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.

Hi Tina, please download this reg file from my SkyDrive: http://cid-128fc518635be2dc.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/MS%20Foren/Registry/WER%5E\_Explorer.reg and make a double click on the file to import it. When the Windows Explorer crashes, Windows Error Reporting Service [1] creates a dmp file under C:\Localdumps. Please upload the file to your public Skydrive [2] folder and post the link here. I take at the dump, maybe I can see the cause. André [1] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb787181%28VS.85%29.aspx [2] http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproui/thread/4fc10639-02db-4665-993a-08d865088d65 "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

I have a similar issue and have 8GB RAM. Am also running 64-bit 7 Home Premium OS. And the explorer.exe crashes are so random, but when it happens, or gets close to happening, the fonts start displaying garbled on screen, items in the toolbar start appearing garbled, etc. Screenshot in my SkyDrive: http://j8o5ea.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p-mnAv08njpfnFVNKEn0x4Iil1yWucOkkybhvDM6BThZKiFgnJZd3N-f8t5kBAgkvJpZ7IhSLB2SSorH8Cvub21X6s-Anl5V7/072410ExplorerCrash01.jpg?psid=1 System Information Time of this report: 8/22/2010, 12:19:40 Machine name: TINALAPTOP Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.100618-1621) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Dell Inc. System Model: Studio 1749 BIOS: Ver 1.00 A01 Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M 520 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.4GHz Memory: 8192MB RAM Available OS Memory: 7860MB RAM Page File: 5046MB used, 10673MB available Windows Dir: C:\Windows DirectX Version: DirectX 11 DX Setup Parameters: Not found User DPI Setting: Using System DPI System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent) DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 64bit Unicode FulDxDiag Specs on my SkyDrive: http://j8o5ea.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pYOPzSULd6N37cF4HmwhaJxIqNUsFja2u5zDjGrelpWE3ahqh27OiunBp2FQV-kG3tiyK-ykUxHGTERvYXXM-TAwQ7CfXmq1Q/082210DxDiag.txt?psid=1 ~Tina

Thats ok if you have less than 3.5 gb of RAM.... I'm having explorer crashes on clean installs of windows 7 64bit on brand new dell 980's with no other software installed and its becoming a bit boring.

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

2010-08-22T17:53:48+00:00

Hi Tina,

please download this reg file from my SkyDrive:

http://cid-128fc518635be2dc.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/MS%20Foren/Registry/WER%5E\_Explorer.reg

and make a double click on the file to import it.

When the Windows Explorer crashes, Windows Error Reporting Service [1] creates a dmp file under C:\Localdumps. Please upload the file to your public Skydrive [2] folder and post the link here. I take at the dump, maybe I can see the cause.

André

[1] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb787181%28VS.85%29.aspx

[2] http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproui/thread/4fc10639-02db-4665-993a-08d865088d65

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

2010-08-22T17:24:05+00:00

I have a similar issue and have 8GB RAM. Am also running 64-bit 7 Home Premium OS. And the explorer.exe crashes are so random, but when it happens, or gets close to happening, the fonts start displaying garbled on screen, items in the toolbar start appearing garbled, etc. Screenshot in my SkyDrive: http://j8o5ea.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p-mnAv08njpfnFVNKEn0x4Iil1yWucOkkybhvDM6BThZKiFgnJZd3N-f8t5kBAgkvJpZ7IhSLB2SSorH8Cvub21X6s-Anl5V7/072410ExplorerCrash01.jpg?psid=1

System Information

Time of this report: 8/22/2010, 12:19:40

   Machine name: TINALAPTOP

   Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.100618-1621)

   Language: English (Regional Setting: English)

System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.

   System Model: Studio 1749

   BIOS: Ver 1.00 A01

   Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M 520 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.4GHz

   Memory: 8192MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 7860MB RAM

   Page File: 5046MB used, 10673MB available

   Windows Dir: C:\Windows

   DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI

System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

   DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

   DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 64bit Unicode

FulDxDiag Specs on my SkyDrive: http://j8o5ea.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pYOPzSULd6N37cF4HmwhaJxIqNUsFja2u5zDjGrelpWE3ahqh27OiunBp2FQV-kG3tiyK-ykUxHGTERvYXXM-TAwQ7CfXmq1Q/082210DxDiag.txt?psid=1

~Tina
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Anonymous

2010-04-22T23:24:32+00:00

Thats ok if you have less than 3.5 gb of RAM....

I'm having explorer crashes on clean installs of windows 7 64bit on brand new dell 980's with no other software installed and its becoming a bit boring.
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