Right Click on desktop causing Explorer.exe crash!!!

[MACKIE]

I have been testing my own theory on this. I disabled Avast and it stopped happening.. Just a thought.

 

[scubasteve]

I also uninstalled Avast...and haven't had a crash since. May be a false correlation...especially when you consider that folks are claiming right-click explorer crashes with nothing installed...but when I saw that MSE (also free) fared better in malware testing, I figured that I would give it a try.

Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

 

[magnetite]

Although I'm not getting any "Windows Explorer has stopped responding" "Windows Explorer is restarting" messages, I think it is still happening, even after I did not install O&O Defrag. The screen will just redraw itself. Takes about 2-5 seconds to restore normal operation. Basically it's like the error I had before, except there isn't any Windows Error Reporting message.

I'm also getting something where if I right click on the start menu to remove a program from the list, the context menu doesn't come up, then Explorer restarts. I disabled all the ShellEx stuff which was red, basically all the non-MS ones, and no dice. Or I was viewing some pictures and they took longer than average to load. If I do it a few times it'll work, but not always the first time. I would assume since it was from a folder, that it might be tied into Windows Explorer.

I don't know much about MSE, but I might give it a shot, if Avast might be causing other issues. I've been told Windows Defender isn't exactly as good as Spybot S&D, but I guess it's not the same thing as MSE.

 

[BashirSabeel]

Hi, GOOD NEWS. After a lot of research about the explorer crashing problem, I have come accross a web site, it gives instructions to delete a registery entry. THIS HAS WORED FOR ME, I have tested my system out after deleting the entry and restarting my computer and have not had the crashing problem again If it does crash I will let you all know but fingers crossed.

Follow my instructions:

1. Click start
2. Type regedit and hit enter
3. Go into the following - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - SOFTWARE - Microsoft - SQMClient
4. Then you should see an entry called "MachineThrottling", BACKUP YOUR REGISTERY (file, Export etc...) and DELETE that entry.
5. Close the Registery Program
6. Open My computer right click on the hard drive that Windows 7 is installed on
7. Click Tools Tab
8. Click check now (make sure the top box is selected - fix file system errors) and OK
9. Restart your computer

This has worked for my system and hopefully it will work on yours. If you need help just leave a reply and I will try my best to help out

 

[magnetite]

Uninstalled Avast, and it seemed to have stopped crashing. Funny thing was other people I know said they had no problems with Avast. I'm using MSE for anti-virus and Spybot S&D for spyware removal.

 

[theunknwnbstrd]

I don't use Avast. I use MSE, so it shouldn't be Avast.

Just thought I would add that.

 

[TomasWin7]

Uninstalled Avast, and it seemed to have stopped crashing. Funny thing was other people I know said they had no problems with Avast. I'm using MSE for anti-virus and Spybot S&D for spyware removal.

I uninstalled O&O before as a test. I didn't have a crash for 5 hours, then it happened again. I would def. give it some time before saying it's cured!

 

[TomasWin7]

Hi, GOOD NEWS. After a lot of research about the explorer crashing problem, I have come accross a web site, it gives instructions to delete a registery entry. THIS HAS WORED FOR ME, I have tested my system out after deleting the entry and restarting my computer and have not had the crashing problem again If it does crash I will let you all know but fingers crossed.

Follow my instructions:

1. Click start
2. Type regedit and hit enter
3. Go into the following - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - SOFTWARE - Microsoft - SQMClient
4. Then you should see an entry called "MachineThrottling", BACKUP YOUR REGISTERY (file, Export etc...) and DELETE that entry.
5. Close the Registery Program
6. Open My computer right click on the hard drive that Windows 7 is installed on
7. Click Tools Tab
8. Click check now (make sure the top box is selected - fix file system errors) and OK
9. Restart your computer

This has worked for my system and hopefully it will work on yours. If you need help just leave a reply and I will try my best to help out

Bashir,

it seems a lot of people have used the above method you suggested with some success. Here is a link with similar success:

House Party > "Windows explorer has stopped working"

Also if you do a Google search simply for "MachineThrottling" a lot of useful information comes up. I'll give it a go..why not..seems like an easy enough thing to try.

Update: I do not even have ANY keys under this pane in my registry. So sadly, this can't be the cause of my problem as I do not even have the entry at all!

 

[Dazeon]

Hi, GOOD NEWS. After a lot of research about the explorer crashing problem, I have come accross a web site, it gives instructions to delete a registery entry. THIS HAS WORED FOR ME, I have tested my system out after deleting the entry and restarting my computer and have not had the crashing problem again If it does crash I will let you all know but fingers crossed.

Follow my instructions:

1. Click start
2. Type regedit and hit enter
3. Go into the following - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - SOFTWARE - Microsoft - SQMClient
4. Then you should see an entry called "MachineThrottling", BACKUP YOUR REGISTERY (file, Export etc...) and DELETE that entry.
5. Close the Registery Program
6. Open My computer right click on the hard drive that Windows 7 is installed on
7. Click Tools Tab
8. Click check now (make sure the top box is selected - fix file system errors) and OK
9. Restart your computer

This has worked for my system and hopefully it will work on yours. If you need help just leave a reply and I will try my best to help out

There is no entry by that name in my machine, I have tried a search in Registry Editor also.

I have used Avast in the past and had Windows Explorer crash, however since moving to MSE the issue still occurs.

I have never used O&O Defrag, I use PerfectDisk, although I did use Spybot - Search & Destroy but it was causing its own errors.

I would certainly recommend giving your machine at least 5-7 days before you claim it is fixed/cured.
I have seen my machine run solid for 3 days and then start with the issue again!

 

[Oscarrr]

same issue here as well, it does bother me a lot because i never had this happen with the RC...I hope Microsoft fixes this soon so that it doesn't give 7 a bad name...

 

[MACKIE]

Had a laptop and 2 desktops with Avast and disabled it and the problem has stopped since my last post. What caught me off guard was the avast icon would stop spinning when explorer.exe would get hung up and that is why I suspected it. Maybe this problem could be caused by one of many things and in my case it was Avast.

 

[gunnarjs]

I had been having similar problems; I couldn't go 5 minutes without explorer freezing (though I wouldn't receive an error message, it would just freeze). I decided to try uninstalling Kaspersky, and have yet to have the problem. I'm going to disable my internet for a while as I'm currently unprotected, and see if I can go a prolonged period without incident. I shall return in a few days with an update.

 

[TomasWin7]

I had been having similar problems; I couldn't go 5 minutes without explorer freezing (though I wouldn't receive an error message, it would just freeze). I decided to try uninstalling Kaspersky, and have yet to have the problem. I'm going to disable my internet for a while as I'm currently unprotected, and see if I can go a prolonged period without incident. I shall return in a few days with an update.

Well sounds like we all have different programs installed which may be hooking into the same "problem" area within the Win 7 release. All of these different programs we are speaking of could be tying into the same section of Windows which is causing our issues.

I certainly do not have Avast or Kaspersky installed, but I damn sure have the right click issue. Way too many people with different programs having the issue for it to not be Windows fault somehow (IMHO).

But let us not forget that some of us have even had the issue with a clean install of windows, and some of us had the issue with a clean install and just the Windows Updates applied. so something is not right.

 

[H2SO4]

I had been having similar problems; I couldn't go 5 minutes without explorer freezing (though I wouldn't receive an error message, it would just freeze). I decided to try uninstalling Kaspersky, and have yet to have the problem. I'm going to disable my internet for a while as I'm currently unprotected, and see if I can go a prolonged period without incident. I shall return in a few days with an update.

Well sounds like we all have different programs installed which may be hooking into the same "problem" area within the Win 7 release. All of these different programs we are speaking of could be tying into the same section of Windows which is causing our issues.

I certainly do not have Avast or Kaspersky installed, but I damn sure have the right click issue. Way too many people with different programs having the issue for it to not be Windows fault somehow (IMHO).

But let us not forget that some of us have even had the issue with a clean install of windows, and some of us had the issue with a clean install and just the Windows Updates applied. so something is not right.

Or you've all got mostly different issues with the same externally visible symptom.

"Sometimes, while I'm driving, the engine goes 'cough cough splat' and dies."

 

[gunnarjs]

Well I ended up installing AVG free and haven't had the issue once since. I used to have the problem 5 minutes after logging on.

One difference I have noticed between the retail and RC us the Windows malware removal tool in the update. Maybe this is clashing with some anti-virus programs?

 

[Zaggs]

Having the same problem. Right click on the desktop and sometimes explorer crashed. I dont have avast nor O&O. I run McAffee but the problem predates that. I'm getting exception codes of: 0xc0000374 and 0xc000041d. I've also tried using various ATI catalyst drivers for my vid card to no avail.

 

[TomasWin7]

with so many people jumping in here to report the same issue, it makes me feel better about it. At least I know I am not going nuts over it being an issue or something I did.

I have been noticing a large variance in the time it takes before the first crash happens upon bootup. It used to happen within the first short while, now it can happen up to an hour+ into the session.

A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y ANNOYING!

 

[BSkiLLs]

What a maddening experience

Running Win 7 64Bit Professional (retail)

even happens after a nice fresh clean install. I have seen so many threads/issues around the net about this, you'd think Microsoft would have responded.

I don't have any "additional" junk installed, and it still happens.

It's totally random, could happen 2-3 days after a reboot, or it could happen out of the blue 30 mins into a reboot.

Has anybody seen Microsoft respond about this in ANY way?

yeah like scuda said. Many issue's and actually known as on this one as well from MS. As i just spoke with MS and HP yesterday and they said this is a known issue/flaw and they are workin and a path or fix of something supposedly.

I'm not having the problem but when talking with them it came up in general convo.

They didnt tell me where the fix was but maybe check MS support site and might find it already.

 

[BSkiLLs]

by the way. Sorry i didnt read the whole thread but... was this a clean install or a upgrade from certain computer company like HP's version upgrade ??

 

[Zaggs]

by the way. Sorry i didnt read the whole thread but... was this a clean install or a upgrade from certain computer company like HP's version upgrade ??

Mine was a clean install, at least a clean install on a Vista drive. As in the drive was not reformatted but was not an upgrade.