windows explorer crashes = lost systray icons

[DJFuji]

Platform: Windows XP Pro, SP1

I've seen this problem on a few other sites but no one really has a solution for it. Basically, every time windows explorer crashes or hangs, i shut it down using task manager and it also kills the taskbar. The taskbar reloads fine, but the systray doesn't reload all of my tray icons. TSR programs are still running, thorugh i can't access many of them because i can't click the icon. A microsoft engineer said in an interview that it has something to do with programs not "re-registering" themselves after explorer crashes and reloads.

Does anyone know of any kind of program that restores the systray or recovers more gracefully from windows explorer crashes? It's irritating to logoff and log back on every time explorer hangs...

 

[WayneTeK]

Originally posted by: DJ Fuji
Platform: Windows XP Pro, SP1

I've seen this problem on a few other sites but no one really has a solution for it. Basically, every time windows explorer crashes or hangs, i shut it down using task manager and it also kills the taskbar. The taskbar reloads fine, but the systray doesn't reload all of my tray icons. TSR programs are still running, thorugh i can't access many of them because i can't click the icon. A microsoft engineer said in an interview that it has something to do with programs not "re-registering" themselves after explorer crashes and reloads.

Does anyone know of any kind of program that restores the systray or recovers more gracefully from windows explorer crashes? It's irritating to logoff and log back on every time explorer hangs...

My advice: Time for Format!

 

[igowerf]

How often does this happen? Explorer rarely crashes for me and I usually restart whenever anything big like that crashes. Instead of trying to find a fix for this icon problem, maybe you should figure out what's making Explorer crash so much.

 

[boran]

well, I have the same problem, explorer crashes maybe once every 3 months, but I almost never reboot my sys and then even that once in 3 months is a major annoyance

the thing I found out is that you should find what executables or processes really contain those icons in yer taskbar (use msconfig or another tool to find that out) and put close and open commands for them in a batch file (or just re-execute them if they dont spawn dual) and execute that batchfile after crash.

 

[Sid59]

im afraid the MS dude is right. you're gonna have to either ..

1. reboot
or
2. close the programs and reopen them
or
3. live without them and look at the app from TASK MANAGER and start a NEW TASK and enter the path to the exe.

 

[Sid59]

im afraid the MS dude is right. you're gonna have to either ..

1. reboot
or
2. close the programs and reopen them
or
3. live without them and look at the app from TASK MANAGER and start a NEW TASK and enter the path to the exe.

 

[DJFuji]

Ahh...that's a good idea.

Is explorer different than windows explorer? I always thought windows explorer was like the replacement to 3.11's "file cabinet" and "explorer.exe" was a core OS program that essentially ran the GUI. However, using the "run" command and typing in "explorer.exe" brings up windows explorer. Perhaps they are one and the same?

The frequency of windows explorer crashing is very random. Sometimes it'll crash once every 4 months or so. Then it'll crash three times in one day. Usually it crashes due to very large files not being rendered correctly in thumbnail mode. Or sometimes it does it randomly when i'm browsing a folder containing HDD image files that are 10+ gigs each. It rarely crashes when not navigating to folders containing large files. Even so, it's still damn annoying to close everything out when it happens.

 

[Nothinman]

A microsoft engineer said in an interview that it has something to do with programs not "re-registering" themselves after explorer crashes and reloads.

He's right, it's the app not doing it's job properly.

I always thought windows explorer was like the replacement to 3.11's "file cabinet" and "explorer.exe" was a core OS program that essentially ran the GUI.

They are the same, explorer is the file manger and the shell that gives you the desktop.

 

[BFG10K]

Looging off and then logging back on should give you the icons back.

My advice: Time for Format!

Totally unnecessary.

 

[DJFuji]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
Looging off and then logging back on should give you the icons back.

Yeah, i know. But i hate doing that. It's such a pain in the ass. I usually have around 20 things open in my taskbar, not to mention TSR-type programs.

 

[Nothinman]

Then email each one's respective author and complain, because it's a bug in those apps.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Then email each one's respective author and complain, because it's a bug in those apps.

Exactly. MS provides an API for exactly this reason, the app developers should be using it (it's trivial to do). Two other clarifications. There are no such things as TSR's in XP, background processes yet, TSR's no. Also "was a core OS program that essentially ran the GUI", explorer is the shell (and it's replaceable by others) it is not the gui.

Bill

 

[DJFuji]

Originally posted by: bsobel

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Then email each one's respective author and complain, because it's a bug in those apps.

Exactly. MS provides an API for exactly this reason, the app developers should be using it (it's trivial to do). Two other clarifications. There are no such things as TSR's in XP, background processes yet, TSR's no. Also "was a core OS program that essentially ran the GUI", explorer is the shell (and it's replaceable by others) it is not the gui.

Bill

Jesus, and i thought i was a stickler for correct terms. =)

I just wish there was some shareware app that would re-register the icons.

I know TSR's don't exist in XP as they did in DOS. Hence the term "TSR-type." They emulate the same behavior as the old dos-based TSRs. You close them and they kind of appear to stop, but they stay in memory. (like a tray icon)

What's the difference between a shell and a GUI? When i hear "shell" i think of "Dos Shell", or that silly menu i used to use. Or i think of windows 3.11. Basically, an interface that connects the user to the core OS. Isn't that kind of what a GUI is?

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: DJ Fuji


I just wish there was some shareware app that would re-register the icons.

i made something that did that for win 98 only. it doesn't work under winxp and i didn't bother to port it over because explorer under winxp is so stable.

it shouldn't crash often, maybe some 3rd party program is causing it?

 

[bsobel]

Jesus, and i thought i was a stickler for correct terms. =)

What's the difference between a shell and a GUI? When i hear "shell" i think of "Dos Shell", or that silly menu i used to use. Or i think of windows 3.11.

Basically, an interface that connects the user to the core OS. Isn't that kind of what a GUI is?[/quote]

The shell is the initial user interface application which is launched once the user logs in. It's typically explorer but you can change it to pretty much any other application you would like. Of course, making notepad your shell limits how usefull the machine might be The GUI on the other hand is the graphic mode subsystem which enables the display of bitmaps, images, cursors, etc. You'll see the GUI start on XP towards the end of the loading process (when the display switches to hires before the logon screen).

You can run XP without the GUI, but thats usually only done with enbedded devices (like NAS or MRI machines where there is no local UI)

Bill