Problem with Windows Explorer crashing

[Gwaihir]

It seems with my installation of Windows 7 Professional SP1 as soon as I manage to fix one problem it creates another.

It all started when I installed a copy of R3dfox as a trial in an attempt to resolve problems I've started to encounter with some websites no longer being compatible with the version of Firefox I use: 115.35.0esr (64-bit).

It might be a coincidence but I immediately started getting an error every time I booted the system. This flagged a problem with system file pdh.dll shown in the attached screenshot. Uninstalling R3dfox didn't fix it.

Having searched online for a solution I decided to try System Restore to a date before I installed R3dfox. This seemed to fix the error but now I'm having a problem with Windows Explorer crashing. This happens every time I try to right-click on anything. I've selected the option for Windows to search online for a solution - repeatedly - but this has not fixed it. The second attached screenshot shows the error information.

To complicate things further I had to uninstall Bitdefender before System Restore would work and now I haven't been able to re-install it. The installer doesn't work - nothing happens when I try to run it - and I'm wondering if that's related to the problem with Explorer.

If anyone has any ideas how to resolve this I'd be massively grateful as I'm currently tearing my hair out with this system.

Edit: Looks like the pdh.dll problem isn't fixed either after all so things are just going from bad to worse I've now discovered Explorer crashes if I try to empty the waste bin.

 

[Firewatcher]

I see Bitdefender has favorable reviews, but also several potential conflicts with Windows 7. Browser problems being one of them. Uninstalling doesn't always remove all the associated files, nor does system restore always give you back the original system. If there are several issues present it could prove very difficult to get back to a reliable system. If you have a clean Image Backup that is a sure way of recovering, or if not, it might be easier to just do a fresh install to eliminate any conflicts or file corruption you may now have. Pete

 

[Gwaihir]

Hi Pete, thanks for responding.

Taking the points you've raised in order:

I've been using Bitdefender for months and whilst I can see that it might interfere with some web pages I haven't had any other issues - until I installed R3dfox. That appears to have somehow corrupted the pdh.dll file.

I used Revo uninstaller to remove Bitdefender and it did, indeed, find a heap of stuff left over from the uninstaller but I used the most intensive scan so I'd like to think there's nothing left likely to cause problems. With Windows you can never be sure, though. To be honest I've never liked the Windows architecture. Where I used to work, in the very early days of personal computers almost everyone used Macs. The MACOS system always seemed to me to be a much better design. No ghastly registry, no horrible dlls. Each application had it's own settings file. You could wipe and replace the system without losing anything.

As it happens I do have an image backup created with Macrium Reflect from two years ago so may well resort to that. Even so System File Checker has been reporting corrupted files it can't repair for longer than that so it seems the recovery cache has also been corrupted for some considerable time.

After that I suppose the next resort is a repair install but I dread to think what can of worms that might open. Finally I can wipe the drive and install a completely new system then have to rebuild everything from scratch. I do hate Windows!!

I should mention I built the PC in 2011 so it's entirely possible the drives are starting to fail. Before I resort to using the backup image I might consider changing the system drive but I would need a bootable rescue disk with Reflect on it to do that.

 

[billmcct]

Try mounting the image in Macrium and see if the pdh.dll file is in the image.
If so then replace the bad file.

 

[Gwaihir]

I don't know how I'd do that. If I try to do anything with the file I get a pop-up denying access unless I have permission from Trustedinstaller.

 

[Megahertz07]

From my Win 7 64
Rename to pdh.dll

 

[billmcct]

I don't know how I'd do that. If I try to do anything with the file I get a pop-up denying access unless I have permission from Trustedinstaller.

You would need to boot into something like Hirens Boot CD. Replace the file outside of windows.
If you wish to do that, I can upload a version that will run on Win 7. Let me know.
Bill

 

[Gwaihir]

Thanks for your help Bill. I actually decided to restore the image that I saved in Jan 2024 and that looks to have resolved everything. I've lost a few things from my desktop. Shortcuts I can easily replace but there were one or two desktop folders that had stuff in. Still, if the problems are fixed I can live with that.

Thanks also to Megahertz. Hopefully I won't need to try installing your copy of pdh.dll

Edit: On the other hand maybe I will. I just had the same notification following the restoration. How is it possible that this file corruption persists after restoring an image from two years ago?

From what I've learned this file is not even that important. It only seems to be used to collate performance data. If only I could find out which process or service runs it I'd gladly just disable it.

 

[townsbg]

There might be a bug with the latest version. I would try their support forum. Issues . Eclipse-Community/r3dfox . GitHub You might also try installing with bit defender off. The last version I installed with 142 and I didn't have that problem (although I didn't have bit defender installed). As for the error search for cmd, right click and select run as administrator, then run the command sfc /scannow.

 

[Gwaihir]

There might be a bug with the latest version. I would try their support forum. Issues . Eclipse-Community/r3dfox . GitHub

Since R3dfox didn't resolve my main problem with website compatibility I don't intend to reinstall it.

As for the error search for cmd, right click and select run as administrator, then run the command sfc /scannow.

I've already tried that. System File Checker reports finding corrupted files but can't repair them. It's been like that for many years. It appears the recovery cache must also be corrupted.

Since restoring the image the system seems to be behaving itself again - apart from the issue with pdh.dll - so I'm leaving well alone for now.

 

[torchwood]

you also need to run Kb947821.... it will repair/clear errors that sfc scannow cannot

 

[Gwaihir]

From my Win 7 64
Rename to pdh.dll

Hi @Megahertz07 , it's been a while and I've been struggling with a few other problems following Plusnet unloading my broadband account onto EE (because I wanted to keep my home phone) but I have now replaced the defective pdh.dll with your copy and this has resolved the problem.

It took a while for the penny to drop that I just needed to take ownership of the two files, then it let me simply replace it. So at the moment normal service has been resumed and I think I might sieze the opportunity to take another Macrium image.

Once again sincere thanks for your help.