Hey, i have a dell studio 1735 laptop 2gb ram 2.00 ghz intel core 2 duo processor running vista 32 My problem is (and it has only started recently) that whenever i try to open up certain programs (the main culprits seem to be skype and itunes) i get a message saying "Windows explorer has stopped working" when my taskbar and desktop icons disappear. and is then quickly followed by "Windows explorer is restarting" and then everything goes back to normal except for the fact that my requested program is not running. i disabled system restore quite some time ago and therefore have no restore points. this has been driving me mad and has been going on for a few weeks but i havent taken action until now because i wouldnt usually use the programs mentioned. i have already tried turning user accounts control off which i have seen recommended on another thread but have had no such luck. any help would be greatly appreciated, Richard

Hi Richard, thanks for the post. This issue can be caused by several factors, I suggest you first try the following steps to troubleshoot the issue: Clean Boot ================ 1. Click Start, type "MSCONFIG" (without the quotations) in the Search Bar and Press "Enter" to start the System Configuration Utility. Note: Please click Continue if the "User Account Control" window pops up. 2. Click the "Services" tab, check the "Hide All Microsoft Services" box and click "Disable All" (if it is not gray). 3. Click the "Startup" tab, click "Disable All" and click "OK". 4. Restart the computer and test the issue. Note: Clean Boot is a troubleshooting step. If some programs have been disabled, we can re-enable them later. If you see the System Configuration Utility, check the box of "Don't show this message" and then click "OK". Please test this issue in the Clean Boot environment. If the issue disappears, we can use a 50/50 approach to quickly narrow down which entry is causing the issue. Also, I suggest you try a free online virus scan on the following site: http://safety.live.com Meanwhile, if you need more help with virus-related issues, please contact Microsoft Product Support Services. For support within the United States and Canada, call toll-free (866) PCSAFETY (727-2338). For support outside the United States and Canada, visit the Product Support Services Web page (http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=SecurityHome ). Hope this helps!Sean Zhu - MSFT