and the issue wasn't that it was currently happening and I pointed out we did nothing to address the problem. She told me to call back when it happened again! I said-- well -- this is why I am on the phone with you now.

WTF is wrong with these people?

I guess if Windows works 50% of the day they can't help me if I am talking to them when it happens to be during the time it is working? They essentially told me they can't do anything and to call back when it happens again - which means I will tell them it just crashed but it is now working and they will then tell me to call them back when it happens again.


Great

I told you, same crap for me.

I do not install any "shell extensions" and it happens almost right away... This problem happens to A LOT of people. Something more going on than a "3rd party app causing a crash"...

It's so utterly annoying to have to try and find ways around doing normal right click activities.

We should make it into a drinking game...everytime Explorer.exe crashes for someone we take a drink...

You do realize she is reading from a script on a screen. She (probably) has NO IDEA what you even mean by half the stuff you tell her/him... She/he is reading something that says, TELL XXXX TO DISABLE ALL NON-MICROSOFT PRODUCTS, and walks you through it... Your chances of getting any type of tech on the line that knows the issue is 0000000000000000000.00000%

This happens on a FRESH install of Windows 7...I used WinXP for YEARS and never had ONE blue screen.. it's so utterly frustrating...and its even worse knowing that Microsoft is just sitting back and chuckling about it

The one thing I did notice tonight is that when it happens, if I click restart Explorer enough times, right clicking will eventually start working again. I used to think I had to reboot for it to clear up, but after restarting Explorer xxxx times it eventually works.

Of course I realize it - but not all customer service is scripted to this degree especially when you point out they really did nothing and didn't even acknowledge the problem. She essentially said "it's not happening now so it's fixed" when it was not fixed and wasn't happening when I initially called. What she could have said is that she will forward my errors to analysts and get back to me.

It's only happened once since my last rebuild...but if past experience is an indication of the future, it will start to happen with increasing frequency until I reboot...and then be good again for a while. Even when it is happening all the time however, it is still somewhat sporadic. Perhaps 50% of the right-clicks.

Seems like this one should be fairly straightforward for MS to fix...assuming they can reproduce it. It's not like we are reporting a random BSOD with unknown conditions. It's whatever code (and plugins) get executed on a right-click. Thus, I am cautiously optimistic..

FYI - I just emailed engadget..maybe they can do a story on it. Doubt it will happen but giving it the college try. Maybe if enough people report this issue it will get some kind of priority--or even acknowledgement.

Scuba-- are you getting this when closing windows sometimes? For me it seems to happen just as frequently when closing windows/applications. I guess the best way to classify the impact of this is as a "consistently sporadic nuissance".

Yes, it has happened in that case. That said, it is far more common for me when I right-click in the shell.

In my current build, it has happened once - when I right-clicked on a new library that I created to access the properties menu (to setup folders).

Frankly, I would be satisfied if MS simply stated, "we are aware of it and are looking into it." Perhaps getting a site like Engadget or Gizmodo to post a related story might light a fire under their butts.