Windows 7 Explorer fails after saving a new file. Troubleshoot now.
Windows 7 Explorer fails after saving a new file. Troubleshoot now.
You're using Windows 7 Ultimate and have noticed unusual behavior in Windows Explorer when creating new files. It seems folders aren't loading properly, even though individual files work. You've tried virus scans, cleared the IconCache, run the System File Checker, but nothing resolved the issue. Have others encountered similar problems?
Have you linked any USB drives such as a pendrive or external hard drive? Did you enable your HDD to hibernate after periods of inactivity?
The issue is tough to fix. It could stem from a virus (though unlikely), a registry issue (hopefully not using cleaning tools that might cause more damage), an AV problem, or mainly hardware concerns (some programs only open one file at a time, while Explorer handles many). People often suggest reinstalling Windows, but that usually just offers a temporary fix and doesn’t solve the root cause. Methods like "sfc /scannow" or general advice give no real insight—they don’t reveal why things are broken. Instead, inspect your hard drive; even if other programs work, Explorer may be struggling with files, thumbnails, or cache. Try using a file manager such as Directory Opus, Konvertor, or File Voyager to see if they operate more smoothly. Sometimes the problem lies in shell extensions or menus (see http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shell_menu_view.html). Keep an eye on how long Explorer takes to start—this can hint at the delay. A better approach is to use Procmon to monitor file activity. It reveals whether Explorer is busy with operations or just idle, and might show other programs accessing files (like antivirus) without you realizing it. This should guide your next steps.
I began using Procmon again, but nothing seemed to occur. It performed process profiling every second and ran some antivirus checks roughly once a minute. It didn’t act independently. After that, I opened windirstat to test loading; it loaded everything properly within about three minutes. When I tried browsing files through WinRAR, there were no issues. I should note I have both an SSD and an HDD, so hardware problems should impact both. The Explorer hasn’t returned to normal for 45 minutes at this point.
By "hardware issue" i mean one hard drive issue (or ssd), so no - it should affect only one. And for 45 minutes procmon do not report anything? No suspicious activity, no lot of reads/writes? Are you sure that you enable procmon to report whole activity? This program with filters disabled should made really crazy output even on idle. I have no idea except two things: 1. this link - lot of "ideas", mostly "i don't know, but try". But some of them may be useful (skip all "sfc /scannow" and similar like "update your graphics driver", which may be replaced by "try everything, maybe problem magically resolves itself"). 2. Someone report that he replaced "explorer.exe" from another one (different computer), so if you want - link is here and password is "hokuspokus" (it's file from my Win7 from c:\windows\ directory). Good luck.
I focused only on the explore.exe process. It seems unusual without any filters, yet nothing looks suspicious. Only the programs I’m familiar with are active. After closing Explorer via Task Manager and restarting it, I encountered a "remote procedure call failed" error when trying to access folders. Thank you for sharing the file. I hope it’s safe.