explorer.exe problems

Well I'm having some problems with my explorer.exe
Only things I can run are Avast, MSN and Google Chrome if I try to run anything else PC instant freezes.
So what is the best way to fix this problem? I tried to download some explorer fixing tools but since I can't open anything it's useless.
Thank you for your assistance

It depends on what is causing explorer.exe to crash, when you say it freezes, does it do it for long, or does it cause a system restart etc,

Have you installed any new software recently that maybe causing it to crash.

It freezes forever...and no I haven't installed any new software so I have no idea why is this happening

Try running full virus, malware and registry scans if you haven't already. If it still persists then it could be corrupt system file, try opening command prompt (hold down the Windows Key and press R then type cmd.exe in the dialogue box and hit enter - if you're using Windows 7 or Vista, click Start and enter cmd.exe in the search box, right click cmd.exe and choose "Run as Administrator"), in the cmd window enter:

sfc /scannow

That will scan for any corrupt system files and restore them from a backup. If that fails as well, how long has this issue been going on for? If it has only a few days try doing a System Restore back to a day or two before this started.

Well I did clean reinstall of windows and same problem started to happen again -_- I guess my processor died QQ

If the CPU died, it would be causing the system to crash, not freeze.

What operating system are you running?

Windows XP, I think CPU got a bit fried on some place so it can't run properly anymore

It wouldn't be your CPU, that's for sure.

It could be a temperature issue, or faulty RAM, or a bad HDD (though, typically a Windows reinstall fails with a HDD as bad as you might have)

I'm leaning more towards bad RAM/motherboard or temperatures.

Check your temps using Everest or SpeedFan.

Started to happen again? As in instantly the programs refused to work, or they worked for a while and then stopped working again?

it was instantly, well it might be temperature problem but its more likely that its some CPU issue

Might be worth opening up your case and cleaning any dust off to eliminate any possible overheating problems. To find out if there is a problem with your memory you can download a program called MemTest86+ from here, burn that on to a CD and boot to that disk the next time you restart your computer and it will sit and run a few tests.

Processors are the least likely component to be damaged in a system that is used in a normal manner. And quite frankly, when a CPU goes... it goes.

if you have more than one hard drive it could be one of the others is faulty, or maybe a card reader, usb memory stick etc

when you say explorer.exe isnt working, does your desktop show? it uses explorer.exe so if you can see your desktop and start menu etc then the file itself is probably ok

since you could reinstall windows its unlikely its your OS drive or your DVD drive, but Ive had similar problems trying to recover data from a bad hard drive

if you're comfortable opening your case, try unplugging any extra drives (hard drives, cd/dvd drives, card readers) also any 'external' USB cables, like ones for your case, Ive also had similar problems when the contacts on one of the usb sockets was broken

I cannot think of any other hardware related issue that would stop specific programs from working

maybe try running in safe mode (hit F8 on startup) just to see if you can open explorer, if that works it could be a driver issue

other than that, it could always be a virus

I've had this time and time and time and time and time and ... well time and time again.

When dealing with Windows (I'm not at all being a Linux/Ubuntu or Mac OS X fan boy here) just backup your important shiz and CLEAN REINSTALL, it is the only way to fix problems like this. Windows gets busted beyond repair so bad, it's not worth the time and effort to fix.

Also like Sojar said, when a component like a CPU dies, it stops working entirely and you have no system boot at all.

Also check your system for dust-caking (causing overheating) as this really doesn't do too well for the health of your CPU anyways...

It turned out to be a graphic card failure -_- oh well gonna buy new pc not worth gettin new graphic card for this one

Out of curiosity, how did you confirm this? I'd be interested in knowing what sort of graphic card problem only lets you run certain programs. Presumably, some of the other programs that failed weren't graphic intensive, like the built-in calculator?

Brought my pc to pc service and they just said it's some graphic card issue that might be caused by overheating. And only runnable programs were my internet browser and MSN

I'm going to go with Fr on this one, as a graphics card will mostly only output your display if it overheats it's your screen that will screw up not your applications. Unless the drivers have a memory leak (highly unlikely) it's probably not a graphics issue and defiantly not one that is being caused by the card overheating. I would guess it's most likely to be something wrong with your RAM.

I have a hunch that the "PC repair man guy" just pulled the graphics card issue out of his butt to get you pay them more money. Like others have said the only thing a faulty graphics card should stop you from running are graphics intensive applications.

If your CPU had died or been "burned" you wouldn't be able to use the computer at all.

What exact tools did you download? From my experience so called explorer plugins/tools only cause more problems.

Just be careful in the registry... It's the one stop place to screw up your entire system.

At this point I would probably say its a hardware related issue. Are any odd sounds coming from your hard drive? And speaking of hardware... what are your PCs specs?