Vista - Explorer crashes with Control Panel Launch

This is a weird one. Whenever I launch control panel, no matter how I try to
get to it, explorer crashes and reloads. I can never get to the control
panel. I just installed Vista yesterday and need to get access to make some
changes. Anyone else experience this problem and find a solution?

All I get is the message "Windows explorer has stopped working" followed by
"windows explorer is restarting". BTW, I upgraded from XP.

BTW, I tried Gabriel Lozano-Moran's suggestion of making sure the software
licensing service was started and it was. I restarted and have the same
issue.

"Landy" wrote:

> This is a weird one. Whenever I launch control panel, no matter how I try to
> get to it, explorer crashes and reloads. I can never get to the control
> panel. I just installed Vista yesterday and need to get access to make some
> changes. Anyone else experience this problem and find a solution?
>
> All I get is the message "Windows explorer has stopped working" followed by
> "windows explorer is restarting". BTW, I upgraded from XP.

You probably have a corrupt or very old and incompatible .cpl in your
C:\windows\system32 folder, look for old cpl files (by date) and move them
to another folder.

Then see if Control Panel works, and if it does, close it and keep adding
back in the 'old' .cpl files you moved until it crashes again. Then you will
know exactly which .cpl file is old/corrupt etc.

Many of the XP and older 3rd party Control Panel .cpl utilities are no
longer need in Vista, as they either no longer work with the updated
software from the 3rd party or their features are already built into the OS.

Good luck.

"Landy" <Landy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3B658415-AEA0-4AF3-8B07-17442F5DB8C7@microsoft.com...
> This is a weird one. Whenever I launch control panel, no matter how I try
> to
> get to it, explorer crashes and reloads. I can never get to the control
> panel. I just installed Vista yesterday and need to get access to make
> some
> changes. Anyone else experience this problem and find a solution?
>
> All I get is the message "Windows explorer has stopped working" followed
> by
> "windows explorer is restarting". BTW, I upgraded from XP.

Thanks Net Avenger! That did the trick!

"TheNetAvenger" wrote:

> You probably have a corrupt or very old and incompatible .cpl in your
> C:\windows\system32 folder, look for old cpl files (by date) and move them
> to another folder.
>
> Then see if Control Panel works, and if it does, close it and keep adding
> back in the 'old' .cpl files you moved until it crashes again. Then you will
> know exactly which .cpl file is old/corrupt etc.
>
> Many of the XP and older 3rd party Control Panel .cpl utilities are no
> longer need in Vista, as they either no longer work with the updated
> software from the 3rd party or their features are already built into the OS.
>
> Good luck.
>
> "Landy" <Landy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:3B658415-AEA0-4AF3-8B07-17442F5DB8C7@microsoft.com...
> > This is a weird one. Whenever I launch control panel, no matter how I try
> > to
> > get to it, explorer crashes and reloads. I can never get to the control
> > panel. I just installed Vista yesterday and need to get access to make
> > some
> > changes. Anyone else experience this problem and find a solution?
> >
> > All I get is the message "Windows explorer has stopped working" followed
> > by
> > "windows explorer is restarting". BTW, I upgraded from XP.
>
>