Explorer.exe keeps locking up

This is the biggest vista problem i've had since I started using it back in 07

I accidentally dragged a folder to the left edge of the desktop creating a toolbar in the process
I didn't know about this feature before and thought it was neat... but then i accidentally dragged the same folder into that toolbar creating some kind of infinite loop. Now explorer keeps freezing up and restarts itself after every 10 seconds... even after reboots and safe mode

I figure i could delete that folder on the desktop to fix this problem but explorer locks up as soon as i touch anything on the desktop. Everything else, including firefox, seems to run fine but how can you use windows without explorer right?

any help will be appreciated