Windows Explorer Crashes

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I have recently moved from AVG to Avast however I have found since doing so that Windows Explorer will freeze and stop responding if I right click a file. Everything is ok if I left click it first and then wait a second before I right click it.

If I disable Avast there is no problem so it is definitely Avast that is causing the issue.

I have done some research and come across that the problem may be to do with a bad context menu handler. Before I am forced to either do what this site here says: http://www.techsupportforum.com/microsoft-support/windows-vista-windows-7-support/274471-right-click-file-windows-explorer-freezes.html or uninstall and go back to AVG I thought I would ask for someone’s help here first - any suggestions?

2

You are probably having a problem because of the remains left behind from the AVG uninstall.
When most av programs are uninstalled using the normal method, not everything is removed and these remaining parts will cause problems for any other av program that will be installed next.

Have you used the the proper cleaning tool for an AVG uninstall?

3

Well it looks like I have to go back to AVG for stability…

I uninstalled Avast
Tried right click in Explorer - now working again without crashing
Rebooted into Safe Mode
Ran Avast uninstall tool aswclear
Ran AVG uninstall tool avgremover
Rebooted
Tried right click in Explorer and still working ok without crashing
Installed Avast
Tried right click in Explorer and Explorer crashed!!!

4

What other security applications are installed, particularly the firewall?
I guess you rebooted since installing Avast? (Try doing that again.)

Oh, and the OS please.

5

I am using Vista Ultimate with SP2 (all updates)
No other anti virus
Windows Firewall
Live Messenger
Firefox
Office 2007

6

Dang.
It might be worthwhile trying out that shellextview.
Lots of folk use Avast without this problem, and without seeing the computer it’s pretty hard for an intermediate user like me to guess at the cause, but I do think that uninstalling Avast and going back to AVG is working around the problem rather than fixing it. (Ie: it might randomly recur.) Worth getting to the bottom of it, if possible.
Have you installed then uninstalled a lot of programs?
Running an admin account?
How many user accounts on the computer?

7

Thanks all

Using Shellextview I found the culprit - an image resizer tool that I was using some how or other was conflicting with Avast.

The end result is I can only have one of them - may have to look for a different image resizer tool that doesn’t conflict with Avast

8

I’ve had this issue twice in Seven, system crashing after a right click, either on the desktop or file/folder, explorer could restart easily but a right click made it crash again. First time I had to reinstall, second time it disappeared after a reboot, never knew for sure what made it happen…(may be Eraser…context menu).

edit: I now remember exactly, it was indeed eraser. Just uninstalling it wouldn’t be enough to stop the crashing the first time it happened. It did the second time.

9

Man, computers can be individual and cantankerous beasts.
I use Eraser (5.82) without any issues at all.

For others info, and maybe Alwils’ investigation, ibaker, what was the tool concerned (name, version, URL, if you have it.)