Many people often complain about having a slow computer that needs a lot of time to perform even the simplest of tasks. But sometimes slow computers go beyond just being slow and start freezing up. Why? There can be many reasons, but one of the most common ones is corrupted Windows Explorer file – explorer.exe. Here are some tips that should help you fix a corrupted Windows Explorer.
Windows Explorer is a vital part of a PC because basically it’s responsible for the GUI, so that you can see the Start button, the task bar, everything on your desktop, and navigate through your drives and folders.
When the explorer.exe file becomes corrupted or infected by malware, Windows Explorer my start freezing on computer boot. As a result all you get is the wallpaper – no taskbar, no buttons, no icons. When that happens, you should start explorer.exe manually to get everything back and be able to troubleshoot the problem. To launch explorer.exe manually, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.
Now click on File – New Task (Run…) and type explorer.exe in the new window. Press Enter and watch everything appear.
When everything is back to normal, the first thing you should do is scan your computer with an updated antivirus and Malwarebytes to make sure it’s not infected. Viruses and malware often infect the explorer.exe file.
If no infections are found but your Windows Explorer keeps freezing on computer boot, one of the programs launching on Windows startup might be causing the problem. Try disabling them one by one to find out which is getting in the way. If it’s a program you don’t really need launching on startup, disable it through msconfig (Start – Run – type msconfig and hit Enter, go to the Startup tab and uncheck the program you want to disable). If it’s your anti-virus, then try uninstalling and re-installing it.
If troubleshooting your startup doesn’t help either, there might be an infection sitting in the registry. Luckily, it’s easy enough to check. First of all, create a System Restore Point. Then press Ctrl+Sift+Esc to open the Task Manager. Click on File – New Task (Run…), type regedit and press Enter. Now browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution.options. If under this key you see subkeys named explorer.exe or iexplorer.exe, delete them immediately. These subkeys shouldn’t be there at all.
When done, close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC. Everything should load fine now, as you’ve just gotten rid of a sneaky little infection.
Fixing this Windows Explorer error will help you significantly speed up slow computer performance.
Author: Liz Cornwell is the founder of Cornwell Writing Services. She specializes in computer optimization, software reviews, and Windows tips on how to speed up your computer.
