Windows explorer has stopped working error

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  1. Posts : 13
    Windows 7 64-bit
       #1

    Windows explorer has stopped working error


    Hi, looks like I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors (having tried all of the other suggestions in your very comprehensive guide).

    Sorry if this question has been asked and answered above but my Acer laptop came with their branded W7 so I guess that would be a factory OEM install..? Do you think there's any point trying this method to preserve my data before I try resetting it to factory default?

    If it helps to know, I've got 3 partitions on my HDD (14GB Recovery Partition; 100MB SYSTEM RESERVED; 582GB for C: ) and I can access a screen like system recovery options by booting into safe mode...Does that change my options at all?

    Any advice would be hugely appreciated!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 880
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
       #2

    AlexIsAlex said:
    I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors...
    Dunno what you have tried, but I have a PC with these and used ShellExView64 to disable non-MS shell extensions and my Explorer crashes stopped. Still haven't pinpointed the precise culprit yet.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 13
    Windows 7 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    maxseven said:
    AlexIsAlex said:
    I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors...
    Dunno what you have tried, but I have a PC with these and used ShellExView64 to disable non-MS shell extensions and my Explorer crashes stopped. Still haven't pinpointed the precise culprit yet.

    Hi, thanks for the tip.

    I've actually given that a go already but the problem occurs no matter which non-MS handlers I disable. I've also tried almost everything on Capt.Jack Sparrow's list here. SFC tells me there's an unrepairable problem with EhStorAPI.dll and someone over on answers.microsoft.com who kindly checked my .dmp file said the same thing. Not sure if that's incidental or not but I'll try to repair that first (though not sure how...).

    If that fails, I figure that plan B is a repair install and plan C is a clean install.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 14
    Windows (32 & 64 bit) XP, 7, 8CP; Ubuntu 10.10; Android x86
       #4

    STOP! The problem is not that serious.


    Hi, looks like I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors
    Update or uninstall/reinstall your storage drivers. See attached screenshot.



    That will install a good copy (copies if you're on a 64-bit system) of EhStorAPI.dll

    To fix any other missing/corrupt files found by SFC that are not automatically repaired, follow these steps:

    1. At an elevated command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: takeown /f Path_And_File_Name
    For example, type takeown /f E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.

    2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER to grant administrators full access to the file: icacls Path_And_File_Name /GRANT ADMINISTRATORS:F
    For example, type icacls E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll /grant administrators:F.

    3. Type the following command to replace the file with a known good copy of the file:
    Copy Path_And_File_Name_Of_Source_File Path_And_File_Name_Of_Destination
    For example, type copy E:\temp\jscript.dll E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.

    Hope this helps.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 880
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
       #5

    Along with the sfc idea, just FYI Alex I also had a problem once where the explorer.exe version I was running was one revision old. Somehow the "fully updated" W7 PC had managed to miss explorer.exe update KB2515325 (and the PC still passed SFC scanning tests). Anyway make sure yours is latest e.g. v6.1.7601.17567 depending on your architecture.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 14
    Windows (32 & 64 bit) XP, 7, 8CP; Ubuntu 10.10; Android x86
       #6

    Along with the sfc idea, just FYI Alex I also had a problem once where the explorer.exe version I was running was one revision old. Somehow the "fully updated" W7 PC had managed to miss explorer.exe update KB2515325 (and the PC still passed SFC scanning tests). Anyway make sure yours is latest e.g. v6.1.7601.17567 depending on your architecture.
    @maxseven: That particular update presented a lot of installation problems for some. However, in this particular instance, IMO, AlexisAlex's problem is caused by a simple corruption of a system driver. Not a big deal, really. SFC cannot repair it because there is/are no valid copie/s in Windows' store to be scavenged. If there were, then SFC would not "care" that the corrupt/replacement files were "old" as long as they matched.

    The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2 and for Windows 7" section. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are extremely important to maintain the state of the updated components.

    After the Intel storage driver is reinstalled as suggested, I believe the SFC problem will become moot; the file it cannot repair will have been replaced.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 13
    Windows 7 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Thanks for the suggestion but I think I might have made things worse...

    I right-clicked the SATA AHCI Controller-->Properties-->Driver-->Update (no updates were found)-->Uninstall-->Ticked "uninstall system driver software"-->OK-->Restart-->Wait for DVD-RAM and two other devices to reinstall-->Restart again

    But I still get the error. I've run SFC again and EhStorAPI.dll is still corrupt (see below). Also, in the system tray, there's an icon for "Intel RST service is not running" and trying to open the application now causes IAStorUI to crash. Also, also, the SATA AHCI Controller is now called Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Control".

    Have I done something stupid?

    2012-05-08 15:56:41, Info CSI 00000088 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll" of Microsoft-Windows-EnhancedStorage-API, Version = 6.1.7600.16385, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
    2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008a [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll" of Microsoft-Windows-EnhancedStorage-API, Version = 6.1.7600.16385, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
    2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008b [SR] This component was referenced by [l:202{101}]"Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.7600.16385.WindowsFoundationDelivery"
    2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008e [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:46{23}]"\??\C:\Windows\System32"\[l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll"; source file in store is also corrupted
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 14
    Windows (32 & 64 bit) XP, 7, 8CP; Ubuntu 10.10; Android x86
       #8

    Hi there, AlexIsAlex.

    No, you did everything OK and no (additional) harm has been done. When you (we) uninstalled and tried to reinstall the problem device, the proper drivers could not be loaded because they are corrupted; therefore, your system defaulted to standard SATA drivers (necessary for boot). We'll double-check your BIOS settings later.

    Please go to your computer manufacturer's support website, http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers , and download the Intel AHCI Driver for your specific machine and version of Windows; or, they have a cool online scanner that will do it for you: http://global-download.acer.com/FilesDownload/ALU/LiveUpdater.exe


    BTW, are you on 32- or 64-bit?


    Keep us posted. I'll keep a close lookout.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 13
    Windows 7 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Hi, thanks for keeping an eye on this.

    No luck with reinstalling the driver, unfortunately. I installed LiveUpdater but that didn't find any updates (I think it came pre-installed with the laptop and has never actually found any updates).

    I then tried manually downloading and installing the drivers from the website. That turned out to be easier said than done since I couldn't open WinRAR to unpack them or open the folder I saved them in without explorer.exe crashing! Anyway, I managed to install them, restarted but I don't get a tray icon about RST any more and opening the RST application (either directly or via the newly installed Intel Control Centre) still causes IAStorUIto crash.

    Have I missed a step? I'm on 64-bit Windows.

    Alex
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 14
    Windows (32 & 64 bit) XP, 7, 8CP; Ubuntu 10.10; Android x86
       #10

    No problem, Alex. When I stick my nose into someone else's business, the least I can do is see things through. :)

    Thanks for re-confirming system specs. I will assemble a "package" hopefully to resolve all the interrelated issues you're experiencing which I still believe stem from corrupted drivers. But, a little more info, please:
    1. Exact model of your computer? (I want to get all related drivers.)
    2. Have you installed all .NET Framework updates, including those for 3.5 and 4 Client Profile? This has caused RST/IAStorUI issues for others. My "package" will check that, too.

    Just in case the other crashes (WinRAR, Explorer, etc.) are malware related, running this scanner will eliminate that as a possibility. Download Virus Removal Tool - Free Virus Detection and Removal It does not install and, so, can be run alongside any existing antivirus.

    Back in a few hours.
    ---JMJ
      My Computer


 
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