Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Here are two common symptions with certain video files that crash explorer and my cure.
You’ve downloaded a video file and now whenever you view the file in Thumbnail view with Windows Explorer, Explorer explodes, as in crashes leaving an error message stating the app has closed in it’s wake.
Alternatively, if you are viewing the file in list view everything seems fine until you click on the file or try to play it. Same crash result.
You can’t delete it in Exploder, er Explorer because as soon as the file is selected, CRASH!
What to do? What to do?
The easiest way I have found is to head into the DOS netherworld via the command window. Surfing around, I discovered other methods by deleting registry keys but if going into the registry makes you nervous like it does me, try the following.
Access command by going Start/Run… and type “cmd”.
OR if you prefer the long way or just want to know where to get to it via the menus. Go to Start/All Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt.
In DOS go to the directory where the file is kept and simply delete it with DOS delete or erase.
CMD displays long file names and you will need to put all files to be erased in quotes.
For those of you unfamiliar with arcane DOS commands, here are a few basics that will get you through what you need to do here.
At the prompt, typing the following will give the results indicated.
cd “directory name" changes to the directory name
D: changes to drive letter where D is the drive letter
dir gives directory listing
del “file name" deletes file name
erase “file name" same as del
exit closes window and quits program
For more dos commands try here.
NOTE:The COMMAND application will not work here! COMMAND.COM is included for backwards compatibility and is recommended for use only when old MS-DOS programs may not be able to be run otherwise.
When a user is using COMMAND they will need to use the short 8.3 file name and with long file names it is not worth figuring out what COMMAND may name them.