Question

Explorer.exe error at startup, no icons, desktop and Dr. Watson Postmortem debugger error

Asked by: lskair

Have an XP Pro laptop receiving an error message at startup. Exporer.exe is crashing, and if the error report is sent, a Dr. Watson Postmortem Debugger crash also occurs. No icons, no desktop. Can access taskmanager, but nothing changes when I try to run explorer.exe. I have run Malwarebyes scan, with no infections found. Can't run superantispyware because it say's "Administrator has disabled this ability" which doesn't make sense, because I'm on as admin, and no infections were found. Any help would be appreciated.

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2009-04-07 at 19:39:35ID24304387
Topics

Windows XP Operating System

,

Windows Network Security

Participating Experts
2
Points
400
Comments
17

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. Dr. Watson for NT and Dr. Watson Non fatal error
    Dr. Watson for NT An application error has occurred and an application errorlog has being generated explorer.exe Exception: access violation (0 x c 00000005), Address: 0 x 77c411c0 Dr. Watson Non fatal error Cannot open DrWatson Log file. Press OK to browse for new direc...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-07 at 19:58:58ID: 24093630

One other thing, I can logon in safe mode under administrator account, and icons appear. But user account still receives errors, even though they have admin credentials.

 

by: lovylove143Posted on 2009-04-07 at 20:16:44ID: 24093697

Download latest antivirus from www.quickheal.com for trial. install it in safe mode.. Then enable boot scan.. i think it is virus that have removed admin credentials... Please get back if done.

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-07 at 20:22:18ID: 24093717

Was able to run SuperAntispyware in user profile. I'm able to execute programs through task manager. Maybe it just wasn't installing since I was in safe mode, but the "Admin Disabled. . " message was strange, and I would agree it looks like a virus. I'm scanning now with Superantispyware and will also download from your recommendation once it's finished. Will update when the scan completes in a bit.

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-07 at 21:19:02ID: 24093936

Scan with both Malwarebytes and Superantispyware came out clean. Explorer.exe still crashes when computer starts up. No icons, no taskbar. Nothing. When trying to send the error report, Dr. Watson also crashes, and shows an error report. Let me know if you need more details or the error. Comp seems to be clean of any malware. Any advice of what to try next?

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-07 at 23:59:47ID: 24094504

The laptop certainly shows symptoms of an infection, but often these remain hidden to a number of scanners.    Even though HijackThis can also miss them, it seems a good idea to install and run Trend HijackThis 2.02, so that we can at least decide on a more appropriate tool to use(if necessary):
http://majorgeeks.com/Trend_Micro_HijackThis_d5554.html

Create a folder where you would like the HijackThis file to reside and run it from there, not from the Desktop or a temporary folder.
Run the scan & save the logfile.  Then click the "Attach Code Snippet" box, paste the logfile into the "Code Snippet" page and there it can be analysed.  We may be looking for a Trojan.

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 00:14:38ID: 24094570

You may have to rename "HijackThis" to run it, or even download it to a suitable media on another machine.

Located an earlier thread containing some more ideas.  Although i'm not suggesting a reinstall is necessary, it does highlight the depth of a possible infection >

"Windows XP No Desktop Icons, Explorer.exe will not open, program closes it":
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Desktops/PCs/Q_22653513.html

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:17:31ID: 24097504

Ran Hijack this. Log is attached. Thanks for the help.

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 10:16:21 AM, on 4/8/2009
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6000.16791)
Boot mode: Normal
 
Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\WLTRYSVC.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\bcmwltry.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
C:\WINDOWS\CBTWlanSrv.exe
C:\Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\DefWatch.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\Rtvscan.exe
C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Common\ViewpointService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
c:\program files\linksys\wpc54gsv2\wpc54gsv2.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drwtsn32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drwtsn32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe
C:\HijackTHis\HiJackThis.exe
 
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyOverride = *.local
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In SSV Helper - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Notifier BHO - {AF69DE43-7D58-4638-B6FA-CE66B5AD205D} - C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\5.0.926.3450\swg.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Dictionary Compression sdch - {C84D72FE-E17D-4195-BB24-76C02E2E7C4E} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\Component\fastsearch_219B3E1547538286.dll
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - {DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: JQSIEStartDetectorImpl - {E7E6F031-17CE-4C07-BC86-EABFE594F69C} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\deploy\jqs\ie\jqs_plugin.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Google Toolbar - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [vptray] C:\PROGRA~1\SYMANT~1\VPTray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Reader Speed Launcher] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0\Reader\Reader_sl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MP10_EnsureFileVer] C:\WINDOWS\inf\unregmp2.exe /EnsureFileVersions
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UserFaultCheck] %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -u
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [KernelFaultCheck] %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -k
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SUPERAntiSpyware] C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SUPERAntiSpyware.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {0CCA191D-13A6-4E29-B746-314DEE697D83} (Facebook Photo Uploader 5) - http://upload.facebook.com/controls/FacebookPhotoUploader5.cab
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/muweb_site.cab?1198510495430
O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.dll
O23 - Service: Apple Mobile Device - Apple, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
O23 - Service: Ati HotKey Poller - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
O23 - Service: Bonjour Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
O23 - Service: CBT Wlan Service (CBTWlanSrv) - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\CBTWlanSrv.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Event Manager (ccEvtMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Password Validation (ccPwdSvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccPwdSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Settings Manager (ccSetMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec AntiVirus Definition Watcher (DefWatch) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\DefWatch.exe
O23 - Service: Google Updater Service (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: Java Quick Starter (JavaQuickStarterService) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
O23 - Service: SAVRoam (SavRoam) - symantec - C:\Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\SavRoam.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Network Drivers Service (SNDSrvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec SPBBCSvc (SPBBCSvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SPBBC\SPBBCSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec AntiVirus - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\Rtvscan.exe
O23 - Service: Viewpoint Manager Service - Viewpoint Corporation - C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Common\ViewpointService.exe
O23 - Service: Broadcom Wireless LAN Tray Service (wltrysvc) - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\System32\WLTRYSVC.EXE
 
--
End of file - 7287 bytes
                                              
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12:
13:
14:
15:
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
22:
23:
24:
25:
26:
27:
28:
29:
30:
31:
32:
33:
34:
35:
36:
37:
38:
39:
40:
41:
42:
43:
44:
45:
46:
47:
48:
49:
50:
51:
52:
53:
54:
55:
56:
57:
58:
59:
60:
61:
62:
63:
64:
65:
66:
67:
68:
69:
70:
71:
72:
73:
74:
75:
76:
77:
78:
79:
80:
81:
82:
83:
84:
85:
86:
87:
88:
89:
90:
91:
92:

Select allOpen in new window

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:22:57ID: 24097572

Also, Hijackthis ran fine with no need to rename or change users. I am going to increase the point value and I am hoping someone can provide a way to solve without reinstall of OS. All other files seem ok. Have run CHKDSK /r from recovery console earlier, and nothing. Seems strange, but also seems like it's just explorer and Dr. Watson postmortem debugger which are both preventing Windows from running properly. I am able to navigate around and run programs through task manager. But still no icons, taskbar. Desktop background is still the same. It has not been effected.

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:37:20ID: 24097743

The HijackThis logfile certainly looks clean.

See if these links help>
Restore Desktop Icons and Taskbar (see Line 195)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Restore the Taskbar to Default Functionality (see Line 164)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Hide All or Show All Desktop Icons (see Line 172)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:47:34ID: 24097845

"Hide All or Show All Desktop Icons" doesn't now appear on Line 172, but you could try "Enable/Disable Desktop Icons" on Line 72.able Desktop Icons

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:49:33ID: 24097866

>on Line 72.able Desktop Icons<         .. should read ..        >on Line 72.<

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 07:57:54ID: 24097964

You could ensure that the auto-hide option is not enabled for Taskbar and Start Menu Properties.  Details >
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q318027

More suggestions>
Boot to desktop - no icons...no taskbar...:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Windows/XP/Q_24143366.html

XP Home, no task bar, no desktop icons, no start button
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Q_21201108.html

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-08 at 08:19:03ID: 24098239

Thanks Jonvee. I am looking at some of the articles now. I am wondering if I can create a new profile and just move the files over. I know when I logged on under administrator profile in safe mode it worked. So, is there anyway to create a new profile through task manager, since that is the only access I have? If so, I can try doing that. Sounds like it worked for some people. Thanks.

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-08 at 10:33:13ID: 24099808

Created a new profile, and was able to logon with no explorer or dr. watson errors. However, did receive Windows error, and error reporting said that there is a problem with the RAM, so I ran Windows Mem Test and no errors found. Also reseated RAM. Still receives same error for the original profiles, but seems to be running ok under new profile. I will test it out and see how it operates, and get back in a bit.

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 11:28:32ID: 24100311

Thanks for the feedback, it sounds much better.    
Memtest is certainly good but it's not an absolute guaranteee that a RAM is satisfactory.  
Reseating RAM is a good idea, even removing all but one RAM stick & then rebooting with it in a different RAM socket.
Presume there have been no BSODs ?      

 

by: lskairPosted on 2009-04-08 at 11:37:26ID: 24100407

No more BSODs. It's looking good. I will keep an eye on the RAM and swap it out if I need to. I think this might have done it. I'm going to award the points to Jonvee for pointing me in the right direction and advising me of where to go next to finally solve this! Many thanks!

 

by: JonveePosted on 2009-04-08 at 14:19:36ID: 24101928

Good.   i'm glad you were able to use the information successfully.   Thank you!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...