WinXp windows explorer crashes when try to open folders

go to yahoo and search windows explorer crashes and there are post there about this problem I was going down the list looking at them but decided I would rather let you look.   There is a good chance one of these will have a post with your problem and the fix.

If you don't find fix using Yahoo Search you could use XP Search Advanced (1st 3 boxes ticked) for  explorer.exe , mine shows two main folders  C:\Windows   &   C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
the one normally uses it C:\Windows  so you could right click on C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386\explorer.exe  , select "Copy"  then right click on  C:\Windows\explorer.exe , select "Open Containing Folder" & "Paste"  to replace the C:\Windows\explorer.exe   copy of  explorer.exe.

Thanks, Gary, for your suggestion!   I didn't find the exact file you mentioned, but I did find a file under C:\Windows\$NtUninstallkxxxx...  that had a downloaded Explorer.exe,  evidently from a window update session, I guess.  I pointed my desktop shortcut to that file and now explorer does everything it should.  I guess the program file in c:\Windows is corrupted or something.

THanks again!   --AJ

The one in the $NTUninstallKBxxxxx folder is the old version that was updated when you installed the update coresponding to the number xxxxx indicated by the folder name (the $NTUninstall folders contain the files needed if you uninstall the update, so that on uninstall the updated versions are replaced with the previous ones). The updated one is in C:\Windows. I would suggest that you look up the number of the Uninstall folder, go to add/remove, if that number is listed there, uninstall it (which will replace the file in C:\Windows with the one in the $NTUninstall folder, i.e. roll back to the older version), then go to Windows update, which should offer you that update again, reinstall it.

On my system (XP home SP1 with updates), version number in C:\Windows is 6.0.2800.1221

version in $NTUninstallKB820291$ is 6.0.2800.1106 (i.e. the previous version)

820291 is in add/remove.

As only one $NTUninstall folder contains Explorer.exe, that was the only time it was updated by Windows update.

Message Edited by JRosenfeld on 04-10-2004 02:01 AM

Message Edited by JRosenfeld on 04-10-2004 02:03 AM

Good idea...then when I re-update, it should be ok (hopefully).  Thanks!

PS. Out of interest, if you look in the$NTUninstall, you'll see what other fileswere updated. In the case of 820291, it also updated appwiz.cpl and shmgrate.exe, presumably both related in some way to explorer.