Windows 2022 Server File Explorer Issue

Question

hello,

Two Windows 2022 Servers, when clicking on File Explorer gets message as.exe server execution failed. Same for control and others. Task manager is opening. From there also same messages.

Answer 1

Hi Shibu Mammen,

I’m following up to check whether the issue has been resolved. Feel free to reply if you need further information. If the information provided was helpful, please click "Accept Answer" to help others in the community. Thank you!

Answer 2

Hi Shibu Mammen,

This error usually points to a corrupted system component or a stuck COM process in Windows Server 2022. Since Task Manager still opens, we can rule out a complete shell failure, but Explorer and Control Panel rely on the same underlying services.

Here are a few steps that often resolve the issue:

• Restart the Explorer.exe process from Task Manager and see if File Explorer launches normally afterward.
• Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair any corrupted system files.
• Clear the Explorer cache by deleting the contents of %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent and restarting the server.
• Check Event Viewer for application or system errors around the time of failure, which may point to a specific DLL or service.
• If the issue persists across reboots, create a new administrator profile to confirm whether it’s profile‑specific or system‑wide.
• As a last resort, performing an in‑place repair upgrade with the Windows Server 2022 ISO will rebuild the component store while preserving your data and roles.

I hope this helps. If you find this answer helpful, please consider clicking Accept Answer so others can benefit too.

Jason.

Answer 3

The symptoms match a known Windows Explorer issue where starting explorer.exe or Control Panel shows “Server Execution Failed” on certain Windows versions when Explorer is running in a separate process and a user folder is redirected to an unavailable network location.

On Windows Server systems, check for the following and remediate:

1. Verify folder redirection/network paths
   1. Confirm whether user folders (for example, Documents) are redirected to a network share.
   2. Ensure the redirected path is online and accessible from the affected servers (no offline or invalid UNC paths).
   3. If the path is unavailable, restore connectivity or temporarily remove/adjust the redirection policy so that Explorer is not trying to access an unreachable location.
2. Check “Launch folder windows in a separate process” This option can contribute to the failure when combined with an unavailable redirected folder.
   • In a working session (for example, using another admin account or a server where Explorer still works):
     1. Open File Explorer.
     2. Select Organize → Folder and search options → View tab.
     3. Under Files and Folders, clear Launch folder windows in a separate process.
   • Or via registry (per user):
     1. Open regedit.exe.
     2. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
     3. Set SeparateProcess to 0.
   Log off and back on, then test File Explorer and Control Panel again.
3. Apply the relevant Explorer hotfix/update (if applicable) The documented issue for Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2 is fixed by an updated Explorer.exe binary. For affected systems, ensure all current cumulative updates and any Explorer-related hotfixes are installed so that the Explorer version includes the fix.
4. If the issue persists
   • Confirm that the problem occurs only for specific user profiles (those with redirected folders) and not for local admin accounts without redirection.
   • If only redirected users are affected, focus on correcting or removing the broken redirection and reapplying group policies.

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References:

• Error message when you try to start Explorer.exe in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2: "Server Execution Failed"