Explorer.exe performance degrading and eventually crashing

Question

A few days back (March 19), I decided to install Windows updates for the first time in a few weeks months, since I finally had some downtime from work. Ever since rebooting after installing said updates, the performance of explorer.exe has been degrading until it eventually crashes. Nothing remotely similar to this had been happening before that.

It seems to be related to the taskbar and having an application with several windows combined under one taskbar icon, as switching between for instance file manager windows and Skype windows will after some time hammer one CPU core for 100% load until it takes too long and explorer.exe crashes.

I have seen two different crash messages in the event viewer, namely these:

explorer.exe 

6.3.9600.17667 

2538 

01d06709afa4301e 

114 

C:\Windows\explorer.exe 

b3eff39d-d325-11e4-8272-74d02b25f067 

Binary data:

In Words

0000: 006E0055 006E006B 0077006F 0000006E 

0010: 0000 

In Bytes

0000: 55 00 6E 00 6B 00 6E 00 U.n.k.n.

0008: 6F 00 77 00 6E 00 00 00 o.w.n...

0010: 00 00 ..

explorer.exe 

6.3.9600.17667 

1978 

01d067098cdffbba 

0 

C:\Windows\explorer.exe 

ed2bb15e-d2fc-11e4-8272-74d02b25f067 

Binary data:

In Words

0000: 00720043 0073006F 002D0073 00680074

0010: 00650072 00640061 00440000 00610065

0020: 006C0064 0063006F 0000006B 0000

In Bytes

0000: 43 00 72 00 6F 00 73 00 C.r.o.s.

0008: 73 00 2D 00 74 00 68 00 s.-.t.h.

0010: 72 00 65 00 61 00 64 00 r.e.a.d.

0018: 00 00 44 00 65 00 61 00 ..D.e.a.

0020: 64 00 6C 00 6F 00 63 00 d.l.o.c.

0028: 6B 00 00 00 00 00 k.....

Please be advised that I have already taken the standard troubleshooting steps, starting in safe mode and checking the services and such. A search told me that there had been a problem similar to this some time in June 2014, but there had been no resolution to said issue.

I would provide you with a full list (including links) of the updates installed, but for some unfathomable reason the "Support link" label in Programs and Features -> Installed Updates is not clickable. Pure genius move, there. :)

I know this is a wide range of updates, but what updates have been made to explorer.exe since January 14 2015? Does someone have a sort of index available, as sitting around and typing in the link for every single update on my end would be quite the endeavor, one I'm not quite willing to undertake unless there is no other choice.

Answer 1

Hello, sorry for the late reply!

I've tracked the explorer.exe crash down to this particular Windows update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3033889

Seeing the "Known Issues" list, it makes perfect sense, as my system locale is set to Japanese. I will install the hotfix available from here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3048778 and hopefully that will fix it.

Answer 2

Hi Bjorn,

As you have mentioned in the last post that you will run the hotfix available here :

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3048778.

Did you run that, What was the result?

Let us know the status of the issue. If you need further assistance, please post back. We will be glad to help you.

Thank you

Answer 3

Hi Bjorn,

Thank you for providing detailed information about this issue. I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I will certainly help you with the issue.

This issue may occur either if Windows update has not been configured properly or due to some third-party application conflict.

I appreciate you for providing the event viewer logs, however this does not consists any relevant information. I would like you to provide the logs again so we can understand the issue better.

To provide event logs, please follow the steps mention below.

1. Press Windows + C
2. In search window, type control panel.
3. Then click on system & security.
4. Click administrative tools and then click on event viewer.
5. Click on Windows logs > Application

Please provide with the information of Explorer.exe error code and Event ID

Important: If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Note: Event logs are special files that record significant events on your computer, such as when a user logs on to the computer or when a program encounters an error. Whenever these types of events occur, Windows records the event in an event log that you can read by using Event Viewer.

I would like to know;

1. Does the issue appears while performing any specific task or it freezes randomly?
2. Which Windows updates were installed?

Check update history

a. Swipe from right edge of the screen and tap Search.

b. Enter Control Panel in the search box, and then tap Control Panel.

c. Now, in the Control Panel search box, type Windows Update.

d. Now, you can choose View Update history.

Windows Update: Frequently Asked Questions

Since issue appeared after installing updates, you may check running Windows Update troubleshooter and check uninstalling the updates that were installed just before this issue. 

Method 1: Run Windows update troubleshooter

I would suggest you to run the Windows update troubleshooter and check if it fixes the issue. Refer to the link to do so:

Description of the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Refer to the section “Windows 8 or Windows 7”

Note: After you run the troubleshooter, make sure that you restart the computer by using hard reset using the power button and not using the shutdown option under power icon on the charms bar.

If the issue persist, follow method 2.

Method 2: Perform Clean boot

Placing your system in Clean Boot state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. You need to follow the steps from the article mentioned below to perform a Clean Boot.

How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Note: Refer "How to reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshooting" to reset the computer to start as normal after troubleshooting.

Also refer: Windows 8.1, Windows 8 or Windows 7 hangs or freezes

Please check for Troubleshooting a Random hangs section

Ignore the steps to restore reset or refresh as of now.

Note*: This method 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, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:*

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Note: Any data files that are infected may only be cleaned by deleting the file entirely, which means there is a potential for data loss.

Note: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you have to temporarily disable it to install other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

Hope this information is helpful. If the issue still persists, please post back for further assistance, we'll be glad to assist you.

Thank you