Windows explorer error

[PadaV4]

When i try to open the folder of local disk c: the window appears which says that "windows explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close." I can freely browse all the other folders on that drive, just not the base one -.-
More information about error it says
AppName: explorer.exe AppVer: 6.0.2900.5512 ModName: shlwapi.dll
ModVer: 6.0.2900.5912 Offset: 000084d9
And the c: folder never opens.

After that i close the error window and a new error appears. "DrWatson Postmortem Debugger has encountered a problem and needs to close."
More information says.
EventType : BEX P1 : drwtsn32.exe P2 : 5.1.2600.0 P3 : 3b7d84a2
P4 : dbghelp.dll P5 : 5.1.2600.5512 P6 : 4802a0b2 P7 : 0001295d
P8 : c0000409 P9 : 00000000

After i close this error window the windows explorer freezes, there are 2 drwatson processes in task manager and nothing happens. The only thing i can do is manually close explorer or watson process and the other process terminates too and i can start windows explorer from new.

OS is windows xp sp3. Help meh!!

 

[PadaV4]

I looked in event viewer and found 2 kinds of application errors

Faulting application drwtsn32.exe, version 5.1.2600.0, faulting module dbghelp.dll, version 5.1.2600.5512, fault address 0x0001295d.

Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2900.5512, faulting module shlwapi.dll, version 6.0.2900.5912, fault address 0x000084d9.

And i tried to play a opengl game which did run before, but doesn't run now. Something weird is going on...

 

[tigsounds]

If you install IE8, it will install a new shlwapi.dll. (463 KB (474,112 bytes)(version 6.0.2900.2937)
but you can't/won't see it. (Windows\IE8)

shlwapi.dll already exist in Windows in 1 other place but you can't see it (windows\system32\dllcache).

You can see it in windows\system32, but this one is probably bad. So where's the help in this?

Have your XP CD in the CD drive.

Click Start, run, and enter:         SFC /scannow.

When it finishes, maybe windows will work properly.

 

[PadaV4]

I already tried to do SFC /scannow. It didnt help. I tried a windows repair installation too, but it didn't help either. Yes i can find other versions of this file but windows has locked it down and doesn't let me change it for a new..

 

[PadaV4]

I managed to get another version of shlwapi.dll and replace it with the help of windows recovery console. BUT it didn't help!! So the problem isnt with the file "shlwapi.dll"!!! And as i write earlier drwtsn32.exe crashes too imidietly after that with a different error. So the fault must be in smth else. If nobody here has any ideas anymore. Could some of you recommend me some other forums, with more tech savy people who could help me analyze this problem -.-

 

[PadaV4]

I found the source of the problem!!! HOLY ****! Its a program called "folder size", which adds another column to the detail view of browser called folder size. That column shows the size of a folder with all of its contents pretty useful actually. So before a few days i decided that i dont need it anymore so i UNINSTALLED it, and went on with my usual business. And only after a day or so i noticed my problem in the first post. 2 days of troubleshooting later, i finally remembered that i uninstalled this program recently, so i thought im gonna try if thats the cause. I just installed it from new, and voila! No problem whatsoever!!! /facepalm

The problem now is im stuck with this program now, because apparently when i uninstall it i get this problem, which no repair can fix... Not that its harmful in any way, but still weird...

 

[aford10]

You have a program called 'file size'?

Do you see that program listed in the control panel-->add/remove programs?

There is a file size column feature, that can be enabled from the folder options. You shouldn't have to download any software to do that.

 

[PadaV4]

By not reading my post carefully you insult both of us. Its called folder size! Not file size.. Yes there is a column in windows which shows file size by default. But it doesn't show the size of of folders! So this programm adds a new column which does show that!

Look for yourself. http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/
There is pic on that page so u can see how it works.

P.S. How do you imagine i manged to uninstall it if it wasn't in add/remove programs.

 

[aford10]

Yes, my mistake. I misread your post.

Believe it or not, a lot of people that post on this forum, don't know how to use a computer. They don't always know how to uninstall something. That's why I was asking for clarification.

 

[PadaV4]

Ye i know that kind. Like deleting the program shortcut on desktop and calling that uninstalled -.- Sheesh Anyways i found out how to to uninstall it without getting the problems, you need to remove the new column type so it isnt shown when you look at the folders, if that isn't done it srysly ***** up the pc.

 

[deneb_the_star]

Hello PadaV4

I went through the same painful course to find out that "folder size" is causing this problem. However I managed to fix the problem permanently, yes without folder size!

You know we added another column in the explorer to show the folder sizes. I think you got the idea Yes, you have to explicitly remove this column in addition to uninstalling the folder size program.

Hope that helps.

Regards

 

[Eventer]

Thank you PadaV4 and deneb_the_star. I had exactly the same problem.

Just in case anyone else has trouble explicitly removing the column after uninstalling Folder Size (as I did), here are the steps I eventually used:-

Step 1.

Click on a different drive letter other than C drive.
Select "View" and click "Choose Details", scroll down list & remove tick from 'Folder Size' box & put tick in 'Size' box (if you want it) & click OK.

Step 2.

Select "Tools" & click 'Folder Options', click 'View', click 'Apply To All Folders' then click OK.

If you don't perform Step 2 your changes will not apply to folders on C drive.

Hope this extra information helps other.

Cheers,

 

[stingray47]

When i try to open the folder of local disk c: the window appears which says that "windows explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close." I can freely browse all the other folders on that drive, just not the base one -.-
More information about error it says
AppName: explorer.exe AppVer: 6.0.2900.5512 ModName: shlwapi.dll
ModVer: 6.0.2900.5912 Offset: 000084d9
And the c: folder never opens.

After that i close the error window and a new error appears. "DrWatson Postmortem Debugger has encountered a problem and needs to close."
More information says.
EventType : BEX P1 : drwtsn32.exe P2 : 5.1.2600.0 P3 : 3b7d84a2
P4 : dbghelp.dll P5 : 5.1.2600.5512 P6 : 4802a0b2 P7 : 0001295d
P8 : c0000409 P9 : 00000000

After i close this error window the windows explorer freezes, there are 2 drwatson processes in task manager and nothing happens. The only thing i can do is manually close explorer or watson process and the other process terminates too and i can start windows explorer from new.

OS is windows xp sp3. Help meh!!

i have the exact problem verbatim that you have described here. It started happening about a couple weeks ago. but that solution does not work for me. Because i never had a prog called folder size installed, ever, therefore i can't remove what i don't have. so, in my case it is some other prog causing this exact error. the only update iv'e done recently was to update AVG Free to the newest version and can't see how this could cause this problem because i did'nt have any problems with upgrading process. I'm stumped, can anyone help me. thx