Windows 7 64 Bit Pro Explorer (explorer.exe) keeps crashing and restarting randomly. This happens several times a day and its quite annoying. Sometimes happens when I search for files, sometimes when I click on an Program Icon, Sometimes when I open a folder and sometimes for no apparent reason. My Install was a Clean Install and I have had this issues from day 1. I have tried several “solutions” including Copying Explorer.exe from the Wow64 folder to System32 folder, fixing the SQM issue, Changing registry settings, Running sfc, Defragging my HDs Scanning for Viruses and Malware (using Multiple fully updated AV programs). Updating Windows and Drivers etc. etc. Nothing seems to work. I don't want to reinstall the entire OS if I will have these problems again. Please Help! Thanks. K. Chahal

A not-dissimilar situation has shown up in a couple different places, related to the nVidia M series video adapters. Apparently they have a mechanism whereby they flip in and out of high-performance mode depending on what's being demanded by currently running software. The problem is that in certain situations this switch can happen several times within a few milliseconds and create problems for Windows. (I've only seen this come up in relation to 64-bit versions.) The fix, copied from an OCZ forum, came courtesy of Winston Smith: Update Driver Download and install the latest NVIDIA driver from here . RivaTuner Download and install RivaTuner from here . Magic Open RivaTuner and switch to the "Power User" tab. Expand the "RivaTuner\NVIDIA\Overclocking" Tree. Set "EnablePerfLevelForcing" to 1. Switch to the "Main" tab. Under "Driver settings" click on the small arrow left to "Customize..." and choose the first icon "System settings". Set "Force constant performance level" to either "low power 3D" (suffient for 2D audio work) or "performance 3D" (used for 3D gaming). Click OK and let the computer restart. I would start with step 1, update the driver, then if the problem persists download RivaTuner and continue from there. This even handles a problem of Windows 7 x64 (or Vista x64) freezing completely under certain circumstances on the MacBook.

Roger - Wow am I glad I found this. We have Maxwell. I had 64 bit installed on my computer and got so tired of the crashes, went back to 32 bit. My CAD Manager just got a new laptop and has been experiencing the same problem but refuses to give up the 64 bit. I hope this fixes the problem. Thanks for your persistence Susan

Andre, In the process of all of this I believe I've stumbled across the solution to my issue. The software in question (Maxwell) installs an add-in into Microsoft Outlook. I did not see how an Outlook add-in could have any bearing on a Windows Explorer error, but for good measure I disabled the add-in on two of the six workstations. Since that time those two workstations have not experienced the Explorer crash. I realize that this issue is unique to my situation, but if it would be helpful to anyone else I had to make the following change to disable the Outlook add-in as it did not appear in the add-ins list within Outlook: HKLM\software\wow6432node\microsoft\outlook\add-ins\outlookaddin.connect and changed the LoadBehavior from 3 to 2 to prevent it from loading when Outlook is opened. If I discover anything else I will post here. Thanks again for your help! Roger

Thanks Andre. I've installed the debugger and made the changes in gflags.exe. Of course I've been unable to cause Explorer to crash now that I want it to, so I'll upload the dump as it presents itself. Roger

Windows 7 64 Bit Pro Explorer (explorer.exe) keeps crashing and restarting randomly.

Anonymous

Windows 7 64 Bit Pro Explorer (explorer.exe) keeps crashing and restarting randomly. This happens several times a day and its quite annoying. Sometimes happens when I search for files, sometimes when I click on an Program Icon, Sometimes when I open a folder and sometimes for no apparent reason.

My Install was a Clean Install and I have had this issues from day 1.

I have tried several “solutions” including

Copying Explorer.exe from the Wow64 folder to System32 folder,
fixing the SQM issue,
Changing registry settings,
Running sfc,
Defragging my HDs
Scanning for Viruses and Malware (using Multiple fully updated AV programs).
Updating Windows and Drivers
etc. etc.

Nothing seems to work. I don't want to reinstall the entire OS if I will have these problems again. Please Help!

Thanks.

K. Chahal

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

You have a Heap Corruption in Shell32.dll

Please run ShellExView and disable all Shellextension which are NOT from Micrososoft. Does the crash still occur? If not, enable the extension successively until you find the one which crahes the explorer.

André

"A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

A not-dissimilar situation has shown up in a couple different places, related to the nVidia M series video adapters. Apparently they have a mechanism whereby they flip in and out of high-performance mode depending on what's being demanded by currently running software. The problem is that in certain situations this switch can happen several times within a few milliseconds and create problems for Windows. (I've only seen this come up in relation to 64-bit versions.) The fix, copied from an OCZ forum, came courtesy of Winston Smith:

Update Driver

Download and install the latest NVIDIA driver from here .

RivaTuner

Download and install RivaTuner from here .

Magic

Open RivaTuner and switch to the "Power User" tab.
Expand the "RivaTuner\NVIDIA\Overclocking" Tree.
Set "EnablePerfLevelForcing" to 1.
Switch to the "Main" tab.
Under "Driver settings" click on the small arrow left to "Customize..." and choose the first icon "System settings".
Set "Force constant performance level" to either "low power 3D" (suffient for 2D audio work) or "performance 3D" (used for 3D gaming).
Click OK and let the computer restart.

I would start with step 1, update the driver, then if the problem persists download RivaTuner and continue from there.

This even handles a problem of Windows 7 x64 (or Vista x64) freezing completely under certain circumstances on the MacBook.

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72 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-12-02T15:19:20+00:00

Roger - Wow am I glad I found this. We have Maxwell. I had 64 bit installed on my computer and got so tired of the crashes, went back to 32 bit. My CAD Manager just got a new laptop and has been experiencing the same problem but refuses to give up the 64 bit. I hope this fixes the problem.

Thanks for your persistence

Susan
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Anonymous

2010-12-02T13:26:04+00:00

Andre,

In the process of all of this I believe I've stumbled across the solution to my issue. The software in question (Maxwell) installs an add-in into Microsoft Outlook. I did not see how an Outlook add-in could have any bearing on a Windows Explorer error, but for good measure I disabled the add-in on two of the six workstations. Since that time those two workstations have not experienced the Explorer crash. I realize that this issue is unique to my situation, but if it would be helpful to anyone else I had to make the following change to disable the Outlook add-in as it did not appear in the add-ins list within Outlook: HKLM\software\wow6432node\microsoft\outlook\add-ins\outlookaddin.connect and changed the LoadBehavior from 3 to 2 to prevent it from loading when Outlook is opened. If I discover anything else I will post here. Thanks again for your help!

Roger
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Anonymous

2010-11-24T21:31:48+00:00

Thanks Andre. I've installed the debugger and made the changes in gflags.exe. Of course I've been unable to cause Explorer to crash now that I want it to, so I'll upload the dump as it presents itself.

Roger
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