Explorer.exe problem

[GoSu_KaOs]

After installed hl2, I started getting this error. If I rightclick on anything exept a folder, I get this message: http://www.geocities.com/imdrebitch/err.JPG

I already trye dsystem restore but I still get the error.

How can I fix this? (Wit out formatting)

[iago]

When does it happen?  Randomly, or when you do something?

It's looking like Windows ate itself and you need a format.

[GoSu_KaOs]

When I Right click on any file exept a folder, when I use the CTRL+C, CTRL+X...

[hismajesty]

Try uninstalling HL2.

[GoSu_KaOs]

I did. And I did a system restore to a week before. Still shows this.

[Falcon[anti-yL]]

I think reformatting would be your only cure.

[Stealth]

Also potentially spyware- or adware-related. Run some scans in that direction if you're able, otherwise, a Repair Installation of XP is your next best bet.

Boot the computer from the XP CD, then press [ENTER] on the first screen given to you, accept the EULA, and choose R to "REPAIR" the existing XP installation. Do not press R on the first screen to enter the Recovery Console, they're different things. XP will recopy its system files and you should be all hunky-dory.

[GoSu_KaOs]

If I do that, all my files will stil be there right?

[Meh]

Repair will just recopy the main windows files. All you other files will be there. Always back up just incase.

[tA-Kane]

I saw explorer.exe and I immediately thought of work. At work, we have a trojan going around that does weird shit with explorer.exe.

Are you using Windows 98 or newer?

[GoSu_KaOs]

Im on WinXp Media Center

[tA-Kane]

Ahh. The computers at work are all 98SE boxes... :\

We use a program called "stinger" to get rid of the trojan, I don't remember the name of the trojan at the moment... some sort of IRC one. You could google it.

[Stealth]

Stinger is neat.

[WoOdTroll]

Why wouldn't you want to reformate? I love to make my computer able to be at speed again when it's full of useless crap. I've had this happen to me two times. So I just used netscape. But my cure was reformatting. I don't want to even bother removing shit. Takes me twenty-minutes anyways.

[tA-Kane]

Reformatting might be an option for you, but it takes forever to reinstall everything you have, from the operating system itself, to games (I have about 70GB of games), to utilities (about 8GB there), to disc images (swapping CDs is pure hate for me), to patches (operating system patches, game patches, utility patches...).

Not only that, if you're in the technical end of things, you'd know that reformatting is a last resort, and not a fix-all. What if the drive wasn't the problem? What if it's actually a hardware fault, conflict, or incompatibility that's causing the trouble, and reformatting simply created a bare-bones operating system with the exact same symptoms?

No, reformatting is not a good idea in most cases.