Windows Explorer freezes system

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Last year (April 2009) I got an assembled system with config:
Processor : AMD Phenom(tm) 9650 Quad-Core Processor Speed : 2.31GHz
Mainboard : Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2HP
Memory : Transcend 2GB DDR2-800 (2 nos. = 4GB)
No Sound or Graphic cards

My OS is Windows XP SP3, installed last year and running so far without any issues other than the one below.
I keep OS and all software up to date.

Now the problem:

Since the last 1 or 2 months my system freezes whenever I use Windows Explorer. Even Ctrl-Alt-Del won’t revive the OS.
Just anything I do will trigger this, it may even be just moving the mouse within the Explorer window. Also happens in the Search window. Sometimes it takes around 2 minutes of activity for the problem to happen.

The problem does NOT occur when I use dialog boxes to navigate the filesystem. So now I go through Start, Run, Browse to browse folders without any issues.

The power button on my box is configured to shut it down so when Explorer freezes the system, I press the Power button and XP shuts down normally after terminating all programs. A thing I noticed is that the power button on the KEYBOARD does not work when this problem occurs though it works normaaly otherwise (it shuts down XP).

Tried disabling everything using autoruns. Tried a full av scan yesterday using avast and also installed XP over itself. Didn’t help.

Issue does not seem to occur in safe mode.
No problem using any other program.

Now the only option left is a clean install which is the last thing I want to do hence this post requesting for help.

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Have you tried using a tool like Process Explorer to see if it is indeed Windows Explorer burning the cycles or something else (like DPCs or services)?

BTW I’ve setup my system for Process Explorer to replace TaskMgr – it’s a much more powerful tool !

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Have you tried using a tool like Process Explorer to see if it is indeed Windows Explorer burning the cycles or something else (like DPCs or services)?

BTW I’ve setup my system for Process Explorer to replace TaskMgr – it’s a much more powerful tool !

No chance to use anything, as I said XP just freezes and the only option is to use the power button and thereby shut it down.

I don’t think Windows Explorer is hogging resources as such as far as I can tell.

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Have Process Explorer or Task Manager running before you start Windows Explorer.

Joe

--Joe

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Have Process Explorer or Task Manager running before you start Windows Explorer.

Joe

It is not just Windows Explorer that freezes, the entire OS stops responding.
How can I use Process Explorer or Task Manager to analyze processes when I can’t do anything at all?

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It is not just Windows Explorer that freezes, the entire OS stops responding.
How can I use Process Explorer or Task Manager to analyze processes when I can’t do anything at all?

Since your PC seems to work OK in safe mode it is likely a driver problem. Have you updated any drivers recently? Added any hardware that would cause a new driver to be installed? Are your drivers up-to-date, particularly your video drivers.

When you first boot the system and the desktop appears, then start Task Manager before doing anything else. Make sure “Always on top” is selected under “Options”. Click on the “Processes” tab. Then try Windows Explorer. Task Manager should still be visible.

Joe

--Joe

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How to perform advanced clean-boot;M$
Read the entire article.You might want to print things out in order to help you along the way.

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Hi Vivek,

Have you tried booting to your XP install disk and running a chkdsk command from the Repair option? There might be some problems with the files on your hard drive causing the freezing. Run the command chkdsk c: /f or chkdsk c:/r , which takes more time. Maintain the spacing within the command as I have typed it. Oops, I did not notice all seems to work okay in safe mode. Like Joe said, probably a driver issue. Safe Mode does not load as much code as normal Windows startup, so keep chkdsk in mind if you cannot isolate a faulty driver.

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Update: Windows Explorer does NOT freeze if audio is playing.

So if I run Winamp or WMP or VLC and music is playing, there is a short pause as Explorer freezes as I move the mouse while using Explorer.
The music goes “brrrrrrrrr” and then resumes as I move the mouse. Explorer is fine again.

This repeats itself as I continue in Explorer freezing every now and then.
Each time it corrects itself as soon as I move the mouse.

I tried removing and installing Winamp and also the audio drivers. Didn’t help.
If music isn’t playing, Explorer just freezes and I have to shut down XP.

It is only Explorer that freezes, other apps including the music apps I mentioned above work without any problems.

Any suggestions to help me understand this strange behavior?

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Does the device manager flage any devices?

Since the last 1 or 2 months my system freezes whenever I use Windows Explorer. Even Ctrl-Alt-Del won’t revive the OS.

What has changed in the last few months in terms of drive/software, or teaks?

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Does the device manager flage any devices?

What has changed in the last few months in terms of drive/software, or teaks?

Device manager is clean, no problem there.

Since Explorer is affected, all I can now think of in terms of recent changes is a software that integrates with Explorer giving easy access to frequently used folders. The name is FIleBox eXtender downloaded from http://www.hyperionics.com/files/index.asp. I had already removed said software before posting here to troubleshoot but it didn’t help. Also note that Explorer freezes when Explorer WINDOWS are used but NOT while browsing through dialog boxes so my thinking is if FIleBox eXtender was the culprit dialog boxes should have behaved similarly as windows.

I got a printer Canon ip1980 in March. Reinstalled drivers just now. Didn’t help.

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Device manager is clean, no problem there.

Since Explorer is affected, all I can now think of in terms of recent changes is a software that integrates with Explorer giving easy access to frequently used folders. The name is FIleBox eXtender downloaded from http://www.hyperionics.com/files/index.asp. I had already removed said software before posting here to troubleshoot but it didn’t help. Also note that Explorer freezes when Explorer WINDOWS are used but NOT while browsing through dialog boxes so my thinking is if FIleBox eXtender was the culprit dialog boxes should have behaved similarly as windows.

I got a printer Canon ip1980 in March. Reinstalled drivers just now. Didn’t help.

i suspect a bad motherboard, perhaps an OS reinstall will do but if not, i’d say it’s the MOBO.

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I’ve been observing what may be a similar problem since August. It had been infrequent enough for the user to ignore, but has gotten worse in September. System: XP MCE 2005 SP3 + all patches current, NOD32 4.2.64.12, ZAP 9.3.037.000 .

Invoking Explorer via either {Win}E, or the StartMenu causes a delay of up to 20 minutes before the Explorer window appears. During the wait the Taskbar (which is auto-hide) will not display, and StartMenu is not available. Pulling up TaskMan (via {Ctrl}{Alt}{Del) shows very little CPU being used (97 – 99% idle). There is an explorer process, but it is apparently blocked awaiting some event. Oddly, if a command shell (such as cmd, or tcc (JPSoft)) is already running, a new instance of explorer can be started from there, and will come up right away. The blocked instance remains so.

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Here’s a link on;How to perform a Repair installation;M$ I’ve already read where you have performed a;Reinstall but take note that this is different.Hope this helps.

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WINDOWS EXPLORER PROBLEM SOLVED!

Windows Explorer freezes system, but only when I use it to search for a file on my drive!

I am amazed at how complicated people make everything.

Five minutes ago I was looking for a solution to the same problem. After coming across a couple of forums like this, I tried to do a windows search for a file again. It said that windows explorer had to shutdown and wanted to send an error report. My windows froze up.

But I left the error report up long enough to see what it said, and it wanted to include a text file it had put in the temp. I did control alt delete to get out of my drive and unfreeze my laptop.

Then I went into the temp file to look at the error text file it had wanted to send Microsoft. That was the key. I had saw in the error report a mention of a problem with the “oleacc.dll’. I looked up errors with this .dll to see that some people had a corrupt oleacc.dll and had to fix it and that it was related to windows explorer.

I just copied a good oleacc.dll and replaced it in the system32 and now it all works great. I just did a couple of searches with windows explorer and no error or freezes.

Imagine all you had to do was replace a .dll and some people think instead they have to setup windows all over again or go through all these complicated things to figure out the problem. Check for any error reports first and see what they say is the problem. Maybe your oleacc.dll is corrupt too.

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WINDOWS EXPLORER PROBLEM SOLVED! … I am amazed at how complicated people make everything…Five minutes ago I was looking for a solution to the same problem…Imagine all you had to do was replace a .dll and some people think instead they have to setup windows all over again or go through all these complicated things to figure out the problem.

I wonder if it’s possible that his situation might be different from yours in some way.

I wish we were all as smart as you. Perhaps we wouldn’t have to waste so much time troubleshooting these problems.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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