Knowledge Base

The Explorer.exe process may unexpectedly quit when you try to search for a file in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003

Article ID: 900004

Article Last Modified on 12/26/2006

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

SUMMARY

On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the Explorer.exe process may experience an error in Rkadmin.dll and unexpectedly quit. To work around this problem, uninstall the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

SYMPTOMS

On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the Explorer.exe process may unexpectedly quit when you try to search for a file. Before this problem occurs, you may experience the following symptoms:

The task bar of Windows desktop disappears for a moment.
Desktop is redrawn.
The title bar of Windows Explorer appears again.

After you restart the computer, you may receive the following error message:

Explorer.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost.
Please tell Microsoft about this problem.
We have created an error report that you can send to help us improve Explorer.exe. We will treat this report as confidential and anonymous.
To see what data this error report contains, click here.

In Windows XP, the following error-signature information is displayed when you view the data that the error report contains.

AppName	AppVer	ModName	ModVer	Offset
Explorer.exe	6.0.2900.2180	rkadmin.dll	1.0.0.10	0000d8d9

In Windows Server 2003, the following error-signature information is displayed when you view the data that the error report contains.

AppName	AppVer	ModName	ModVer	Offset
Explorer.exe	6.0.3790.1830	rkadmin.dll	1.0.0.10	0000d8d9

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the Rkadmin.dll file is copied to the System32 folder when you install the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit. The Rkadmin.dll file may cause an access violation after you run a file search operation several times.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, uninstall the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

MORE INFORMATION

The Windows Error Reporting dialog box appears when an error causes a fatal event in the program. This dialog box includes a button that lets you send information about the fatal event to Microsoft. Microsoft gathers information about these types of events in a database to try to identify the cause of the problem. For information about the Microsoft Data Collection policy, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/welcome.aspx

If you disable error reporting, you do not receive notification when a fatal event occurs. However, the following files may be created, depending upon the system configuration:

Drwtsn32.log
User.dmp

For more information about how to disable error reporting, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310414 How to configure and use error reporting in Windows XP

276550 Description and availability of the Internet Explorer Error Reporting tool

325075 How to disable error reporting by the Application Error Reporting tool in Office XP

For more information about the Drwtsn32.log file and about the User.dmp file, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

308538 Description of the Dr. Watson for Windows (Drwtsn32.exe) tool

When this problem occurs in Windows XP, the following information appears in the Application log: Date: Date
Time: Time
Type: Error
User: N/A
Computer: Computer name
Source: Application Error
Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Description: Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2900.2180, faulting module rkadmin.dll, version 1.0.0.10, fault address 0x0000d8d9.

Date: Date
Time: Time
Type: Error
User: N/A
Computer: Computer name
Source: Application Error
Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Description: Fault bucket 129792005.

When this problem occurs in Windows Server 2003, the following information appears in the Application log: Date: Date
Time: Time
Type: Error
User: N/A
Computer: Computer name
Source: Application Error
Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Description: Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.3790.1830, faulting module rkadmin.dll, version 1.0.0.10, fault address 0x0000d8d9.

Date: Date
Time: Time
Type: Error
User: N/A
Computer: Computer name
Source: Application Error
Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Description: Fault bucket 192723101.

Notes

IT administrators can use the Corporate Error Reporting (CER) tool to manage error reports and error messages that are created by an error-reporting client. Error-reporting clients include the Windows Error Reporting client in Microsoft Windows XP and in Microsoft Windows Server 2003. If an error-reporting client is configured to work with CER 2.0, error reports are redirected to a CER shared folder. The error reports are not sent to Microsoft. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/satech/cer/
If you are using the CER tool, you do not see Event ID 1001.

For more information about event ID 1000 and about event ID 1001, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/ee/ee_advanced.aspx

Additional query words: WER Watson errorbucket unrecoverableapplicationerror user-modefault exceptions 129792005 in winxo192723101 w2k3

Keywords: kbbug kberrmsg kbinfo kbocabucket kbuninstall kbtshoot kbprb KB900004

Microsoft KB Archive/900004

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