For the past hour I’ve been trying to figure out why Windows Explorer was caught in a loop of crashing, checking for a solution and then restarting, only to crash again and continue the loop. The first step to get Vista (SP1) usable again was to hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and open up the Task Manager and end the explorer process. This stops the crash and restarts the loop. And if it tries to tell you that access is denied when you are attempting to end the process, try again and if that doesn’t work close out the Task Manager and then open it back up. This happened to me a couple of times, but a closing and re-opening the Task Manager allowed me to end the explorer process.
Step #1: Think of Possible Culprits
Now that you’ve got the crash-restart loop stopped, stop and have a good think about what might be giving you hassle. For me it was a video file on my desktop called, believe it or not, video.mpg. It was a file I had converted via media-convert.com and was in the process of downloading from the same site when the explorer crash-loop started. After some reading around, I figured it was most likely this file as that was the last action I did before the crash started. This may be the cause of your consternation, too, but if not, unfortunately, there is a long list of reported culprits that throw Vista into the same fit. A search and a little bit of reading will most likely help you to narrow down your problem file or installed program. Also, as part of this initial step go ahead and allow a spyware scanner to run in the background. You never know.
My Culprit
Offending file: a video file I attempted to convert through media-convert.com. The problem is almost certainly with Vista and not with this or any other site (excluding of course any malware or virus that may have been installed).
Restore is a Last Resort
Don’t go straight to flat-out restoring your computer. Attempt everything in your power to find out the exact problem and fix it. Most likely someone has had the same problem before and there’s a simple fix. You just need to be patient and find it out.
Step #2: Create a New Administrator Account (Optional)
You may not need this step. Try step three first and if that doesn’t work come back here to step two.
If all you’ve currently got open is the Windows Task Manager and this blog post, you’ll need to get to the Control Panel. In the Task Manager click File and then New Task (Run…). Type “C:Program Files” (without the quotes of course) in the Create New Task dialogue box. Hit OK. Up should pop a window, so make your way to the Add or Remove User Accounts page in Control Panel in order to add a new Administrator Account. CTRL+ALT+DEL will bring you back to the crazy in-between worlds Vista screen where you can Log Off and change users. Switch over to the new administrator account. Like a cool breeze washing over you, you should again feel the sweet repose of a prelapsarian Vista world, a world without crashing explorer processes. If your file was on the desktop as was mine, things quickly get sticky because any click leading you towards the desktop of the first user who suffers the crash will result in an invading crash breaking through to your newly created administrator account. Don’t worry though. You can sort it out.
Step #3: Delete the Folder Containing the Bad File
Logged in with the new administrator account I browsed to and deleted the desktop folder and its contents which belonged to my first user who was suffering the crash loop. I’m not quite sure if it’s necessary to be logged in with a separate account to delete the offending folder or not as far as avoiding the crash loop goes; but this is how I did it (see Step #2). I deleted the desktop folder, re-created it, logged off and back on again to the first account and now the first account seems to be working normally. I had to delete the entire folder because the crash loop would show up regardless of the user even if I tried to browse the desktop folder and most definitely if I tried to select the bad file to delete it (whether with right- or left-click). Deleting the whole folder with the bad file seemed the only option left. You could of course restore from the recycle bin the not-bad files, so don’t worry about losing stuff. You can get it back.
You can now go back and delete the second administrator account, if you created one.
My Hope
I was immensely frustated by this explorer crash loop and know that if you’re reading this, you are most likely greatly frustrated as well. Hang in there. The solution may be just as simple as mine: deleting a bad file. Leave a comment here if this fix worked for you. I’d love to here if writing this has helped anyone.
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