Windows Explorer crashes moments after logon and will not launch. sfc

[Psilocybin]

Sorry, didn't realise the title would get slightly garbled. Anyway...

This happened to me just after my computer hung and I had to manually turn it off (ie, by holding down the power button). Ever since then I've had an annoying problem I'm not sure how to fix. Basically, within seconds of logging on, explorer crashes and does not restart, with the standard error "Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close", etc. If I open task manager and try to restart it, it opens momentarily and immediately crashes again.

What can I do to fix this?

I've since booted into safe mode and ran a virus scan with NOD32, which deleted a few .INF files infected with some Adware but nothing that significant as far as I could tell. Also, for what it's worth, explorer appears to work fine in safe mode, although Internet Explorer fails to start, with an error about "urlmon32.dll" or something similar. I've been trying to run "sfc /scannow" also, but no matter what I do it seems to asks me for a CD at different points in the process. I have Windows XP Media Center Edition, which came preinstalled on my Dell Laptop (but I do also have a slipstreamed XP Pro SP2 Corporate installation CD - just in case that could be useful).

Following instructions I found online I navigated to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup in the registry, deleted the original SourcePath REG_SZ type key, and added a new REG_MULTI_SZ key with the same name, with the entries "C:\" and "C:\i386\CMPNENTS\MEDIACTR" (as my i386 directory is in C:\, and the extra CMPNENTS directory which appears to be important for Media Center Edition is in the location shown. But STILL about halfway through running the scan it says I need to insert the XP Professional CD!

I do have some sort of recovery DVD from Dell which also includes the i386 folder, although the one on the DVD is only ~500 MB, and the one on my hard drive is ~1.2 GB. Should I try copying this to the hard drive anyway and direct the registry to that?

Have I maybe made a mistake in entering the registry settings?

In the case that sfc /scannow is unlikely to fix the problem, what other options do I have?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

When the System File Checker asks for the Windows CD, did you insert it? Did it finish the repair process?

Have you tried a System Restore to a point before the problem started?

[Dencandy]

From my recollection of once owning a Dell laptap the scannow utility doesn't work as Dell has its own repair system. If my memory serves me correctly neither do the normal Windows Repair and Recovery functions for the same reason. The only option I think you have before using the Dell recovery system is using System Restore to a time before the problem began. You can access SR in Safe Mode.

If that doesn't work you probably won't find the so-called Owner's Manual much help either, so need to go to the Dell website and hunt about on there for details about repairing the Operating System for your model number using the recovery CD you have. You've got some corrupt dll/system files which are essential for running Windows. That will probably mean you have to re-install it using the Dell method, I fear.