"Explorer.exe The application was unable to start correctly" READ FIRST POST, THEN LAST POST. Skip middle.

Bravix

Reputable
Feb 26, 2015
5
0
4,510
System: Asus G73JH-A2 (laptop)
Windows 7 Home 64 bit
Avast Antivirus

UPDATE: Have full control, just trying to figure out why I've lost my GUI still. Explorer.exe may have been moved to a corrupted portion of hard disk after Windows Update. A few other startup programs are no longer working either. Might be losing the drive? Everything else on other partitions is working just fine.

Edit: Currently on normal desktop. Still no explorer.exe. I now know what it was like to be a dinosaur using the internet (my first version was 95). Can run programs fine, just no explorer.exe. Wanted to try running avast, but I can't find the Avast program folder (and thus, can't find the exe to execute through task manager).

Downloaded the most recent windows update last night. Went to bed. This morning, wake up and turn on computer, and it applies said update. Login and everything works fine for about an hour, then while on firefox and loading a new page, computer freezes up and eventually goes to the blue screen. Restart, works okay for a bit, then BSoD.

Boots up fine once more, I login, but while on the login screen (after having logged in and its loading the GUI) I get the "Explorer.exe did not initialize properly..." error.

Safe mode with networking works fine (I'm on my affected laptop at the moment). I tried a clean boot. I then tried a VERY clean boot (disabled all Microsoft services that weren't functioning during safe mode as well). Still doesn't work. Tried uninstalling the last two most recent updates (Hotfix on the 25th and the other update on the 26th). It didn't help.

I've tried system file check. It found some errors, and according to the log appears to have fixed some but couldn't fix them all. Don't know why. I don't have a Windows 7 disc.

I don't believe this to be virus related, but it could be antivirus related. I'm running Avast, and this wouldn't be the first time its given me an issue.

Usually I can solve these things on my own, but I'm stumped on this one. Any help would be great.

Edit:
Random things I've tried:
-Using Task Manager "New Task" to start explorer.exe during a clean boot.
-Tried deleting Avast, but won't let me do it in safe mode -_- Avast also won't function in safe mode for whatever reason. I can't turn it on. Though I've had it working in safe mode before.
-Swearing at the computer and blaming it for my failures in life.
-Sobbing and hoping that if one of my tears fell on it, it would magically spring back to life.
 

Bravix

Reputable
Feb 26, 2015
5
0
4,510
[strike]Found the Avast folder. Can't access folder, don't have permissions. Can't assign myself permissions either. I'm system admin. GG Avast, GG.[/strike]
 

Bravix

Reputable
Feb 26, 2015
5
0
4,510
[strike]Starting to look like Avast became self-aware and went rogue on me. I remembered that I have a Avast shortcut on my desktop. Shortcut doesn't work.
Gives me the "Windows cannot open.....blah blah...you may not have the correct permissions." I still seem to have admin permissions, I can view hidden files, do other certain admin activities....but Avast seems to have thrown a fit.

Any ideas?

Edit: YEP! Permissions issue. Tried running "sfc /scannow" from command prompt and its telling me I need to be an administrator. I'm the only user on this computer.

How do I stop my now self-aware computer before it takes over the world? HELP.[/strike]
 

Bravix

Reputable
Feb 26, 2015
5
0
4,510
Going to go back and edit the rest. Permissions are working, I just wasn't used to using command prompt and running tasks from Task Manager. I missed the tickbox for running on admin that Task Manager has when starting a task. Duh.

So it's looking like the recent update may have thrown OS files, particularly my GUI files, into a corrupted section of my hard drive. Still doing some tests through command prompt. Will do an integrity check once this sfc scan is done.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.
 

jr9

Estimable
The first thing you want to do when your Explorer.exe stops working is use sfc /scannow. Load into Windows and get to the point where you have no explorer.exe. Hit CTRL+Shift+ESC to bring up task manager. Start a new task: msconfig. Use this to select a diagnostic startup and reboot. If you have exporer.exe at this point, type cmd into the search bar and right click cmd and run as an admistrator. After that, run sfc /scannow.

If you have no explorer.exe/UI in diagnostic mode, then try safe mode. SFC should work in safe mode. You must use an elevated cmd for some commands even if you are the only user.

Inside the administrator elevated cmd, I would also run chkdsk C: /f to check the hard drive for issues. This scan may take a while and cannot be safely interrupted.