Explorer won't start properly

[Duo8]

So recently I tried theming my Windows 8.1 install. It didn't went well.

Now I'm stuck without Windows Explorer. It starts when I log in but immediately closes. That repeats for a minute or so, causing black screen and a flashing taskbar with nothing on it. After that, it just stops. So I opened Task Manager and was able to start programs with it, exept whatever uses explorer. Tried System Restore but that didn't work.

However, it seems to be able to work half-properly once (that's when I used system restore). There's background and taskbar didn't flash, explorer programs would work. But everything else is missing, And if I try to start another process, it all over again.



So what's the problem here? Anyone with Windows theming experience can help me?

 

[The_Dragons_Mast]

Well I have no experience with Windows 8 but generally most programs will make a backup of explorer before messing with it so head out to C:\Windows and look for an explorer.bkp or something similar and rename it back to explorer.exe

Alternatively if you can't find a backup of it then try running a command promt from the task manager & running a sfc /scannow command from it.

If that too fail then the only thing left is to get a clean explorer.exe from someone else computer & use it.

 

[Duo8]

Well I have no experience with Windows 8 but generally most programs will make a backup of explorer before messing with it so head out to C:\Windows and look for an explorer.bkp or something similar and rename it back to explorer.exe

Alternatively if you can't find a backup of it then try running a command promt from the task manager & running a sfc /scannow command from it.

If that too fail then the only thing left is to get a clean explorer.exe from someone else computer & use it.

sfc /scannow told me it couldn't repair the files.

Also, what's the MD5 of explorer.exe? I don't think any app messed with the file.

 

[The_Dragons_Mast]

Sorry can't help with the checksum. I am currently on Windows 7 so the explorer.exe will be different.

Anyway if I remember correctly for Windows 7 you had to patch explorer.exe & a couple of other files to allow the themes to fully work, so I just assumed Windows 8 require the same thing. If you can put a link to the guide or theme you where trying to use I can take a look and see if it modify the explorer.exe or no.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Not sure if it helps or not, but here's a link to my explorer.exe. I'm also running Windows 8.1. I don't have that MD5 program anymore, so I can't check it.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/9usk020p72n88uc/explorer.exe

 

[Arras]

My 8.1 explorer seems to be 63DC38C3E4564B2405D562855643ABA2.

 

[Duo8]

My 8.1 explorer seems to be 63DC38C3E4564B2405D562855643ABA2.

Yep. It matched.

Sorry can't help with the checksum. I am currently on Windows 7 so the explorer.exe will be different.

Anyway if I remember correctly for Windows 7 you had to patch explorer.exe & a couple of other files to allow the themes to fully work, so I just assumed Windows 8 require the same thing. If you can put a link to the guide or theme you where trying to use I can take a look and see if it modify the explorer.exe or no.

First I install this: http://vishal-gupta.deviantart.com/art/AeroVG-Ei8ht-1ne-Theme-for-Windows-8-1-435855252
Nothing changed but the wallpaper though
Then this: http://glass8.berlios.de/download.html
v1.2 for Windows 8.1
Then this: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/170375-oldnewexplorer-make-your-81-explorer-work-like-win78-one/
And finally this: http://skinpacks.com/download/windows-8/7-skin-pack/#.Uws9oPl_sRo
That one screwed me up.
I've removed all of them.

 

[Damian666]

all of those are safe, except the skinpack xd

it should have created a backup though...

 

[The_Dragons_Mast]

Well seems like explorer.exe is clean. I checked the files you linked and most likely its some incompatibility between the 3rd & the 4th but I can't be sure as the last one modify too many files.

Anyway I too a quick look at the skinpacks faq & they seem to suggest using http://sta.sh/08kcqe5yqpc in case of something going wrong so maybe you should give it a try.