Explorer.exe and Task Manager Won't Run

[Michael Godoy]

Greetings, everyone!

 

So, I've got here a Sony Vaio laptop from a client with a rather peculiar issue that I haven't seen before. I've seen similar, but never this in particular. I did a wide search about this problem but found really very few info on it and the few I did, was rather useless, to say the least. I found a thread with a similar issue here on the forums, but after reading through it, I had no choice but also rule it out as not useful for the case I have in my hands, so I hope maybe I can obtain some help to this particular case. Okay, so here's what's happening...

 

Last week I formatted this laptop and installed a fresh copy of Windows 10 Pro x64 due to an unfixable BSoD. Installed Windows, configured it, installed some programs, etc. and delivered it working like new back to my client. He even tested it with me and approved everything was fine. A few days later I got a call from this client, telling me that the laptop now only displayed a black screen when turned on. After some questions over the phone to better understand what's happening (and if it could be fixed by himself with instructions from me), he told me that it boots into Windows, seems to load the user account normally but then it shows a blank black screen and never anything else other than the mouse cursor (which only shows if the mouse is moved). I asked when the issue started and he said that it worked fine for a while after he picked it up and started doing it only a couple days later or so, but for seemingly no apparent reason, so I decided it was best to check it in person so I asked him to bring it back.

 

With the laptop back in my hands, I found that what is happening is that though it does load the user account, it won't load Explorer.exe, at all. And that is where the problem really lies... At first, this shouldn't be much of an issue, since normally, all I'd have to do is press Ctrl+Alt+Del and call forth Task Manager to manually start Explorer.exe from File>Run and then look around Windows if something might be in need of attention so the issue wouldn't happen again. The computer responds perfectly fine to Ctrl+Alt+Del, logout, shutdown and everything else, except to Task Manager. Click on Task Manager to open it only closes the Ctrl+Alt+Del screen (as it should) but does not start Task Manager, so I can't manually run Explorer. I've tried Safe Mode but the exact same thing happens there (I also tried a different user account, but to no avail). I tried low resolution mode and that actually worked on the first try, so I thought it could be some problem with the graphics driver or something of the sort. It loaded the user and Desktop and everything else seemingly normally (albeit with a Java error, which I probably shouldn't have dismissed) so I took that chance to do a little check around for anything that could be off but everything seemed to be normal with settings and such. After a reboot, the same issue happened again, even when trying the low resolution mode again, so definitely not a graphics driver issue.

 

Another thing I tried was to start Task Manager from the command prompt, so for that I started Safe Mode with Command Prompt and things got a little weirder, there. Run Task Manager from CMD in Safe Mode works, it opens and is fully functional, but it closes by itself if I use File>Run to start Explorer. Start Explorer straight from CMD doesn't work, however. Literally nothing happens. Start programs such as Notepad and MSPaint work, though, and they run fine (I did those just to test). So at this point I thought that maybe there could be some problem with some service in services.msc so I tried to start that to check, but either from Task Manager or CMD itself, command Windows to start services.msc causes Task Manager and the command prompt to close by themselves. To open the prompt again, I then have to reboot back into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. I've tried sfc /scannow (even doing it from the install media) to scan for damaged system files, but that was hopeless. It always says that no damaged files have been found. CHKDSK also never did anything (not that this command was actually needed, but who knows). No System Restore Point is available, attempt to uninstall any recent updates also doesn't sort any effect (it actually gives out an error saying that the action could not be performed) and the laptop is definitely not set to project the main screen to an external one. I booted into Linux using a live media to check if Explorer.exe is even there as it should but it is. It certainly would spill an error if it wasn't, anyway. Which it doesn't. I've tried some more things, but their relevance isn't really important enough to add here, given that this post is already long enough as it is. Heh.

 

Honestly, I am quite frustrated that nothing seem to work. I really don't want to format it again but at this point, I don't really see another way out. And for that reason I am here asking for help. All the threads and articles I found so far on the internet on anything even remotely similar to what is happening with this laptop pretty much rely on Explorer.exe actually running if started from Task Manager (which also doesn't work from Ctrl+Alt+Del, as I have already stated). So if someone may know something about this that I don't or have any ideas that I haven't thought of/tried, something that can spare me the bother of formatting and setting it up all over again (without getting paid for that, this time, that's what's worse), I'll honestly be very grateful.

[RageTester]

It might be corrupted registry to blame...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell

 

I have not made it work myself, but people have replaced win explorer with 3rd party software...

I am using Q-Dir, but it's not gonna look pretty without explorer running.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc is fastest way to start Task Manager 

[Hydrag]

Did you check the Registry if the Winlogon is still set to Explorer.exe and did you try to install like a USB Virus scanner, yet. I remember when I once had a nasty trojan that would kill the Task Manager instantly and prevent me from getting the explorer.exe, I had this antivirus software whos name I just forgot. Was it superantispyware or so. If I remember correctly it always downloaded with a different name so the trojan wouldn't notice it directly by name. When I ran it and cleaned everything I could open my taskmanager again but the winlogon was still not set to explorer.exe.

 

I'm really no expert on that but I could imagine that for example some malware like that tried to hijack the system but the virus scan detected it and blocked some of it's applications leaving things behind like the task manager blocking (which was common for the UCash trojan) and the registry entry.

 

Also might be something completely different, this was just the first thing that came into my mind as I had a similar case many years ago.

 

Edit: Sorry, RageTester was faster ^^

[Michael Godoy]

14 minutes ago, RageTester said:

It might be corrupted registry to blame...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell

 

I have not made it work myself, but people have replaced win explorer with 3rd party software...

I am using Q-Dir, but it's not gonna look pretty without explorer running.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc is fastest way to start Task Manager 

I've checked that registry entry (thankfully regedit runs from the command prompt) and it seems normal, as it should. What you said is giving me the idea of "transplanting" explorer.exe itself from a working Windows 10 to this. Though that might be a stupid idea. 

 

13 minutes ago, Hydrag said:

Did you check the Registry if the Winlogon is still set to Explorer.exe and did you try to install like a USB Virus scanner, yet. I remember when I once had a nasty trojan that would kill the Task Manager instantly and prevent me from getting the explorer.exe, I had this antivirus software whos name I just forgot. Was it superantispyware or so. If I remember correctly it always downloaded with a different name so the trojan wouldn't notice it directly by name. When I ran it and cleaned everything I could open my taskmanager again but the winlogon was still not set to explorer.exe.

 

I'm really no expert on that but I could imagine that for example some malware like that tried to hijack the system but the virus scan detected it and blocked some of it's applications leaving things behind like the task manager blocking (which was common for the UCash trojan) and the registry entry.

 

Also might be something completely different, this was just the first thing that came into my mind as I had a similar case many years ago.

 

Edit: Sorry, RageTester was faster ^^

I've checked the winlogon registry entry and that is normal. I've also tried a virus scan but that found no infections.

[RageTester]

Longshot: During startup go into advanced boot settings(F8 key maybe), try "last known good configuration"

 

Via installation media:

Startup repair not gonna help, cuz it does boot, but maybe try other options...

At this point reinstall does look like easiest solution though.

[Michael Godoy]

Unfortunately "Last known good configuration" is not available, either. I'm afraid you might be right, RageTester... I was hopeful that there might have been another solution so I wouldn't have to re-do all that work all over again, but after everything, turns out I'll have to.  

 

Oh well... it is what it is, I guess. Still, I greatly appreciate the effort, gentlemen. Thank you!

[cretsiah]

@Michael Godoy

So you have installed windows 10

 

what exact model vaio is it?

 

I wonder if the graphics chip  is the equivalent of either my Galaxy Geforce GT620 2GB or my Nvidea Geforce GT740 1GB.

 

Windows 10 has a hissy fit with these 2 graphics cards, constantly loses/ screws up the graphics card driver.

 

- The mouse is only visible if you move it

- The Welcome screen is only visible if you move the mouse

- as soon as you stop moving the mouse screen is black 

 

Windows 7 works fine, only Windows 10 has these hissy fits

[Michael Godoy]

@cretsiah It is a Sony Vaio SVT131A11L. Seem to use Intel Graphics rather than an NVidia integrated or dedicated chipset for the GPU.

 

- The mouse is not visible at first but does so if moved. It won't disappear if not moved, after it becomes visible.

- The Welcome screen is fully visible and functional as it is expected to be, regardless of mouse movement.

- The screen is "black" due to the absence of Explorer running. As such, the Desktop icons and wallpaper (besides the Start menu and Taskbar) doesn't load and therefore, only a black void is visible.