The hang of the file manager built into Windows called “Explorer” is a very common situation. But to say right away what exactly caused this phenomenon is difficult in most cases. Let's look at why Windows Explorer or any other system hangs, how to deal with it and what methods to use. But first, let's focus on what specifically could cause a crash in the program itself.
Why does Explorer crash on Windows 7 or other systems?
It is worth starting the consideration of problems with the Explorer with a description of the most frequently occurring problems, which can significantly affect the decisions made for actions to eliminate them. Usually, in the tenth modification or in Windows 7, the Explorer freezes up when you call the program, or when searching, or when working on the network, or when trying to access cloud storage. This may be a one-time failure, but most often there is a constant hang.
As for the reasons that can cause this behavior of the file manager, to consider them, as well as to foresee the appearance of absolutely all possible situations, is unrealistic, therefore we will limit ourselves to only the most common. The reasons for the fact that the "Explorer" hangs constantly in Windows 7 and other operating systems of this family are as follows:
- lack of system resources;
- problems with installed hardware and drivers;
- incompatible programs;
- problems with system updates;
- damage to important system files;
- incorrect access to information storage services;
- viral exposure, etc.
Applet restart
For starters, in the case when this phenomenon manifests itself once, you can simply restart the computer or even restore the system and try to start the program again.
In some situations, if the program window closes spontaneously during any actions, you can restart the Explorer service, which is responsible for the operation of the graphical interface of the system. You can do this through the "Run" console (Win + R) by specifying the explorer.exe command for execution.
Windows 7 Explorer freezes when you turn on your computer: freeing up system resources
However, most often, such actions only help for a while. It does not make sense to repeat the restart, as the situation may repeat again and again. But what then could affect the application? Perhaps the operating system itself has activated so many background processes and services that it simply cannot cope with their processing. If the "Explorer" of Windows 10 and other similar systems hangs tightly with enviable constancy, then for starters you should exclude unnecessary applets from startup. For systems below the eighth version, the configurator (msconfig) is used, and for the eighth and tenth modifications, the "Task Manager" is used.
On the startup tab, you need to uncheck the unnecessary services, save the changes and reboot.
Note: in Windows 7 and below, you can leave the ctfmon.exe process responsible for changing the language and keyboard layout. Disabling the antivirus in this way will not work (yes this is not necessary).
If the Windows Explorer Explorer freezes again, which applies equally to other modifications of the system, you should deactivate unused components (in the program and component section, for example, you can disable the print service, Hyper-V module, etc.), and also take advantage of viewing all active services by going to the appropriate section by entering the services.msc command in the Run console.
Selected services that the user does not need to work, first stop, set the disabled startup type, save the settings and restart the system. It’s better to turn off only what you know (faxes, printing, all Hyper-V components, telemetry, geolocation, etc.).
Checking the system, hard drive and RAM
But often system services and background processes do not have a special effect on resources, so again there is a situation in which, for example, in Windows 7, the Explorer freezes. How to fix the problem in this case? The reason, most likely, lies in system errors, malfunctions in the hard drive and memory slats.
First, you need to check the system files for integrity, using the sfc / scannow command, which is entered on the command line launched as administrator. If this does not work, you can use the image recovery tools — the command DISM.exe / Online / Cleanup-image / RestoreHealth. It is also strongly recommended to check all partitions of the hard disk for errors through the command line (chkdsk N: / x / f / r, where N is the letter of the disk or partition).
If the Windows Explorer Explorer freezes due to incorrect working memory, you can check the slats by calling the appropriate system tool (mdsched in the Run console). Testing will be performed on a subsequent reboot.
Note: Defragmentation can be used as an additional tool for the hard disk.
Using the PowerShel console, run as administrator in the Run menu of the same name, you can specify the Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$ ($ _. InstallLocation) \ AppXManifest.xml”. Perhaps this will fix the failure.
Driver Actions
But with the system and its main "iron" components, everything can be normal. Hanging the file manager immediately after starting the system and calling the program can sometimes be eliminated by updating the driver of the graphics adapter, which directly takes part in the work of most applications (both system and user). Just rely on system tools in the "Device Manager" is not worth it.
It is better to update the driver with some automated utility, for example, Driver Booster, or use special software (for example, the NVIDIA Experience application is perfect for NVIDIA video cards).
Note: sometimes it may be necessary to reinstall the driver of the HID-compatible mouse if the cursor does not respond to user actions and the Explorer hangs.
Recently installed software
Often in Windows 10, Explorer can crash due to incompatible software installed by the user. It is possible to find out whether this is possible by the means of the system, using the corresponding PCM menu item on the file or shortcut icon, for example, on the “Desktop”. Perhaps the application should be set to run in a lower version of the system. If this does not work, then it is entirely possible that the program will have to be completely uninstalled and then reinstalled. To remove the built-in section of programs and components, it is better not to use it, but to use uninstallers like iObit Uninstaller, which allow you to automatically get rid of all residues.
Windows 7 and later update issues
Unfortunately, both released updates and their absence can cause failures in the "Explorer". It is usually recommended that you manually check the update packages available for installation using the Update Center. But, if the situation is exactly the opposite, and the "Explorer" began to freeze or spontaneously exit after installing the updates, the last packages simply need to be removed one by one (rebooting the system after each removal and checking the operation of the file manager), set up a new search and exclude the problematic ones from the mandatory installation list . For example, in Windows 10, it is highly recommended that you get rid of the KB3074681 update and replace it with the KB3074683 package.
Thumbnail Display
The problem that Windows Explorer freezes when opening network folders can be partially solved by completely resetting the network settings. But, as practice shows, sometimes it’s enough to rename the home group, setting the default value.
If this does not help, it may very well be that in the folder properties, using the view menu, for all directories it will be necessary to disable the display of file icons on thumbnails, using instead the option to constantly display thumbnails rather than thumbnails.
Cloud storage
Quite often, the cause of the unstable operation of Explorer can be cloud storage applets embedded in the operating system such as ASUS WebStorage, Google Drive, OneDrive and the like. To fix problems, you can temporarily turn them off or completely remove them, and then, if the user needs them in their daily activities, reinstall them using exclusively official distributions downloaded from the resources of the developers of such software.
Viral exposure
It goes without saying that viruses can also greatly affect the functioning of Explorer. Just in case, the system should be checked, but not with a standard anti-virus, but with some kind of portable scanner, among which Dr. Utilities take the leading positions. Web CureIt! and KVRT.
What if nothing helps?
If none of the above listed options has the proper effect on resolving problems with Explorer, try creating a new user account by including it in the administrator group and granting it all the appropriate rights and permissions, and then look at how it will conduct the program itself when you log in under this registration. In case of normalization of work, leave the created "account", and simply delete the old one.
If this does not take action, so as not to engage in further meaningless actions, save the necessary information on removable media or in a logical partition, and then either return the computer to its original state (Windows 10) or completely reinstall the operating system.