Yikes! What a mess, sorry. A Clean Install would likely be called for. You can attempt the Repair Install, but with so many system files corrupted, it calls into question the original install itself.
Clean Install Windows 7
You are going to need an install disc either way. I hope the install is legit?
A Guy
The one thing you hadn't tried for Windows Explorer not responding errors is scheduling a run of the Disk Check tool. I ran into those enough times back in late May and Early June until I had to run the Disk Check for something else like the dual boot with the Windows 8 RP.
You can schedule a run of that with the repair switch by opening up an elevated command prompt typing in "chkdsk /r" and press enter then type Y for yes when the message asking to schedule appears. Or you can right click on the C drive icon in any explorer window to open Tools>Error checking and click on the Check now button.
The command prompt option adds the repair switch however. But to start that up immediately you can also boot live from the 7 dvd and open the command prompt option in the repair tools and type "chkdsk c: /f" and press enter to watch it run live.
The not responding error is usually seen when errors on the C volume are present where this is one method to clean things up before simply tossing the present 7 install if it is not in particular other need to be wiped or repaired.
If you should run into the "explorer not responding" error where IE and WE windows suddenly stall and lock up on you this can be caused when there are errors present on the C volume which would be the C OS drive. The Disk Check is the tool to schedule in order to see any cleaned up.
Afterwards when windows are not found to freeze up on you you will know the tool did the job. This problem usually starts to appear after a Windows installation has been on for some time. One example was the last clean install here back in May 2010 and later a full system image restored later in October 2010 and 7 run until this past summer!
Between the need for a clean install being overdue plus a glitch booting into 7 when an entry was seen in the Win 8 RP's PC Refresh option resulting in both versions freezing up upon just reaching the desktop and going to click on anything the Disk Check was then run live to see both Windows back running again.
The explorer not responding error had been an annoyance I would have to see corrected anyways while the Disk Check was run followed by a clean install of 7. In you situation there not knowing how long the present 7 install has been on I would simply give the Disk Check tool a good run to see if that clears the problem up right away.
Ok thanks. I have run the Disk Check tool a couple of times and it hasn't fixed the problem but i'll give it another go. It usually takes a while to run.
It sounds like I need a clean install either way.
I have a separate hard drive installed which is just for storage so Ill back up files I need to that. Should I unplug it for the clean install or will it not be affected?
Thanks
The only time you would need to unplug a storage drive would be if the Windows installer sees that as the first drive on the system and would place boot files there and not on the main OS drive. With a pair of Sata 3 drives here along with a pair of Sata II models I had to unplug the Sata II drives when going to install 7 initially on the first of the S3 drives due to that.
The best move for the repeat run of the Disk Check tool now would be while booted live from the 7 dvd or repair cd to start up the tool while at the command prompt option there. There won't be anything else running to get in the way. Simply type in the "chkdsk c: /f" command and press enter to watch it run.
Without any active system processes or some program trying to access one small part of the drive you wouldn't have to worry about thing hindering any repair the tool might not otherwise be able to fix. If this clears everything up you should be all set.
If however you still keep running into explorer hangs and other problems then you will know the problem is too deeply rooted where the clean install would then be considered. You may even opt for a repair install if not having the time to go through each program install at the moment while the clean install is the last resort to insure the best results.
Once Windows and all programs are in working order that would be the time to create a full system image backup of C to keep onhand. Whether the Disk Check tool does clean it up or you are given the last resort option having a full system image onhand can bail you out of a tight spot in a matter of minutes over the time it takes to clean install everything.
Don't forget the Windows Easy Transfer tool can help backup your user files and settings you can restore if you go with a clean install. With that you can pick and choose what to see included in the backup to be stored on the second drive.
Ok the Disk Check ran quicker but didn't fix anything.
I created another User profile to see if the same problem occurred. It did but it had more information with it this time.
Here's what popped up with it....can I delete the files or do i need them?? Thanks
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Users\Simon\AppData\Local\Temp\WERDD96.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
C:\Users\Simon\AppData\Local\Temp\WERF922.tmp.appcompat.txt
C:\Users\Simon\AppData\Local\Temp\WERF942.tmp.mdmp
The data in the dump file could be helpful for sure since you can grab a app called BlueScreenView for a good partial analysis. If you decide to go with a fresh install of 7 they wouldn't be good for anything then however.
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