no longer able to restart Windows Explorer

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  1. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
       #1

    no longer able to restart Windows Explorer


    Following a string of updates installed this afternoon, I am no longer able to restart Windows Explorer, be it from the context menu or from Task Manager (Run explorer.exe). The old instance closes successfully, but the new instance does not run. I am no longer able to run explorer.exe from system32. C:\Windows\explorer.exe still works, but it's the explorer.exe that can't be configured to start with administrator privileges.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #2

    There should be a Restore Point from before the updates so you can roll it back.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
    Thread Starter
       #3

    I tried that and it worked, though not without some residual DLL-related crashes on boot. I backed up the system32/explorer.exe to my desktop and started the updates again. I'll report back after the reboot.

    EDIT: No dice. Not even restoring the backed-up copy of Explorer.exe seems to have helped. The system32 copy of explorer.exe is still unable to run; when called, it does not appear in the process list, which means something is killing it as soon as it is launched. Here's the list of all the updates installed.



    It seems to be dependent on where explorer.exe is run from; swapping around various instances of explorer.exe seems to have no effect. To reference my earlier problem, running explorer.exe from C:\Windows causes the system tray icons (volume, network, power status) to be irrestorably missing. Running from C:\Windows\System32 formerly fixed the problem. Running from C:\Windows\SysWOW64 only brings up an Explorer window, not the desktop.
    Last edited by pikalax; 14 Feb 2014 at 15:33.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #4

    Unfortunately, unless you see a post where someone tracked down the offending update and named it, it's a process of elimination. Is there some particular update you need? My inclination would be to restore to a working state and leave it that way. Then I'd watch for indications of the cause.

    But that's my modus operandi. Not everyone agrees. But I hesitate to install fixes in a bunch unless it's a formal Service Pack. Just too many variables in the equation.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I think I've solved my problem using the following two steps:
    1) I went into C:\Users\[MY-USERNAME] and showed all protected hidden files. There were several files named ntuser.dat followed by a 64-bit string. I moved all but three of them to a backup folder on my desktop and restarted my computer. I was then able to restart Explorer from system32.
    2) My original problem with explorer.exe was that it would launch from C:\Windows with standard privileges, causing the battery, WiFi, Volume, and Action Center system tray items to be irreversibly hidden. I solved this problem by going into regedit to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell and changing its value from 'explorer.exe' to 'C:\Windows\system32\explorer.exe'. After a restart, this problem was determined to be fully solved.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #6

    Good job. Thanks for posting the solution. :)
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 13,576
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #7

    You should still Run a system file check if you haven`t yet.

    SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
    Thread Starter
       #8

    I did run that, and it found no issues it could repair.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
    Thread Starter
       #9

    UPDATE: The problem returned following the most recent Windows update, but was resolved when I logged off and back on without a system reboot, implying the problem is potentially related to the automatic login protocol I set up on this machine. I'll try disabling that prior to my next round of updates and report back. For now, though, I am marking this as SOLVED.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 10,485
    W7 Pro SP1 64bit
       #10

    pikalax said:
    ~~~
    2) My original problem with explorer.exe was that it would launch from C:\Windows with standard privileges, causing....
    ~~~
    Does "standard" mean the medium integrity level?

    no longer able to restart Windows Explorer-exp.png

    If so, then that is as it should be. Entire papers have been written on how Microsoft manages to force Explorer to stay at the medium integrity level for security reasons. If you manage to get around that, your system might not be as secure as it should be.



    AddRAM said:
    You should still Run a system file check if you haven`t yet.

    SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
    pikalax said:
    I did run that, and it found no issues it could repair.
    Does that mean that there were no integrity errors?
    Or
    Does that mean that there were integrity errors that could not be repaired?
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:52.
Find Us