Explorer.exe at 400MB

**TheDude01** · 23-04-2009

After some period of use my WinXP becomes quite dull - have also Win98 on 286 with 4MB of RAM - and finally unlock the full for as Start Menu, while the current programs could be by running.

Once it becomes dull, I press Ctrl-Alt-Del to see what is wrong and look at "Performance", that the memory allocated stands and fluctuates between 530,000 and 650.000kB, representing more than my 512MB of RAM. In "Processes" I can see that Explorer.exe is totally wild and vary large in size - up to over 400MB. It always ends up with the machine locks so hard that I must turn off the power supply.

Someone who has experienced the same?

**Calvin K** · 23-04-2009

It sounds as if you have had either virus or never have run a Ad-Aware scan. If not, then it is probably just a crazy windows error which is manageable by a format of C: But try to run a little Ad-Aware and Virus Scan. Eg. Defragment etc.

**TheDude01** · 23-04-2009

Have tried all 3 things - and have updated Windows as much as I can. Nothing has solved this problem.

**Lillebror** · 23-04-2009

It sounds like some memory leak in explorer. The only advice I have is just that you can close the explorer process and start a new one whenever this happens.

**SalVatore** · 23-04-2009

explorer.exe is not a process just to close.
The browser is called iexplorer.exe.

Sorry that I can not help.

**TheDude01** · 23-04-2009

Yes, you can easily close the explorer.exe! It's no problem! After having closed process start simply with a new name. Things are now fixed, explorer.exe..!