Member Avatar for freeman266

Hey
i have recently found a problem im not sure what its to do with but when i go to the start menu and go to the quick programmes that i use reguarly such as itunes i click on it and a box comes up with a loader saying windows explorer isnt responding that box closes automatically and then another appears saying windows exlorer restarting, everything goes off screen except the background display and then about 5 seconds later everything is replaced in the same place its really weird, i think it is only cetain programmes to but i recently updated itunes with a patch caled genius or somethig and i thouht that have had somethign to do with it btu appart from that i have no idea. i have had a look around for anything strange but i have no idea what it is, im considering putting things that i need on protabl hard drive and formatting vista what should i do ???

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Dani AI

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Explorer restarting when you click Start‑menu shortcuts means explorer.exe is crashing while the shell tries to load something for that shortcut (icon, property handler, context menu, etc.). That can be caused by a third‑party shell extension, a buggy driver, a corrupt user profile, or a broken program component that integrates with Explorer. noted it happened around iTunes, and ’s suggestion to back up before attempting fixes is sound — a targeted diagnosis usually avoids a full format.

Quick diagnostic checklist to run before reinstalling or formatting:

  1. Check Event Viewer (Windows Logs → Application) for the Explorer crash entries. Look for “Faulting application: explorer.exe” and the “Faulting module” name — that points to the DLL causing the crash.
  2. Run system checks and isolated boots: use sfc /scannow, try Safe Mode, or perform a clean boot (msconfig disabling non‑Microsoft services/startup) to see if the crash stops.
  3. Disable non‑Microsoft shell extensions in batches (ShellExView is commonly used) and re‑test each time; icon or context‑menu handlers are frequent culprits.

Useful commands to run:

eventvwr
msconfig
sfc /scannow

If an app like iTunes is implicated, uninstall all Apple components (Apple Mobile Device Support, Apple Application Support, Bonjour, Apple Software Update, QuickTime, etc.), reboot, then reinstall the latest package. As a less intrusive test, disable Apple shell extensions first. For advanced troubleshooting, capture a crash dump (for example with Sysinternals ProcDump) or copy the Event Viewer error details and supply them to vendor support.

Also update video drivers and run a current anti‑malware scan. If the crash is resolved after removing a single component, report the bug to that vendor so future installs don’t break Explorer; in most cases these targeted steps remove the need to format.

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Member Avatar for chris5126

hi i would back up your important data then try a system restore to a time before you installed the update to itunes though im pretty sure it has nothing to do with it. Also check windows has the latest updates installed let us know how you get on!

Member Avatar for freeman266

hi i would back up your important data then try a system restore to a time before you installed the update to itunes though im pretty sure it has nothing to do with it. Also check windows has the latest updates installed let us know how you get on!

Hey thanks yeah i thought it might of been best solution but still interested in what has caused it it ill haev a go tonight see what i can do thanks :)

Member Avatar for freeman266

Back again i found its jsut to do with itunes so i gunan delete it and reinstall it thansk for the help formatting was the last choice cause of the time involed :( thnaks though

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