Task Bar Lock-up - Explorer un-responsive

OK, still cannot reproduce
Please try this:
1) Backup your toolbar folder
2) Close TLB
3) delete all tlbdata files from toolbar folder
4) open TLB

Note you lost your buttons order and related. But this can help. If the problem still exist you can return back all files from backup (close TLB before restoring).

To open toolbar folder right-click on empty space of toolbar and select Open menu item. Also be sure your explorer can show hidden files.

Yuri,

I did as you said. I noticed that I had tlbdata files throughout my Documents and Settings (I think I fouled up when I first tried to set up TLB). Also, I deleted some programs I no longer use or whose functions were replaced with TLB and its plugins.

Finally, I searched the web for others who might have this 100% CPU problem with Explorer. It appears, by the discussions in a lot of different user groups, this problem does occur and one user said Microsoft is aware of it, but won't fix it until SP2. In the meantime, I tried all of the suggerstions mentioned to work around it, including updating my video drivers.

So far, there have been some problems since Feb. 19, but not as frequent as before.

I saved part of the System Information report for the past 3 days with info about some of the problems I've had. Does any of this help?

System Information report written at: 02/28/03 01:50:28
System Name: XXXX
[Windows Error Reporting]

Time Type Details
2/26/2003 7:23 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module weathermon.dll, version 1.2.0.0, fault address 0x00004454.

2/26/2003 4:06 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module tlb.dll, version 2.2.0.1, fault address 0x00027902.

2/25/2003 7:52 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module shlwapi.dll, version 6.0.2800.1106, fault address 0x00003092.

2/24/2003 10:15 PM Application Error Faulting application jv16 powertools.exe, version 1.2.0.180, faulting module kernel32.dll, version 5.1.2600.1106, fault address 0x00013887.

2/23/2003 7:47 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module ntdll.dll, version 5.1.2600.1106, fault address 0x00006763.

2/23/2003 1:39 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module unknown, version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x0000001c.

2/23/2003 12:59 PM Application Error Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module weathermon.dll, version 1.2.0.0, fault address 0x00001fd3.

bbfi -

We had a problem and tried Programs>System Tools>System Information>Tools>System File Checker. It really worked well for us. Most people do not know of its existance. It simply checks files in Windows and prompts you to acknowledge update or ignore or get another copy etc.

HMSS Q Section

QSection,

Thanks for the tip. I remember this tool when I had Windows 98SE. However, Windows XP Home does not seem to have the System File Checker in Programs>System Tools>System Information>Tools. There are other tools there but none that do this process.

I think that I read somewhere that XP has code built in to prevent important system files from being changed or tampered with. It also has System Restore which has saved me from having to reinstall Windows a number of times.

The explorer part of my Windows 2000 system locks up when I try to uncheck (remove) a truelaunchbar from my set of toolbars. Happens every time. Thus, I can never remove a truelaunchbar from my toolbar display!

danmeek, have you tried it in safemode?

The explorer part of my Windows 2000 system locks up when I try to uncheck (remove) a truelaunchbar from my set of toolbars. Happens every time. Thus, I can never remove a truelaunchbar from my toolbar display!

What is version of True Launch Bar?

I was about to post my own problems to this topic, but someone above me suggested a solution that seems to have worked.

The problem I had was that while TLB was loaded, Explorer windows would not respond to ANYthing. I could open them but not move around, delete files, rename files, anything. It would just hang. I'd have to call up Task Manager and nuke Explorer then restart it.

The solution suggested was to disable "Use system icon cache" which appears to have solved this. Perhaps the coders on this proggie could take a closer look at that setting?

For the record, I'm using this:
Windows XP Pro SP1+
Celeron 700
512M SDRAM

And this has been the only problem (aside from buggy plugins) I've had with this great programme.

When my system hung, I was able to open the task manager. What I saw was that my page file usages was increadibly *high*, and the only way to kill the tool bar process was to kill explorer.exe and reload it.

Might be the tip about the "system cache" is the ticket. I don't know why it's there but so far, so good (with that turned off). On a regular XP system most are configured not to reserve memory for the system cache, but insead for applications. I honestly don't think this feature is good. Most systems are configured (optimized) to use the memory for applications, unless you are running some sort of server (quote me if i'm wrong).

I also received lockups. On rare occasion, I got an error message resembling (sorry, this is a guess) "Explorer.exe has caused a buffer overrun and must restart". Other times, it was a complete lockup and on one occasion my computer suddenly rebooted with no warning or blue screen.

I have since deleted both the weather and virtual desktop plugins from my toolbar and haven't had a crash since.

My gut feeling is that the weather plugin is fine, and the virtual desktop was causing the problems. I have no conclusive proof of this, however.

Cheers,
Al

My gut feeling is that the weather plugin is fine, and the virtual desktop was causing the problems. I have no conclusive proof of this, however.

You are right. Update Virtual Desktops up to version 0.2

are all users with these problem with registered version or the demo version?

I have downloaded and used Virtual Desktop 0.2

I receive the following error whenever I point at the Virtual Desktop icon:

"Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library, Buffer overrun detected. Program C:\Windows\Explorer.exe, etc, etc"

I have two active destops, and this error occurs whenever i point at only one of them. Desktop 1 contains Outlook and IE, desktop 2 contains nothing, desktop 3 contains Delphi and MSSQL, desktop 4 contains nothing.

I am running Windows XO Home Edition.

Another case not mentioned above. I am using TLB with a menu for shortcuts to my local HDDs, CDs, mydocs & mycomp.

When I go to right click on any of these icons I get a blank screen and comes back (I am presuming it is an explorer crash coz of the typical systemtray losing icons,etc)

This occurs everytime I try it so it should be easily duplicated.

FRANTiC

A few things I forgot to mention.

* Using two desktops through NVIDIA's drivers version 43.45
* Using Micrsoft Windows XP with SP1

I am using WeatherMon (latest version available - with the latest providers file for WUnderground)

Not running any other taskbar enhancement programs