Start Button / Screen not working, error "explorer.exe Class Not Registered"

Question

Hopefully someone will be able to help with this, as I can't find similar problems through the search feature...

I was using my PC on 28 Apr when it crashed.  On restart, the PC wouldn't load past the BIOS screen and only displayed a white _ in the top left corner.   After quite a few failed attempts, I eventually managed to do a system restore (using F8).   Ever since, I have been unable to use any Windows Apps, and the START Button doesn't work - nothing happens if I click (left or right).  If I change the settings to automatically boot to the start screen, the screen changes to a Desktop view, but without any icons / files.

I've attempted to do a system refresh (in a round-about way given I cant right click the start button!), but I get a popup with "explorer.exe Class Not Registered". 

I'd be grateful for any thoughts how how this might be resolved.

Answer 1

Hi Steven,

This issue could occur due to corrupt or missing system files on the computer.

I would suggest you to run SFC scan and check if it fixes the issue. Follow the methods listed below:

Method 1:

Refer to the link to run SFC scan:

Follow the steps from section "Windows 8.1 or Windows 8":

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833/en-us

Check if it fixes the issue. If not, proceed to the next method.

Method 2:

Let’s re-register ExplorerFrame.dll file and check if it resolves the issue. Follow the steps to do so:

• Press Windows+X keys and select Command Prompt (admin).
• Type the following command and hit Enter:

regsvr32 ExplorerFrame.dll

For further reference:

Refer to the link to re-register the PC settings:

Refer to the this command “powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRoot\ImmersiveControlPanel\AppxManifest.xml”

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/notime/archive/2013/10/21/10458031.aspx

Note: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, you can refer to the following steps to back the registry files on the computer:

• Press Windows+R keys to open the run box.
• Type ‘regedit’ and press Enter from the keyboard.
• Open the file option on the menu bar.
• Click on Export and save the file with a name on the desktop.
• If you want to restore the file, you can do so by double clicking the file that you have saved on the desktop.

Please let us know about the results.

Answer 2

Hi Steven,

Thank you for replying with an update and sharing the information about the faulty hard drive.

Please feel free to let us know if the issue occurs again.

Answer 3

Thanks for the suggestions, but unfortunately they didn't work.  I eventually managed to conduct a system refresh.  This worked for about 3 weeks before it crashed again.

After a bit more (ok, a lot more!) time, I found a number of errors which point towards this being an issue with my hard drive.  I've since replaced my HDD and hope that it will remain error free.