Windows 7: Help, multiple explorer.exe's staying open.

Hello all

First, running Windows 7 64bit on full & clean install to a new HD.

Recently I have been noticing on a few trips to task manager that some times I will have a whole bunch of explorer.exe's running even if I have nothing but my desktop.

In doing some checking I found that this is happening from each time I open a new explorer window but the issue is, when I close the window, the process still is running.

It even happens if say from my desktop, I open only one explorer window and close that one and then at open another single one and close it and on an on like this.

Simple put it seems like for any condition I open an explorer window, despite the fact that I have closed it, it doesn't really seem to close.

Note, in doing some Googling I have found that I am not alone with this an some have recommend to uncheck, "Launch folder in separate process" in folder options and I have tried this but it doesn't work.

So how do I get Windows 7 to stop running a process of explorer.exe once I have closed it as sometimes I have even seen up to 10 of these running and its really eating up my memory.

Thanks

After some research of my own, a few people have said this link fixed their problem

You could also try an sfc scannow

Thanks for the reply Kirsch.

Truthfully though I'm not quite sure of all of that but just to show you what I have that opens for explorer, here is the command line:

%windir%\explorer.exe c:\

Basically I have this open just in the same way things did in 98, and I have removed all the other stuff from the nav pain so it just starts out at the top with my C directory just like 98 did.

As well to mention that this is the whole reason I use this as in my opinion, going directly to my files on my C drive is the whole point and where I need to go for 99% of my computers browsing so to go anywhere else would just mean more clicks to get me to there.

Thanks for the input though.

wait wait wait.

Did you say you tried an old command from Windows 98? Things have changed my friend.

Have you actually tried anything that Kirsch recommended?

Well I wouldn't say this is a old command from 98, its just a command line that opens explorer to your C drives root instead of somewhere else.

This has been a old trick if you will ever since XP but I don't see any diff between that an the normal line to what 7 uses to open an explorer window.

Same thing just dif ultimate destination.

If you want to know more about it, try a Google of that line and see.

In fact I found this one: http://www.maxi-pedia.com/Windows+7+...default+folder

As well just to maybe explain better, I took a look at Kirsch's recommends but again, with the thousand times a day I need to get to my C drive, going through two or three more clicks is not a option.

Btw too, I tried a sfc/scannow and it went to 100% without mentioning any issues or reporting that it changed any thing.

Does this mean its fine?

First, sorry I misread your post. I can understand that it going straight to C as in the 98 days is more convenient. As I was, well, 8/9 when we had windows 98 I don't always remember those little things. Second, I remember their being a way to pin a particular folder to the taskbar, which might be even more convenient then what you have now (I'm trying to remember how to do it). Also, in explorer, click the triangle next to computer. Then click the triangle next to C. Then it takes the same amount of clicks to get to your stuff from now on. So, you can use Kirsch's fix, and still not be inconvenienced with having to make two extra clicks. Third, it's two extra clicks to begin with, instead of having 50 explorer processes.

NP, yeah actually I already have a shortcut for this in my quick launch so its nice and small and leaves more room for open programs icons.

Basically, I have gone to great lengths to make 7 look and be setup like 98, best an most efficient interface I feel and uses the least resources to do so.

At least for me that is in the way I use the machine.

Makes it a bit hard to post here for support sometimes though as I typically have a hard time getting others to know what I'm talking about, but that's understandable.

I have to be honest. I have no clue why one would want 7 to look like 98. Maybe its a generational thing.

If I were you I'd use the fix Kirsch found. Otherwise, you will have to deal with having the problem. In this case at least, it's not a matter of people not wanting to help you. It's a matter of, if you won't take the advice, then there is nothing we can do for you. I have unsubscribed from a few threads where my advice was simply ignored, because there was nothing more I could tell the person to do, yet they kept asking for a different answer and refused to try the one I suggested. I'm not saying your as bad as some of them or that you are trying to be. Just that you have to make the choice. Is your mod more important, or you not having several explorer processes open.

Really Pete, don't take this so personally.

I guess my question here is, do you know if this shortcut I am using is the cause for this problem?

Have you tried it and found this to be the case?

Now while I don't have time to become completely educated on this it seems to me that this trick has been around for a long time and no one is reporting that it is causing this issue for them.

Heck it's even outlined in that link I posted above to do this for 7 as well as a whole bunch of other options, so don't you think if this and those were a problem, it would have been noticed?

So visa vie, its not that I don't want to do things your way its just I don't see how my way is the cause for the problem.

I didn't say your trick caused the problem. Apparently, Kirsch's fix requires you to change it back and throw in an extra string of data. I don't want you to lose you mod. But it looks like you might have to, at least temporarily, to fix your current problem. I mean, I don't know how else to explain it. If the number of explorer processes built up, and you don't want to try anything else, why not just end them in Task Manager. If you do the wrong one you'll kill the taskbar, but then all you have to do is use run in Task Manger to bring it back by typing explorer in to it. I'm not taking it personally. I just don't understand why you, and so many others, ask for a solution then say you don't want to do it.