explorer.exe refuses to run

Discussion in 'Malware Help - MG (A Specialist Will Reply)' started by taelactin, May 18, 2007.

  1. taelactin

    taelactin Private E-2

    I'm guessing this is being caused by a trojan or virus or something, so I think this is the right place to post...

    I'm on a Windows XP Professional
    Intel M Processor 730

    The other day I was surfing the internet when my screen went blank, I was watching a movie on my computer at the same time and I could hear the movie, but all I could see was my screensaver, no icons, no toolbar... nothing else.

    I restarted my computer and as soon as I logged in, the start toolbar would show up, then an error message would immediately come up explaining that:

    "Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

    I don't know what else I should type, but the modname was unknown, and the application that's being effected is explorer.exe. After I click 'don't send' the report, the toolbar quickly disappears, and I'm left with my screensaver again. I've tried several things to resolve the problem, all of which have failed: I've opened the task manager and typed in 'explorer.exe' to get it to run, which just prompts the error message from above again. I've also tried to do a system restore by restarting in safe mode, which hasn't worked either. I can open regedit, but I have no clue what to do with it.

    I'm guessing I have to reformat my computer... I have no idea though. I'm pretty new to PC's and have never encountered a problem like this so any help would be much appreciated.

    Thanks in advance!
     
    taelactin, May 18, 2007
    #1
  2. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    Welcome to Major Geeks!

    It may or may not be malware.

    Do you have an antivirus application installed? If so, have you run a full scan?
    Do you have an antispyware application installed? If so, have you run a full scan?

    When you boot in safe mode, does explorer startup?

    Even if you cannot start explorer from either safe or normal boot mode, do things like Internet Explorer work (iexplore.exe) so that you can browse and download???
     
    chaslang, May 18, 2007
    #2
  3. taelactin

    taelactin Private E-2

    I Have symantic anti-virus, and I was able to run that through the task manager and it found no risks after a full scan... I don't think I have an anti-spyware program, if I do, I can't find it.

    I can open internet explorer and mozilla through the task manager, but whenever I dry to download something, right after I click 'save to disk,' the taskmanager closes and I get a 'sorry, we've encountered a problem...etc.'

    I can't go to the desktop via browsing for programs to run on the taskmanager either.

    When I open in safe mode-- explorer doesn't run and the exact same thing that I described before occurs, however, I can still do the system restore...

    Really wishing I could get some spyware or at least find the file on my computer right now...

    Any ideas to what I could do to fix this...?

    Thanks again!
     
    taelactin, May 18, 2007
    #3
  4. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    I thought you said System Restore does not work?

    I'm not sure what you are trying to say! Why would you want to put spyware on your PC? And what file are you trying to find?

    Did you mean to say you would like to install an antispyware program on your computer? There is a big difference between saying antispyware and spyware. Also when you said find the file, were you just assuming there is a malware type file causing these problems? At this point I think your problems may go a lot deeper than malware. You could have a corrupt Windows operating system.


    You have a few options:
    • Download tools on another PC and try to get them to this PC some how to run but this may prove rather difficult since you seem to have no ability to run things like Windows Explorer.
    • System Restore - if it works
    • Repair Install - requires a bootable copy of Windows XP matching your service pack revision level. You cannot do this with recovery disks that a PC vendor supplies. It must be a bootable Windows XP CD.
    • Total Reinstall - from whatever system type disks you have
     
    chaslang, May 18, 2007
    #4
  5. taelactin

    taelactin Private E-2

    Yeah... I don't know why I said that, I meant to say anti-spyware software.

    System restore WORKS, but it doesn't fix the problem. In fact... when I load in safe mode, I get the same error and explorer.exe doesn't load...

    I can run the internet fine, just can't download stuff onto the desktop or... anywhere for that matter. The application (mozilla/internet explorer) just crashes.

    I can't browse the desktop (task manager crashes) when I'm trying to run things through task manager... does that mean anything? All my other disks are fine, and I can run and browse everything else (other then stuff on my desktop) through the task manager...

    I have no idea how to go about doing a repair install... or a total reinstall, is there somewhere where I can be directed to learn how to get that done? When you mean a bootable Windows XP CD, do you mean the windows XP CD that came in with my computer...?

    I don't understand how I went about messing my computer up so much... did I overwork it or something? How would I have done something to completely deabilitate the application 'explorer.exe' to such an extent that it refuses to open no matter what?

    Thanks again for the help!
     
    taelactin, May 19, 2007
    #5
  6. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    There are many websites that have publish procedures on this. You should take a look at the below:

    http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897

    http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185301251

    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


    You will have to tell me what came with your computer. Many PC manufacturers do not give you a bootable Windows CD to use for instances like this. They often only give a recovery CD which will basically return the PC to the state it was shipped to you. They also may have a hidden recovery partition right on your hard disk. If you do not have a bootable Windows XP CD, you will not be able to try using the Rebuild option nor the Repaid install option. Either way this is not a topic that we have time to walk you thru or even discuss in the Malware Forum. You could get help on this in the Software Forum.

    I cannot tell you exactly what you did but it appears that you have somehow corrupted the OS. Could it be due to malware? Yes! Could it be due to other reasons? Yes! Even a power failure could have caused problems.
     
    chaslang, May 20, 2007
    #6

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