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re: Windows Explorer Errors
Sunday, July 11, 2004 at 9:03 pm
Windows Me Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Joe DeLisa
(4 messages posted)
Hi,
Here is the latest. I downloaded CWS Shredder, since SpySweeper kept coming up with
bits of CW_NS3 which it kept claiming to remove, only to have them show up again.
CWS Shredder did find some traces, which it removed, and a subsequent scan by SpySweeper
was clean, except for a handful of cookies, which I removed. At that point, use of
Explorer seemed to be problem-free, but since this has happened before, only to have
the problem recur on re-start, I re-started the computer. Explorer is once again
unhappy, only now it seems clearer as to what it is unhappy about: it generally gives
errors in SHLWAPI.dll. Since I believed that was a file that was installed with Internet
Explorer during that re-installation, I once more re-installed Internet Explorer.
No dice. The problem is still there. I ran Dr. Watson and replicated the problem.
Here is Watson's take on it:
Shell Light-weight Utility Library performed an invalid memory access.
Module Name: SHLWAPI.DLL
Description: Shell Light-weight Utility Library
Version: 6.00.2800.1400
Product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
Application Name: Explorer.exe
Description: Windows Explorer
Version: 5.50.4134.100
Product: Microsoft(R) Windows (R) 2000 Operating System
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
At this point, since virus and spyware scans are coming up empty handed, I am left
with: corrupted file (but isn't this one that is updated by IE?), or conflict with
NortonAntiVirus2004 or SpySweeper, both of which were installed around the time the
problem started. Anyone with suggestions? I am thinking of trying to manually replace
the SHLWAPI.dll file (is that a good idea?), or uninstall both Norton and SpySweeper.
If the latter works, I would then re-install one at a time to see when the problem
recurs. Seems like a lot of work...Anyone have any suggestions on what to try first?
Thanks!
On Sunday, July 11, 2004 at 1:59 pm, Joe DeLisa wrote:
>,
>Thanks for the help. I wouldn't have thought of IE - had no idea there were significant
>shared files between this and Windows Explorer (as opposed to the browser, IE).
Anyway,
>decided to try your suggestion to "repair" IE. Received a message that it couldn't
>be repaired, as a long list of files weren't "high enough" versions (one of which
>was the SHLWAPI.dll that has come up many times). I was offered the opportunity
to
>re-install IE6 instead. Did so. At the conclusion of the re-installation, after
the
>computer had re-started and Windows had "updated settings", I began testing Windows
>Explorer. I was able to right-click on every folder in sight without a problem.
I
>opened Windows Explorer and began right-clicking on folders in there - again, everything
>was fine. Shut down the computer and went to bed, thinking the problem had been
solved.
>Got up today, re-started the computer, and we're back to the same old same old.
The
>first right-click on a folder is fine, the next causes Explorer to close. The next
>is fine, the next causes Explorer to close. Inside Windows Explorer, selecting a
>folder (NOT a file) and even trying the keyboard shortcut to access a context menu
>item (like properties) still causes Explorer to close.
>I had made a restoration point before closing and after the IE re-installation.
I
>restored to that point. Windows went through the restoration, but produced a message
>at the end saying that there had been no changes. Sure enough, the restoration did
>nothing. Still having the problem.
>Haven't had the opportunity to try the memory check suggestion. However, would a
>hardware problem be 1) this focused on a particular task and 2) this consistent?
>As I think about it, the fact that Explorer is OK the first time it is used after
>starting the computer, then not OK the next (but that causes it to close, so it
is
>"re-set" before the next test, when it then does work again) seems to point the
idea
>that something "changes" once Explorer.exe has been used, and closing it puts it
>back in its initial, OK state. Or am I hopelessly off-base?
>I do have NortonAV2004 and Webroot's SpySweeper. Incidentally, (should have mentioined
>this before), a little history: until recently, I had an older version of Norton
>& no anti-spyware software. Then picked up some Spyware (believe it was CoolWebSearch,
>or some version thereof). Tried to remove it myself, during which I also restored
>the system to an earlier point. That was when I got into trouble, as Norton had
done
>an update in between the time I did the restoration and the restore point, so that
>the new (update) files were there but not properly dated or accounted for. Couldn't
>re-start the computer, as the Virus Definitions DB engine couldn't initialize. Managed
>to by-pass this problem by doing a step-by-step Windows startup, and found on the
>Norton website what the problem was. Their proposed fixes didn't work, and since
>my subscription to the current software was due to expire in two weeks anyway, I
>opted to uninstall the old version and install a new version as the simplest way
>out. Then installed SpySweeper, which found all kinds of garbage on the initial
sweep.
>Seemed to remove everything successfully, and have found mainly cookies on subsequent
>sweeps, although yesterday it found something called CWS_NS3, which it said it removed.
>However, I just did another sweep, and it was there again, and it now says it has
>removed it (again). Sounds like another version of CoolWebSearch? However, it was
>about this time (when I first had the SpyWare & loaded the new AntiVirus & anti-spyware
>software) that my problems with Explorer.exe began.
>I would be grateful for any further suggestions. Should I be suspicious that some
>spyware hasn't been completely removed is causing this problem? Should I think about
>trying to re-install explorer.exe? Thanks!!
>
>
>
>
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