Vista - "Windows Explorer has stopped working..."

[hank228]

Whenever I load up certain games on Steam, or certain other games and programs on my computer, the first few seconds of the intro or logos will come up, then black screen, then the following message:

"Windows Explorer has stopped working..."

Then it says it's "restarting". I get another black screen, then I'm at desktop with my game minimized. I try to bring it back up, and it happens again.

Sometimes, after four or five tries the game or program fully comes up and I'm able to play/use it for a little while (usually around 30 minutes to an hour) when it happens AGAIN, minimizing the game/program.

Rarely will it come up after just turning on my computer, but also in my taskbar none of the objects currently up seem to appear anymore, it looks like this now:

So, apparently nothing is showing up in that area for some odd reason.

I'm using Windows Vista 64 bit.

This has been going on for some time, here's what I've tried so far:

1. Multiple virus and spyware scans with: AVG, Malware Bytes, SUPERAntiSpyware, Windows Defender, and AdAware.

2. A Disk check of both C and F drives, which came up with a "few errors" that were "fixed".

3. Double checking all open processes, none of which were abnormal.

4. Disabled UAC (Did that a long time ago)

5. Disabled thumbnails, and used icons instead

6. Clear history, cookies, and all temporary internet files

7. Defragmented.

I'm completely out of ideas of what it could be. I really don't want to resort to re-formating because I don't even have my old Vista disk from when I purchased the computer.

Does anybody have ANY ideas of what I can try? Much appreciated.

[-pops-]

Have you tried a repair of your Vista installation?

Have a look at:

/>http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

or

/>http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html

[andsome]

Try disabling all add ons, then reintroduce them one at a time. I found that on my computer it was caused by a key scrambler. Since uninstalling it I no longer have a problem.B)

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Are these Flash Player based games? If so, try to disable Hardware Acceleration. It may also help to update the drivers your graphics/video/display adapter to the newest version. (Of course Flash Player should also be the latest version.)

[hank228]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. I'll address each post if that's ok:

pops, I actually don't have the Vista CD that came with the computer, because I purchased a custom one but didn't build it myself. They didn't provide me with the disk.

andsome, I actually don't have any addons for Firefox/IE, but it's actually not browser or flash-based games or programs causing the problem.

ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb, (Had to copy and paste your name :P) the games aren't browser or flash based, but instead are the games you'd install directly onto your computer. I also updated my video card drivers twice now (to ensure they were up-to-date) and for some odd reason it strikes me it might not be an actual hardware or driver problem, but I'm not totally sure...

Thanks again guys, I'm hoping to have this fixed sometime soon. I've tried so many things D=

[bludgard]

What is the speed at wich the CPU runs on this machine?

I don't see your memory being the culprit....You have run mem diags?

I believe you have the option to create a repair CD within Vista.

[bludgard]

You can also try lowering the in game resolution, frame rate and other misc. options to improve performance.

Do you have any type of hardware monitors installed?CPU,GPU,HDD,PSU etc.

In the screenshot below,follow the path and check what is there,Run the system health report.

You could probably browse around in your Event Viewer to get an idea of the root of the problem and typing the ID and Source into something like this or any other service to learn more of the error,warning and critical marks you may find.:lol:

I take it that games have played normally in times past?Any backup media laying around?

Is this rig a laptop?

If you absolutely need to have an install ISO for repairs,you could probably borrow one.

Chatter,chatter,chatter....