HELP Windows Explorer stopped working !!!!

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Robert A. Macy - 30 Sep 2006 03:44 GMT

How do I get Windows Explorer to start working again?

This was all precipitated by the slave HD locking up the bus. Had to
remove it from the PC

But after removing the failed HD, rebooting can't get Windows Explorer
to run at all.

Windows Explorer does work in SAFE MODE, but not in NORMAL MODE.

After NORMAL reboot, I can open all kinds of applications, indluding
Internet Explorer to get on line to post my question.

BUT after NORMAL reboot, Windows Explorer just sits there, for a while
had to power off to regain control. Notepad opens fine, BUT don't ask
it to open anything not in My Documents, else
...you guessed it. nothing happens and almost have to power off to
regain control.

using ctrl-alt-del the only things running are
explorer
systray
osa

Need this fixed asap.

So what's happening here?

I know the rest of the disk and all files are intact, because, under
MSDOS I can slowly walk my way around the file structures finding
everything.

How to fix?

- Robert -

PS may not be able to reply to the thread [that's a different problem]

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Ben Myers - 30 Sep 2006 14:27 GMT

Remove the remaining drive and make sure it is jumpered for
"Master, slave not present". If it isn't, change it. If this doesn't
help, start the computer in Safe mode, go to "Control Panel",
"System", "Device Manager", expand "Disk drives" and remove
the driver or drivers for the disk you removed. If you're not
sure which disk driver to remove, just remove them all. Then
restart normally. You may be prompted for your Windows
98 CD.

Ben

> How do I get Windows Explorer to start working again?
>
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
>
> PS may not be able to reply to the thread [that's a different problem]

Reply to this Message

Robert A. Macy - 30 Sep 2006 17:17 GMT

> Remove the remaining drive and make sure it is jumpered for
> "Master, slave not present". If it isn't, change it. If this doesn't
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Ben

Are you sure?

Originally,
Master HD - jumpered as Master [jumper in first position]
Slave HD - jumpered as Slave [no jumpers at all]

Slave HD failed during active use of Windows, locked everything up.

Don't have any jumper position for 'Master with no Slave'

After failure upon reboot...
Symptom:
Bus cannot identify any HD drives on the bus if failed drive is left
attached.

Repair action:
Remove failed HD, and bus reads master HD correctly.

Starting in SAFE Mode:
Windows Explorer works fine.
Notepad can find its way around.

Normal reboot:
MSDOS works fine, file structure is intact. only C: drive exists.
Notepad works fine *if* do not ask it to look around using 'file'
Windows Explorer hangs up the system waiting for 'close box" or such

I found only one driver in the Device Manager for each bus:
Primary
Secondary

Not sure how to remove the one that relates to Primary Slave

- Robert -

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Ben Myers - 30 Sep 2006 18:18 GMT

Actually, I was talking about "Disk drives" in Device Manager, not
"Hard disk controllers". An alternative procedure is to go to
"Control Panel", "System", "Performance", "File System",
"Troubleshooting" and check "Disable all 32 bit protected-mode
disk drivers". This will force Windows to use disk drivers similar
to those used by DOS. Please note that this usually disables the
CD drive and may slow file system performance.

Ben

> > Remove the remaining drive and make sure it is jumpered for
> > "Master, slave not present". If it isn't, change it. If this doesn't
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
>
> - Robert -

Reply to this Message

Robert A. Macy - 30 Sep 2006 18:48 GMT

> Actually, I was talking about "Disk drives" in Device Manager, not
> "Hard disk controllers". An alternative procedure is to go to
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Ben

Thank you for the help.

One of the reluctancies I had with this procedure was the requirment to
use the CD to reinstall anything. Not sure the CD works right. always
get a "not ready" error.

Only way I reinstalled Win98 earlier this year was to move the CD over
to the primary bus as a slave, then transferred the CD contents, then
put back my slave HD, transferred the CD contents onto it, and used the
slave files as the source for any resintall. But the slave is what
died.

However, in NORMAL reboot, I first went to look at the device drivers.
Nothing looked unusual there. I refreshed everything there, one at a
time.

Then, as you suggested, I went to the device drivers in SAFE mode and
voila!
found two IDE drivers?! Couldn't tell which went to which.

Just in case, I needed to get back, I set up three new configurations:
No MASTER [which was first in list removed]
No Slave [which was second in list removed]
NO BOTH [which removed both drivers]

Oddly, I found that everything still seemed to work with both of the
IDE drivers removed. Reboot was ok, found my way around, and Windows
Explorer was snappy. Don't quite understand how that was possible.

Then I tried reboot with one of the drivers remaining [forgot which]
and tried that. That worked, brought up Windows Explorer [5 minutes
?!] and still had to 'refresh' the view to get a correct listing.
Windwos Explorer lost some of its 'snap'

Deleted all configurations but the one with one and now seem to be off
and running.

Not sure Notepad can find its way around yet, seems to hang. May be
Windows just takes time to sort out what, to it, seems like a totally
new file structure.

Will try waiting ten minutes to see.

- Robert -

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