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Explorer.exe crashing when remoting in the computer RRS feed

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    Hello -


    So I recently remoted into my WHS (HP 475), and the strangest thing is happening.

    Whenever I try to open a Windows Explorer window, all of the icons on my desktop disappear for a second or two, then re-appear. If I watch task manager, the "explorer.exe" process goes away, then comes back. Windows Explorer never opens.

    I can still get into Control Panel, etc, but I can't open Windows Explorer, or start any other application, etc.

    Any ideas?

    Also, I have a Mac on my network that I would like to wake up over WOL. Any suggestions on how to do this with WHS? There is a WOL add-in, but it only takes care of Windows clients.
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:07 PM

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    edgewoodroad said:

    I cannot find any Dr. Watson logs.


    On my machine at home I found one in the folder
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs.
    But if you have none ...

    Still - have you installed any 3rd party software (or maybe faulty drivers)?
    Maybe try to run msconfig and disable all autostart programs.
    On services tab mark the check box Hide Microsoft services and disable the rest.
    Reboot.

    Does the issue still happen?
    If not, can you reenable the disabled stuff step by step (maybe first all services) and reboot again to narrow down the causing application.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Friday, September 26, 2008 6:47 PM
    Moderator

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    edgewoodroad said:

    Hello -


    So I recently remoted into my WHS (HP 475), and the strangest thing is happening.

    Whenever I try to open a Windows Explorer window, all of the icons on my desktop disappear for a second or two, then re-appear. If I watch task manager, the "explorer.exe" process goes away, then comes back. Windows Explorer never opens.

    I can still get into Control Panel, etc, but I can't open Windows Explorer, or start any other application, etc.

    Any ideas?

    Also, I have a Mac on my network that I would like to wake up over WOL. Any suggestions on how to do this with WHS? There is a WOL add-in, but it only takes care of Windows clients.


    Which operating system are you using to remote into your Windows Home Server and are you using remote desktop to remote in or are you opening the folders by double clicking on the icon on the desktop?

    Have you checked for a dump file in %windir% (C:\Windows) and/or have you checked in the event log to see what the problem might be?

    If you are running Vista, you can check in Problems Reports and Solutions and see if there is a report for this. It might have the process listed/module listed. If this is XP, check the event logs.

    This might be a NIC driver, AV software, a codec or storage driver. it's difficult to say without more information.

    Thank you
    Lara Jones [MSFT] Windows Home Server Team
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:22 PM
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    Hello,
    you can try to get the task manager in the Remotedesktop session with Ctrl+Alt+End.
    This should allow you to start the one or other application, like cmd.exe or event viewer.
    Any error messages in the event log?

    Did you install any software on the WHS, which adds context menu entries to the Explorer? Somethimes, if those things are faulty, Windows Explorer may crash.

    You may also check following site, which has a compilation of various KB article links describing issues with Windows Explorer.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:25 PM
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    edgewoodroad said:

    Also, I have a Mac on my network that I would like to wake up over WOL. Any suggestions on how to do this with WHS? There is a WOL add-in, but it only takes care of Windows clients.


     Just so I can give you the most appropriate info, could you elaborate on your Mac setup? Is it running X.4, X.5? Are you running Windows on it via Virtual PC, Parallels or not at all?
    Any info you could give would help. Also, since there is no connector software for OSX at the moment are you trying to set your Windows Home Server as a Time Machine backup destination?

    Thanks much in advance!

    -Jessep Bangham- Windows Home Server Team
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:31 PM
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    I'm using Vista. I think I've tried this from XP as well, same results. I am using the official remote desktop software from MicroSoft. To be clear, I am taking the machine over, remotely.

    I have not checked for a dump file...not sure exactly how to do this when I can't open Windows Explorer (which is how I would normally do it).

    I'll check the event logs.
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:54 PM
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    I have started the taskmanager, which is how I can see explorer.exe crashing.

    The only thing I've installed are some add-ins, but I was having this problem prior to installing any of them.

    I have actually had this issue for a few months...before PP1, before any addins. I'm just posting now because I'd like to figure it out.
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:56 PM
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    It's running Tiger...10.4? It's a PPC, so no VM stuff, really. I think I had Q installed at one time.

    It is running some crazy stuff, though. Bitnami RubyStack, Vine VNC, SharePoints (the Mac shared drive thing), etc. I think I might still have some proxy/tor/whatever on there still. I also use it as the gateway into my house, via SSH.

    The reason I would like to WOL my mac is because I use it for development, but I don't need it on all the time. My WHS is on 24/7. I'd like to hit that, and then wake the Mac up if I want to do some off site development I need the Mac for, or to SSH into the house...without having to leave it on all the time.
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:00 PM
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    edgewoodroad said:

    I'm using Vista. I think I've tried this from XP as well, same results. I am using the official remote desktop software from MicroSoft. To be clear, I am taking the machine over, remotely.

    I have not checked for a dump file...not sure exactly how to do this when I can't open Windows Explorer (which is how I would normally do it).

    I'll check the event logs.



    I was unclear if it was your client that you were using to RDP into the machine in which explorer was crashing or if explorer was crashing in the RDP session on your Windows Home Server machine.

    If you wish to locate a dump file on the Windows Home Server machine without using explorer, please use the cmd line.


    type run>cmd> cd c:\windows hit <enter>
    type "dir *.DMP"

    if it comes back as file not found, there is no dump file.

    if it finds the file, copy the file using the following command:

    copy MEMORY.DMP \\<servername>\Public\

    Where memory.DMP is the name of the dump file and \\<servername\Public\ is the name of your public shares folder. This will allow you to access the dump file on your client via the shared folders icon on the desktop.

    Once you have the dump file, let me know.

    Thank you




    Lara Jones [MSFT] Windows Home Server Team
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:15 PM
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    I use RDP to take control over WHS. I try to run Windows Explorer on that remote connection, and it crashes on the WHS.

    I'll check for the dump file when I get home.

    Thanks.

    Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:31 PM
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    edgewoodroad said:

    It's running Tiger...10.4? It's a PPC, so no VM stuff, really. I think I had Q installed at one time.

    It is running some crazy stuff, though. Bitnami RubyStack, Vine VNC, SharePoints (the Mac shared drive thing), etc. I think I might still have some proxy/tor/whatever on there still. I also use it as the gateway into my house, via SSH.

    The reason I would like to WOL my mac is because I use it for development, but I don't need it on all the time. My WHS is on 24/7. I'd like to hit that, and then wake the Mac up if I want to do some off site development I need the Mac for, or to SSH into the house...without having to leave it on all the time.



    Well for OSX in general to enable WOL you shouldn't need to do more than select "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access" under System Preferences-->Energy Saver-->Options (Tab). If this doesn't do the trick for you please email whsbeta@microsoft.com and reference my name in the title and I will respond directly to work with you further in a quasi off-line capacity.

    Thanks!
    -Jessep Bangham- Windows Home Server Team
    Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:41 PM
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    edgewoodroad said:

    I use RDP to take control over WHS. I try to run Windows Explorer on that remote connection, and it crashes on the WHS.

    I'll check for the dump file when I get home.

    Thanks.



    Check also the event log.
    In task manager, on the Applications tab, click New task and enter eventvwr.
    Check, which errors you can find which may be related to the crashes.

    I am not sure, that there will be a dump file, since only explorer crashed, but not Windows itself, as far as I understood.
    Maybe there are any drwatson logfiles?
    Open cmd prompt on the WHS by entering cmd on above New task dialog and try following command:
    cd \
    dir drwtsn32.log /s /a
    If you find an appropriate file (with a date near the current) you may check it's contents with notepad.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Friday, September 26, 2008 6:25 AM
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    I have the dump file. [See edit below]

    Also, I checked the event logs on the server, and the only thing that pops up when I try to start a Windows Explorer session is in the "Application" event log.

    It's a "Information" type, and basically says "the shell has stopped working, and has been restarted.

    [EDIT] The log file is from a few months ago, though.
    Friday, September 26, 2008 1:21 PM
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    I cannot find any Dr. Watson logs.
    Friday, September 26, 2008 1:23 PM
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    Jessep -

    I have my Mac setup for WOL, and it works inside my network...but I wanted to be able to do this from outside my network. I could never get any of the "WOL from the internet" webpages/applications to work reliably, so I was hoping to do this from my WHS, which is already on 24/7.

    I figured out how to do this, though.

    What I did was install the "ASoft AutoExit" program, which allows any of the machines listed in WHS to use WOL...but in order to get a machine into WHS, it needs to have the WHS client installed...so the Mac never showed up.

    What I did was took a machine (was XP)  that is no longer on my network, and had my router assign the Mac the IP of the unused machine. Then I changed the MAC address in AutoExit to match the Mac, not the old XP machine.

    Now I can use AutoExit to wake the Mac. It thinks it's waking up a Windows machine, but it's not!
    Friday, September 26, 2008 3:57 PM
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    edgewoodroad said:

    I have the dump file. [See edit below]

    Also, I checked the event logs on the server, and the only thing that pops up when I try to start a Windows Explorer session is in the "Application" event log.

    It's a "Information" type, and basically says "the shell has stopped working, and has been restarted.

    [EDIT] The log file is from a few months ago, though.



    Within that log is there a bucket ID? It might be best at this point to submit a bug on Connect so I can view the event logs.

    I'll need server CABs and there is information regarding how to submit those here.

    Thanks
    Lara Jones [MSFT] Windows Home Server Team
    Friday, September 26, 2008 5:01 PM
    Moderator
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    edgewoodroad said:

    I cannot find any Dr. Watson logs.


    On my machine at home I found one in the folder
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs.
    But if you have none ...

    Still - have you installed any 3rd party software (or maybe faulty drivers)?
    Maybe try to run msconfig and disable all autostart programs.
    On services tab mark the check box Hide Microsoft services and disable the rest.
    Reboot.

    Does the issue still happen?
    If not, can you reenable the disabled stuff step by step (maybe first all services) and reboot again to narrow down the causing application.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Friday, September 26, 2008 6:47 PM
    Moderator