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Question

Can not open folders in Windows 98.

Sep 3, 2013 6:28AM PDT

I wonder if anyone has encountered this problem before when double clicking on a folder to open in Windows 98 SE.

I wonder if anyone has encountered this problem before when double clicking on a folder to open it in Windows 98 SE.

It doesn't open, instead I persistantly get the error message:
"Explorer. This program has performed an illegal operation and will shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor."

Details (Expanded):
EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in
module SHELL32.DLL at 017f:7fcb1946.
Registers:
EAX=00004453 CS=017f EIP=7fcb1946 EFLGS=00010206
EBX=0046da04 SS=0187 ESP=0360f2ec EBP=0360f300
ECX=00004420 DS=0187 ESI=7fcb1930 FS=0ff7
EDX=00478739 ES=0187 EDI=004742e8 GS=2fb6
Bytes at CS:EIP:
66 8b 0a 66 85 c9 75 f1 c2 04 00 ff 74 24 04 ff
Stack dump:
7177a0aa 004742e8 00000029 0046d6e8 80004005 0360f314 71762568 00000023 004742e8 00000000 0360f334 71762cda 0046b128 0046da04 00000023 00000000

On clicking "Close" error box, then get:
"Microsoft Internet Explorer.
An error has occurred in Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer will now close.
If you continue to experience problems, please restart your computer."

I can open "My computer" and "C-drive" and "My Documents" when done through the C-drive folder. Pretty much every other folder just will not open.

In trying to correct this disruptive problem I installed a later version of Internet Explorer and ultimately ended up reinstalling Windows 98 over the original, but the problem remains as before

Does anyone have any ideas about what is happening here and what I should do to corrrect things?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
TRUE!
Sep 3, 2013 6:32AM PDT

It's a rather old issue that we see when there is a file that Windows Explored can't decode. There's not much new here and you should try Gyula's Navigator as it sidesteps the issue and shows files and folders without trying to decode the file, create an icon and crash.

Sorry if you feel shortchanged but it still happens on Windows versions up to the current version.

Do you feel an OS should handle this?
Bob

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Workaround. May not work.
Sep 3, 2013 6:39AM PDT
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(NT) Thanks. I'll consider this and let you know the outcome.
Sep 3, 2013 7:06AM PDT
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I've been trying things on the computer..........
Sep 15, 2013 7:10AM PDT

....after reading the various Microsoft articles based around what you said and I have discovered the following.

Thumbnails in folders are off for every folder I have looked at and have never been on.

Deselecting "View - as web page" which produces a thumbnail of a selected file in the left of the view plane divide makes no difference for the defect.

By changing the odd setting in the view section of folder options I can get folders to open through the explore option in Windows Explorer for a short time. However, it doesn't take too many attempts for this routine to fail and the invalid page fault error to return with the use of exploring folders.

Using the above process I can also open folders on occasions by double clicking the item in the left hand Folders plane of Windows Explorer.

Internet Explorer will not launch as a stand alone program. Perhaps not surprising from the content of the error messages; "EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in module SHELL32.DLL at .....:
Microsoft Internet Explorer; An error has occurred in Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer will now close."

In answer to your question, I can't see an operating system as much use if it doesn't provide easy access to every file on the system. So it should allow the user to range freely through the entire filing system!

I would like to avoid having to format the the HD and load everything up from scratch to get proper access to the contents of my computer, so I need to correct this defect. Do these symptoms suggest a cause to you, or anyone?

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Then you should look at iOS
Sep 15, 2013 8:55AM PDT

Look at iOS and where is the file system?

As to this issue, it's a very old issue and you can use other than Explorer to look around. See if Gyula's Navigator still works on 98.
Bob

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I don't know anything about iOS.
Sep 15, 2013 9:50AM PDT

I understood that Gyula's Navigator works using Internet Explorer, so it needs it to function.

When you say that the problem is an old one, do you mean the failure of IE? Can't that be cured?
If not I'll need an alternative web brouser as well!

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That's news to me.
Sep 15, 2013 9:56AM PDT

I've used Gyula for over a decade when Explorer coughed and died on images it could not handle.

It appears you truly have a new unique issue.

About iOS, you made a comment so I thought I'd bring up an OS without any visible file system that is used by millions.
Bob

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So to confirm
Sep 15, 2013 10:11AM PDT

(as I'm not sure how to take what you're saying}

If I install the Gyula it will work even though the IE won't?

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No confirmation possible.
Sep 17, 2013 2:07AM PDT

While it worked over a decade ago, I'm guessing you want me to try it again. Sadly the office has no more Win 98 machines so I can't test it again.
Bob