Explorer.exe using 99% of CPU

milltown

From time to time lately my PC will slow to a crawl due to explorer.exe using 99% of my CPU as reported in task manager (xp by the way). The only way I can restore normal service is to end the process and then start it again but when I start browsing drives and folders it isn't long before it happens again.
The only changes I can think of are a theme from themexp and reinstalling GTA3 (game). Neither of these SEEM likely to be causing it. Anybody any ideas?
Thanks

Praetorian

I have the same problem. I also use themexp...hmmm.

milltown

The thick plottens.

Anybody else had problems with 3rd party themes in XP?

Edit:
Just did a system restor to before the GTA install and it made no difference.

maxheadroom

try uninstalling themexp?

LastIrishMonkey

im having the problem also

LastIrishMonkey

wait i unistalled everything to do with themexp deleted and all but still no impovement could be a site i dunno wierd thing

ShevY

I had a similar problem.

This Fixed it.

Could be .avi files causing ur problems

milltown

Yup,
I'd say that could be it alright. The drive that triggers this problem is the one with my movies on it.
Well Played that man!

Señor Juárez

cant say ive had that problem, even in a 50gb movies folder. is it only with incomplete downloaded avi's?

or is it only if u use the ghey thumbnails view?

Stark

It's a windows xp bug. Microsoft posted a workaround that you have to left-click on a file before you right-click on it or else disable transition effects.

articles are here:

http://www.iexbeta.com/comments.php?id=1073&catid=6&highlight=explorer

and here:

http://www.iexbeta.com/comments.php?id=1012&catid=6&highlight=explorer