Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (
More info?)
Marcel wrote:
> Hi there. Just recently, whenever I start up windows, I get an error
> message saying "windows has suffered a sever error, etc.." and
> eveytime I close it, it "reopens" windows explorer (not internet
> explorer). It has something to do with Explorer because when I checked
> in the more details button on the error, it said the problem was
> explorer.exe. I was wondering how I could fix this because it is
> really hard to use the computer with this error continuing to pop up.
> I've adaware and spybot, etc. but still nothing has work. please
> help!!!
Unfortunately, this could be caused by either software or hardware.
There isn't any way to tell from the little information in your post.
Explorer.exe is the graphical user interface of Windows. Did you
recently install anything? Make any changes?
Here are general troubleshooting steps. If you want more focused help,
you'll need to tell us a lot more about your machine and the problem.
For software issues - First check for malware after deleting all
Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's Temporary Files, go to
Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab. You'll see where you can
delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear its cache by going to
Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows Temporary files,
Start>Run cleanmgr [enter]. Then follow these detailed malware removal
steps, doing everything with updated tools in Safe Mode. You can find
all the steps and links to referenced programs and sites on my website
here:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
For hardware issues -
1) Open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing). Obviously
you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan is running
and feel if the laptop is getting too hot.
2) Test the RAM - I like Memtest86+ from www.memtest.org. Obviously, you
have to get the program from a working machine. You will either
download the precompiled Windows binary to make a bootable floppy or
the .iso to make a bootable cd. If you want to use the latter, you'll
need to have third-party burning software on the machine where you
download the file - XP's built-in burning capability won't do the job.
In either case, boot with the media you made. The test will run
immediately. Let the test run for an extended period of time - unless
errors are seen immediately. If you get any errors, replace the RAM.
3) Test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Usually
you will download the file and make a bootable floppy with it. Boot
with the media and do a thorough test. If the drive has physical
errors, replace it.
4) The power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system. The adequacy issue doesn't really apply to a
laptop, although of course the power
supply can be faulty.
5) Test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com. Sometimes this is useful, and sometimes it isn't.
Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).
Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic"
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