Why does Explorer restart in Windows 7. What to do if Windows Explorer keeps restarting
Users often have problems related to the Windows 7 operating system. One of them is when Explorer shuts down and tries to restart. An unpleasant error, because it paralyzes your work with the computer for some time. Let's figure out what a conductor is and how to fix its constant failures.
Description of the problem
Explorer is an application that visualizes the OS file system and makes it easier to work with them. Currently, Explorer is the basis of the graphical user interface in Windows.
Everything that is displayed after loading the desktop (shortcuts, taskbar, Start menu) except for the “wallpaper” is Explorer. Accordingly, if an application malfunction occurs, work with the taskbar and shortcuts will be limited. However, restarting the computer does not solve the problem.
Main causes of the problem
To troubleshoot the problem, you need to determine the causes of the problem:
- The video driver is out of date or faulty.
The video card is related to almost all programs on the computer and Windows Explorer is no exception. First of all, update your video card drivers and other software. - Presence of viruses.
The problem may also be due to the presence of viruses. Perform a full system scan with antivirus software, such as the free Microsoft Security Essentials utility. - Faulty system files.
The system consists of a huge number of files containing certain commands. Failure of even one will lead to the crash of small applications or the entire OS. How to check and fix system files is described in detail in paragraph 3.4. - Running applications and services contribute to the incorrect operation of File Explorer.
During active work, many different programs are installed on the computer, which involve almost all system processes. The conductor is also affected, so it is necessary to monitor the operation of the system after installing new software.
How to fix?
Let's look at the main ways to return Windows Explorer to working condition.
Windows Secure Boot
The main benefit of this method is that when the operating system boots, only the main components, drivers and hardware are launched. In this mode, File Explorer is not affected by third-party applications.
- We restart the computer, immediately after the “BIOS” loading screen, press the “F8” key. From the list that appears, select “Safe Mode”.
- After loading the operating system in this mode, see if the explorer restarts. If yes, then the problem is in the programs you installed.
- It is necessary to remove previously installed software that interferes with the normal operation of the explorer. To do this, click Start, select “Control Panel” in the right column, and in the window that opens, select the “Uninstall a program” sub-item.
- A window will open with a list of all installed programs. First of all, click on the “Installed” button, thereby sorting the programs by installation date, right-click on the last one and select “Delete”.
- After uninstalling one program, monitor the explorer: if the problem remains, remove the applications until normal operation is restored.
Virus removal
Viruses are one of the main causes of problems with all elements in the OS. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a full scan of your computer for infections, using the installed utility or downloading a free antivirus: “Microsoft Security Essentials” from the official website. 
Important! Keep your antivirus and your system up to date.
ShellExView utility
It is also a good idea to use the ShellExView utility, which displays detailed information about extensions, allows you to highlight third-party ones and disable them. You can download it from a trusted source using this link. After installing the utility, disable third-party components following the steps:
Recovering system files
The method is useful if starting in safe mode does not produce results.
This procedure will correct the identified problems (if there are any on your PC). After its completion, restart the computer.
Conclusion
It is worth monitoring the programs that you install and then there will be no problems with the operating system freezing. If you have any questions or suggestions, leave them in the comments.
Every person who is more or less familiar with a computer constantly encounters a program called “Explorer”. This thing is necessary and useful. True, very often you can observe unexpected failures in the operation of this application. Why does the Windows Explorer program, to put it mildly, crash? This can be a one-time or permanent shutdown, and it usually happens at the most inopportune moment. There could be many reasons for this.
What is Windows Explorer
The program itself is an integral part of any “operating system” of the Windows family. This is its, so to speak, standard component. In computer terminology, Windows Explorer is a file manager.
Simply put, it is a tool for viewing and managing files and folders located on a computer, including a hard drive (hard drive), logical partitions and removable media such as optical drives, USB devices or removable memory cards.
Purpose and main functions
There is probably no need to explain that in Explorer you can open files or perform various standard operations such as copying, cutting, deleting files and folders. That's not the point. The fact is that this application has a lot of functions that are available by calling the drop-down context menu, which is called up by right-clicking on a file or directory.
This is where you can see what the program's capabilities are. All menus of this type are standard. For example, Windows 8 Explorer is practically no different from previous versions, with a few exceptions. The menu itself provides tools for opening files by selecting the desired program, a quick scan with an installed antivirus, viewing information about a file or folder, etc. Actually, the same “Explorer” of Windows 7 has a similar set of commands and functions. Although the "seven" is a fairly stable system, however, not a single user is immune from this failure. If you are a user of one of these operating systems, then you are probably familiar with a similar message that appears on the screen every hour: “Windows Explorer has stopped working.”
After this, the system hangs. Sometimes performance can be restored after a few minutes, but in some cases you even have to restart the computer terminal to start working again. What if the user had unsaved data at that moment? It’s a shame to spend a lot of time and then do everything all over again. Let's try to solve the problem using the Windows 7 Explorer application. Why? Yes, simply because this “OS” is the most common today.
Why does Windows Explorer stop working?
There can be many reasons for this application to crash. The most common situations are related to the presence of virus programs in the system or the incompatibility of any installed applications with the operating system itself. There are, of course, reasons related to system errors. They will be discussed a little later.
Basic error correction methods
So, the user receives a message that Windows 7 Explorer has stopped working. What to do? First of all, don't panic. There are plenty of error correction methods you can find. Among the simplest options may be standard methods performed using Windows tools or third-party utilities. It's another matter when intervention is required at the level of system resources and components. This is, of course, more difficult, but if you want, you can cope with it.
Virus check
First of all, you need to run a scan for viruses and malware. Please note that it is better not to use the scanner installed on the system by default. Apparently he had already missed the threat.
In this case, portable versions of anti-virus scanners such as Dr.Web, Eset NOD32, Kaspersky, Norton, etc. will be useful. But the program to be launched must be different from the one present in the system. That is, if Eset NOD 32 is installed on the system, then the portable version of NOD will be of no use. It is not recommended to install a second antivirus on the system, since a conflict may arise between the antivirus packages themselves. People say: this is the same as locking Stalin and Hitler in the same room.
If the virus is detected and removed, the system will need to be restarted and then you can see if the problem remains. If the error occurs again and again, move on to the next step.
Safe mode
Now a few words about safe mode. It was created precisely in order to correct errors in the system. The fact is that when loading the system using this function, only the most basic system elements of the operating system function. It is possible to boot a computer terminal without driver support at all. It is very likely that some of them may cause system errors, but this is generally quite rare.
After the system starts (at startup, press the F8 key), you need to test Windows Explorer. If everything works without failures or errors, then the problem lies precisely in the installed software products.
Disabling the context menu
Sometimes a problem in the Windows Explorer program can arise precisely because of the incompatibility of some programs that build their own commands into the main or context menu of the file manager. They will need to be disabled. To do this you will need a small utility called ShellExView. It is distributed completely free of charge. In addition, you can also find a crack for this application on the Internet. However, it will require installation on your hard drive, since there is no portable version for this program.
After installation, the first time you run it, the main window will appear in which all command elements will be displayed. It is necessary to sort the elements by type by clicking on the corresponding “Type” field at the top. Now you need to look at the commands that are assigned the “Context Menu” type. Now you will need to deactivate absolutely all elements that are not manufactured by Microsoft. Don't be surprised, sometimes you'll have to disable Intel services, archiver commands, etc. There's nothing wrong with that. In principle, you can also use the quick shutdown using the F7 function key.
After completing these steps, you will again need to reboot the system and then test the problem. In some cases, this method turns out to be quite effective.
Using the msconfig command
This command is universal for most cases when fine tuning of the system is required. In this case, we are interested in the autostart of programs and background services. This command is called from the “Run” menu field.
After starting the command, in the “General” section (tab), selective launch is selected. The loading of system services remains enabled, but the checkbox in the “Load startup items” field must be unchecked.
After this, you need to use the “Services” tab, in which select the “Do not display Microsoft services” field. Now you can try clicking the “Disable everything” button and agree to the offer to restart the computer.
After a new start, call the msconfig command again. Now you can enable services (preferably one at a time) followed by a reboot. As soon as the problem appears, it will be possible to tell exactly which service is causing the unexpected error. In the future, you can simply not use it. On the other hand, the problem may occur again and again, so it is highly recommended to test all services. This, of course, will take a lot of time, but it will be possible to confidently determine the component that influences the crash of Explorer.
Recovering system files
In some cases, a so-called system file recovery may be required, since a violation in their operation can lead not only to errors in the Windows Explorer program, but also to the inability of the system to self-heal even with the determination of the last checkpoint. Windows OS may display messages indicating that the hard drive needs to be checked for errors, although this is absolutely not the problem itself. However, the same question of how to fix Windows 7 Explorer can be solved in this way.
In order to start the process of scanning and restoring system files, you need to have Administrator rights, this is a prerequisite. For example, in Windows 7, the menu sequence “Start” / “All Programs” / “Accessories” / “Command Prompt” is used for this. If the user is not logged in with Administrator rights, there is a way out. By right-clicking on the command, you need to select the sub-item “Run as Administrator” (if necessary, you will need to enter a password).
Now in the window that appears, enter the system command sfc/scannow and press the Enter key. Within a few minutes, the system will check for problems and issue a recovery message (if errors were still present).
Bottom line
In general, the most common methods for restoring Windows Explorer functionality are described here. As a rule, in most cases all these methods (one at a time or in combination with each other) turn out to be very effective.
If nothing helps, you can go to the Microsoft forums and look for a description of the problem and ways to fix it. As a last resort, you can try to reinstall the operating system, but not on top of the old version, but after completely formatting the hard drive. This can only be explained by the fact that when installing again, the new OS may inherit the errors of the old one, and you will not achieve the desired result.
However, as already mentioned, this approach can be used only as a last resort, because it is clear that each user has a lot of information stored on their hard drive, many programs installed, etc. Before reinstalling, the necessary files will have to be copied to some removable media, to avoid information loss. But the programs will have to be reinstalled manually.
Many computer users are aware of this problem when the error “Explorer has stopped working” occurs or the Explorer restarts. There are several reasons for this error to appear. The first is the incompatibility of the running program with your Windows 7 operating system. Another possible reason, which, however, can only be applied if the video is launched, is a problem with codecs.
Methods for solving the problem
If the Explorer program restarts in Windows 7, this can be fixed using several methods. There are undoubtedly more, but I will give three as an example. The first is to remove all programs on your computer system, or you can simply reinstall the system using. The next option is to edit the Windows registry, but this can be fraught with consequences, so it is better for less experienced users to refrain from this method. And finally, the third possible plot is to download a simple ShellExView program, but it also has a minus - an English-language interface.
As you already understood, we will talk about the ShellExView program, which I consider the most effective way to solve the problem with Explorer. So, this utility is absolutely free, which, you see, is important. It will not take up much space on your computer, but it has the ability to organize the permissions of various programs that are built into your Windows 7 OS. Please note that there are two versions of this application available for download: for 32 and 64-bit operating systems.
After downloading ShellExView, unpack it, run it as administrator, after which the following window should appear.
Then click on the line “Company”, disable all explorer extensions configured earlier using the F7 key. By disabling all unnecessary extensions, .
If after this the Explorer termination error no longer occurs, then you are lucky, the problem has been resolved. You can now go back to ShellExView and enable any of the disabled components. Work like this for several days, if the problem does not return, go to the utility again and add a few more removed extensions. This way, by adding them little by little, you will see which of the disabled add-ons was causing File Explorer to crash.
As you can see, working with the ShellExView program is easier than reinstalling the entire system. I hope that with the help of this utility, the Explorer error will be eliminated forever.
The computer screen displays a blank desktop: no shortcuts, no Start menu, no taskbar. Just a background image. Beautiful, but not normal. This indicates that one of the most important system processes has stopped. Let's look at how to fix the “Explorer is not responding” or “Explorer has stopped working” error in Windows 7.
Causes of the problem and solutions
The problem occurs mainly on pirated versions of Windows 7 and can be caused by a number of reasons. Let's consider all possible methods for eliminating the error.
Video driver update
The graphics adapter is responsible for all the visual interfaces displayed on the computer. Explorer is no exception - this is the main application that requires a correctly functioning video device.
In some cases, updating the driver does not solve the problem, so consider completely reinstalling the video package:
Attention! Download files only from official sources! Otherwise, you risk infecting your PC with dangerous software.
Virus infection
Running dangerous or unwanted software on your computer causes problems with system applications. Explorer is no exception. To scan Windows you need:
Checking and restoring system files
Damage to the system files responsible for launching and operating Explorer also leads to similar errors. To correct damage, do the following:
Lack of hardware resources
When the load on the processor, RAM and hard drive reaches 90-95%, the computer begins to work unstable and crashes any of the processes that it deems necessary. The Conductor may be among them. To resolve the issue, do the following:
This will relieve the PC and ensure stable Windows operation.
Damaged media files
When downloading photos or videos from the Internet or a portable device, some media files may become corrupted, causing the file thumbnail to not display correctly. It is unknown why, but this fact is the cause of failures in Explorer.
To resolve the error you need to:
If the problem is in the thumbnails, the Explorer error will not bother you anymore.
Using cloud storage
Most modern cloud services offer the installation of special managers for convenient file sharing and synchronization. But at the same time, applications make changes to the standard Explorer. They add folders to it that link to online storage. This may cause errors in File Explorer.
To solve this, you need to disable all cloud manager clients and observe the behavior of Explorer. If the utility starts to work stably, remove the software from Google Drive, Dropbox, Cloud Mail.ru, etc.
Advice! To determine the culprit, try disabling “cloud applications” one at a time. If you find any conflicting software, remove it while keeping the rest.
This package of tips should completely rid you of annoying system errors. Now you know how to fix the “Explorer is not responding” error in Windows 7.
Knowing this code, you can read in Windows support or on the Internet what it is and what reasons are behind its occurrence.
In addition, possible reasons for restarting the program may be contained in the system message itself. Therefore, in order to cope with a problem, you need to know the reasons for its occurrence, and having such information, you can begin to solve it.
What can cause Explorer to constantly restart?
There can be many reasons for program failures leading to its restart: The main ones include:
There is a problem with the system registry or DLL;
- Incompatible software that loads Explorer with unnecessary processes, leading to the program restarting;
- Inappropriate driver;
- Malicious software.
As you can see from the above, not a single reason for the failure of Explorer is related to problems in the operating system. Therefore, there is no particular reason to think about reinstalling Windows, but you can try to cope with the problem in other ways.
The first three reasons on the list are the result of user activity, since the basis for the constant reboots of Windows Explorer is incompatible software. It is worth noting that in this case the likelihood of your computer becoming infected with a virus is negligible, although this should not be completely ruled out.
Therefore, you need to try to remember which device drivers you have recently updated, as well as what programs you have installed. If there really were any, then in most cases, simply uninstalling this program helps get rid of restarting Explorer.
Divide and rule
The program malfunction is in no way related to the computer hardware, so you won’t have to go inside the laptop. However, it is necessary to check the functionality of the operating system and Explorer under other accounts. If there are none, you can easily create them in the User and Account Management section of the Windows Control Panel.
If Explorer constantly restarts, then the problem is more global than it might seem at first glance. However, if the problem applies exclusively to your account, then in this case there is nothing to worry about and all that is necessary is to delete the current account and create a new one. In this case, the problem will disappear forever.
Alternative options
If all your efforts have not borne fruit and Explorer continues to restart, then the problem should be looked for in incompatible software or inoperative drivers. In this case, you can get rid of constant crashes only by uninstalling damaged programs. This is the only way to return your operating system to normal operation.
Troubleshooting using Safe Mode
If you cannot fix the problem in normal Windows mode due to constant restarts of the Explorer program, then in this case you need to restart the operating system in Safe Mode, which loads only the main components and drivers necessary to start the OS. All other programs will not load. This way, you get the opportunity to test the program in safe mode. If no restarts occur during operation, then the cause of the failure is the utility you installed and you need to continue searching for the specific program that conflicts with Explorer.
However, the situation will worsen significantly if Explorer restarts continue in Windows safe mode. In this case, the Windows system kernel is most likely damaged and may need to be restored or even reinstalled Windows.
Work without drivers
Another way to identify a problem is to boot Windows without checking the digital signature of the drivers. If, after loading the OS in this mode, Explorer works stably, then its constant restarts were caused by an incompatible driver for one of the devices. It is worth noting that, most likely, this driver will not be digitally signed, which significantly narrows the search area. Once it is found, you should remove it or try to update to a suitable version.
Cleaning the system
If the above methods do not bring results and “Explorer” continues to live its own life, then in this case it is necessary to clean up Windows startup. The optimal solution is to completely remove everything that is in startup. In this case, the operating system will load only system files and device drivers, and third-party software will be inactive. If after this “Program” Explorer starts working normally, then the reason for its failures lies in one of the programs that was previously placed in startup.
Operating system rollback
If you still haven’t been able to figure out the reason for the constant reboot of the Explorer program, then don’t despair. You can perform a system restore and roll back Windows to the latest stable checkpoint. This is one of the most effective methods, guaranteeing one hundred percent results. At the same time, it is also very convenient because all information saved on the computer’s system drive is saved during the recovery process.
Extreme measures
If you have read our article to this point, then the problem with Explorer has not been resolved and you are on the verge of despair. However, another option remains - a complete reinstallation of all Windows components. In this case, all programs and drivers you have installed, including conflicting ones, must be removed, and then gradually installed one utility at a time, while observing the behavior of Explorer. The compatibility of each installed program must be checked during operation over a certain time interval. If, after installing the next utility, the “Explorer” again began to fail, then you were finally able to find the malicious program.
If you do not have such a reserve of time and you need a working operating system right now, then in this case there is only one option left - reinstalling Windows. However, before doing this, do not forget to first copy all important information to an external drive, otherwise you risk losing it forever.
What to do if the problem is a virus?
As we said above, Explorer restarts can also be caused by malware. There are two ways to detect a virus: by installing an anti-virus program or by manually cleaning the system registry, however, to do this you need to have certain knowledge of the Windows operating system, so beginners are not recommended to perform any actions with the registry, since even a minor change can lead to to Windows failure.
Finally, it should be noted that rebooting Explorer is a very serious problem that can take a very long time to resolve, so you will need a lot of patience.
