Windows Explorer crashing on right-click under x64 RTM

[Dazeon]

Hello,

Just wondered if anybody could make any sense of these Problem Reports?

For some reason every so often when I right-click on the Desktop or the Recycle Bin, Windows Explorer will crash.

It will do this three or four times and then be completely fine for the rest of the day.

I thought it was down to my Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio drivers, but now I am not so sure.

Anyway, here's the reports:

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: explorer.exe
Application Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Application Timestamp: 4a5bc9bb
Fault Module Name: ntdll.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Fault Module Timestamp: 4a5be02b
Exception Code: c000041d
Exception Offset: 000000000003202d
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 9679
Additional Information 2: 9679393d1585792b283e811362aac458
Additional Information 3: 99ba
Additional Information 4: 99ba52cdcda41a4960d0708e0039c5b6

Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 6733286

and

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: explorer.exe
Application Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Application Timestamp: 4a5bc9bb
Fault Module Name: ole32.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Fault Module Timestamp: 4a5be01a
Exception Code: c000041d
Exception Offset: 00000000000fd7d2
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 384e
Additional Information 2: 384ee4f7f514dbf491fcd7103f4dead0
Additional Information 3: 8a95
Additional Information 4: 8a95d581dc04b2bc0ff58d6de6f3badd

and

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: explorer.exe
Application Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Application Timestamp: 4a5bc9bb
Fault Module Name: StackHash_eeae
Fault Module Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Fault Module Timestamp: 4a5be02b
Exception Code: c0000374
Exception Offset: 00000000000c6cd2
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: eeae
Additional Information 2: eeaeacfcedb320bc5a1d44a0041a772c
Additional Information 3: 90e8
Additional Information 4: 90e82284328c294d2b8212e24ed05d67

and finally

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: Explorer.EXE
Application Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Application Timestamp: 4a5bc9bb
Fault Module Name: msvcrt.dll
Fault Module Version: 7.0.7600.16385
Fault Module Timestamp: 4a5bdfbe
Exception Code: c000041d
Exception Offset: 0000000000001221
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: fe1f
Additional Information 2: fe1fc2321642028abbe8da5c3b443a9c
Additional Information 3: 3700
Additional Information 4: 37000844ddc7ed76856fc5a2121ff052

If anybody can help I would be extremely grateful, I just cannot isolate the problem and it's very annoying.

Thanks.

 

[Dinesh]

it has to be a 3rd party program like adobe flash player.
download ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows and disable some related 3rd party apps.

 

[Dazeon]

Thank you Dinesh, great little program that.

I have had a look and the only stuff that stands out is the ATI Catalyst entry (running the latest 9.8 x64), WinRAR (latest 3.90 x64), and Microsoft Security Essentials (latest build from connect) which I am starting to think may be the culprit.

I also have Spybot S & D which has a context menu option but doesn't appear to be listed.

I've attached the .html report from ShellExView for anyone that wants to take a look (rename from .txt to .html to open as it wouldn't let me upload .html?)

Thanks.

 

[Dinesh]

yep its either mse or the catalyst.

 

[Dazeon]

Yes, it was Microsoft Security Essentials causing the issue, in particular:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Essentials\shellext.dll

Somebody had already opened a bug report on Microsoft Connect so I added my two cents there.

Thank you again Dinesh, I can rest easy now knowing what the problem is, it's been bugging me for well over a month now.

 

[Meistergimp]

I can verify the OP's experience. I was pulling my hair out with the exact same Explorer crashes under Win7 x64 until I uninstalled MSE. I haven't seen one since.

 

[Dazeon]

Tell me about it Meistergimp!

I was going around in circles after two full clean installs, blaming Creative and SpywareBlaster...

Typical, although at least now we might get a fix, there's at least two of us having the issue on Connect, and a third here being yourself.

I would go back to Avast but I know the beta is out for version 5 so I wouldn't be able to settle for 4.x

I just renamed shellext.dll to shellext.bak, which seems to have done the job, I lose the shell integration but at least it works for now. :sarc:

 

[Dinesh]

You're Welcome Dazeon.

 

[Dazeon]

If anybody here is on the official Microsoft Security Essentials beta then please rate or validate this issue here:

https://connect.microsoft.com/securityessentials/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=484743

The link will only work if you're registered with the program on Connect.
Even if you don't have this issue, you could always rate it and hopefully get us a fix...

Thank you.

 

[zigzag3143]

If anybody here is on the official Microsoft Security Essentials beta then please rate or validate this issue here:

https://connect.microsoft.com/securityessentials/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=484743

The link will only work if you're registered with the program on Connect.
Even if you don't have this issue, you could always rate it and hopefully get us a fix...

Thank you.

Done

 

[Dazeon]

I may have been a little quick off the starting block...

It started again today, twice now.
I lost my patience the first time and uninstalled Microsoft Security Essentials, however it has just happened again.

So either something has been left behind (folder has gone and search comes up clean) or it wasn't Microsoft Security Essentials.

This is really driving me insane now!

I have disabled EVERYTHING bar the Microsoft stuff using ShellExtView including the ATI entries and Bluewire General Property Sheet?

I really am at a loss now.

Have reverted back to avast! Home Edition for the foreseeable future.

I am reluctant to perform yet another clean install until I can pinpoint and fix the issue.

Please help!

 

[Tommy]

I had the same problem. Useing ShellExtView I disabled the 2 ATI entries, left everything else enabled and it works fine. It's a great program and everyone should have it. The shaded problem entries are a little hard to see on Win 7.

 

[Dinesh]

Hello Dazeon, Looks like the problem is getting severe. As suggested by Tommy, using Shellex, try to find the culprit. I would recommend a clean install to avoid this frustration.

Edit; As an experiment, install ccleaner and run its registry cleaner.

 

[Dazeon]

Still happening...

I have disabled EVERYTHING

 

[Vermain]

Dazeon- I've experienced very much the same thing, except I'm on Vista x64. Many other searches lead to similar but not matching cases. I've also gone through ShellExtView front and back, I've disabled DEP after finding that 64 bit processes can't be added to the exceptions list, I've added and removed service packs.. you name it. After trying some "fixes," it behaves for several hours and then it'll go crashing all over again. It's been doing this practically since I bought it. Out of curiosity, do you happen to use the K-Lite Codec Pack? It's right around the time I installed (and subsequently uninstalled) it that I started getting the crashes chronically. It's a stretch of the imagination, but I can't seem to place blame to anything else. I'm unable to see if switching to ganged vs. unganged mode would help since HP's notebooks have very basic BIOS options. Best of luck to you.

 

[chev65]

I would reinstall Windows then install one driver at a time checking for the problem after each driver install. I wouldn't put up with that for a single day

When I had an IE not responding problem with my control panel not working it was my sound card drivers causing it. I figured out which file it was but then Asus came out with a patch.

 

[logicearth]

I've disabled DEP after finding that 64 bit processes can't be added to the exceptions list

It would be pointless to add 64bit processes to the DEP exception list when they are all built being DEP safe. It would be a good idea not to disable DEP anyways.

 

[Dazeon]

I use the Win7codecs Vermain.

It's the most annoying problem I have ever had on any machine, and it's extremely weird that it never ever happened until I installed the RTM build.

I am giving it until the weekend then I am going to re-download from Technet and clean install.

I have uninstalled anything that had any kind of right-click integration including WinRAR, CCleaner, Live Mesh, and Spybot - Search & Destroy.

I am still dubious about my X-Fi Xtreme Audio drivers, but nobody else appears to have any problem with them.

As always, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Dinesh]

I would recommend you to do a clean install at this point of time. Also, instead of WINRAR, use 7-zip and instead of any codecs, use VLC media player.

 

[Vermain]

I know disabling DEP is dangerous, I just tried it as a last resort.
I uninstalled my codecs a long time ago and started using VLC, but that didn't help. It would only help as a work-around until something else triggers the error. (What was described earlier.. having a few hours of good behavior followed by more crashing)

Last night I grew aware of something that might narrow this down. On top of right-clicking the desktop and recycling bin, I noticed that the crashes were more frequent if I had an external memory device plugged in.

This piqued my curiosity, so I went to go check out Device Manager.. and mmc.exe crashed, with ntdll.dll as the culprit. I can open the Microsoft Management Console itself.. but the crash only occurs if I try to choose the Device Manager or Services. Interesting.. Still happened after I ejected the storage device, and it doesn't happen all the time. Safe Mode at least guarantees access to mmc.exe.

A clean install would result in the same thing for my laptop. I have restore cds instead of an actual windows copy. As I install basic software (multimedia player, burning software) it's likely this will trigger again. It's like walking blindly into a field of landmines.
Hope it doesn't carry over when I get my Windows 7 upgrade in October