Explorer.exe not working after login after sleep. Must restart Explorer.exe using Task manager.

[Robzorino]

Checklist

• I have searched for existing issues/discussions and didn't find any similar ones.
• I haven't used any other scripts, tools or programs that might have caused this issue.

Windows version

Windows 11 24H2 26100.4349

Script mode/options

Default mode

Describe the issue

I have been having the problem below for a couple of months. Then I did a full new Windows 11 reinstall to try to solve the issue. Only reinstalled some basic software in this brand new installation (IrfanView, xplorer2, Malwarebytes, Media Player Classic). No luck, the exact same problem is back.

I have an admin user (that I rarely use) and two other users, one for work and one for personal use.
I have screensaver enabled, and asking for login after sleep.

After going into screensaver and then sleep mode on its own and staying like that for a long time (e.g., 2-10 hours), when I wake up the computer, usually I am forced to do a Ctrl+Alt+Del to show the login screen options. I usually know that there will be a problem because under normal conditions, just pressing enter will bring the login screen.
When I login in either user, Explorer/Start button/Taskbar will not be working properly. Pressing the Windows key or clicking on the Start Button will not bring up the Start menu. I have to do a Ctrl+Shit+ESC to bring up the Task Manager and restart Explorer.exe. All gets back to normal after that.
Applications that were open and available works fine, but nothing related to Explorer.exe works properly.

Also, when I open the Task Manager to restart Explorer.exe I can see that some applications are usually using an uncommon amount of memory and processing power.
Those are "Windows Default Lock Screen" with the subprocess "Runtime Broker".

Steps to reproduce

See the description of the issue...
Sorry, I didn't see this part and kind of described it already.

Error output

No response

Additional context

No response

[Raphire]

Heya,

Did you run the script after the Windows Reinstall you mentioned?

Also, could you check Event Viewer for any possible errors or warnings that could point us in the right direction.

1. Open Event Viewer by searching for it in Windows Search.
2. Open and check both the Application and System Windows Logs, highlighted red.

3. Filter the results for easier viewing. You can enter the filtering options via the option highlighted green in the image above.

4. Apply the filters to only show Critical, Error and Warning events, and click OK.

Please report back any events that may be relevant here.

[Robzorino]

@Raphire, yes. I ran the script from Power Shell after I had just had a fresh install.
I can see two possible culprits. One error caused by TMP-WMI (these seem to run on a schedule since they also ran yesterday at the exact same time. The DistributedCOM error happened the moment I took the computer from sleep.
See images below.
There were no errors in the Application Logs since yesterday, so I don't think that the errors there are the problem.

[Raphire]

Thanks for the detailed reply. The LockApp Application Hang and DistributedCOM errors certainly seem related to your issue. I'm guessing that system component got corrupted somehow, but I can't explain why it returns even after a Windows reinstall.

I can't really find any specific solutions or troubleshooting steps for this issue online, but we can try a few things using built-in tools to get this fixed.

Check for corrupt system files

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator. (Important)
2. Copy & paste the command below, and hit Enter.

sfc /scannow

3. Wait for the tool to find/fix any corrupt system files.

Fix Windows image issues

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator. (Important)
2. Copy & paste the command below, and hit Enter.

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

3. Wait for the tool to find any issues. This can take a minute or two.
4. If any issues are detected. Copy & paste the command below, and hit Enter.

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

5. Wait for the tool to fix the issues.

Please report back if any of these tools find any issues.

If the issue is not resolved after trying these tools. You can try an in-place upgrade. This won't affect your files or apps. You can find a detailed guide here.

[Robzorino]

sfc returned no issues, neither did Dism.
Won't the in-place upgrade just restore my Windows 11 to its original state? With all the bloatware?

[Raphire]

@Robzorino i have found this reddit thread that seems to be about your exact issue. It seems to be Windows related. Rolling back to a previous version worked in their case. https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsinsiders/s/PHIllfTUvh

Are you running an insider version of Windows?

[Robzorino]

I am gonna look into rolling back. No I am not running an insider version.
Yesterday I did the in-place upgrade. My lock screen was still weird (I was forced to Ctrl+Alt+Del) just to show the login screen (any other attempt of pressing any key or mouse would just give the error windows sound, without displaying anything on the screen), but at least, when I did login the Explorer was working fine and there were no errors.
I will check again and report.

[Raphire]

I am gonna look into rolling back. No I am not running an insider version. Yesterday I did the in-place upgrade. My lock screen was still weird (I was forced to Ctrl+Alt+Del) just to show the login screen (any other attempt of pressing any key or mouse would just give the error windows sound, without displaying anything on the screen), but at least, when I did login the Explorer was working fine and there were no errors. I will check again and report.

Very strange behaviour still. I believe the error sound could be related to your PC hanging and being unable to handle input interrupts. I have personally only run into that when one of my HDDs was failing, and Windows was too busy trying to talk to it.

[Robzorino]

Hmm. I have many HDDs, SSDs, on this machine. I am gonna remove all the accessory ones and see if it changes the behavior.

[Robzorino]

Here is an update. After the in-place upgrade, explorer.exe stopped requiring a restart after waking up.
And I solve the lock screen (the pre login screen that you must click something to show the login options) not responding by disabling it (see below). Now, it wakes up straight into the last user logged in. Not hang ups.

Not a real solution, but it works for me.

Disabling the Lock Screen:

1. Using Group Policy Editor:
   Open the Run dialog box (Windows key + R).
   Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
   Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
   Double-click on Do not display the lock screen.
   Select "Enabled" and click "Apply" then "OK".
   Restart your computer.

[Raphire]

Here is an update. After the in-place upgrade, explorer.exe stopped requiring a restart after waking up. And I solve the lock screen (the pre login screen that you must click something to show the login options) not responding by disabling it (see below). Now, it wakes up straight into the last user logged in. Not hang ups.

Not a real solution, but it works for me.

Disabling the Lock Screen:

1. Using Group Policy Editor:
   Open the Run dialog box (Windows key + R).
   Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
   Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
   Double-click on Do not display the lock screen.
   Select "Enabled" and click "Apply" then "OK".
   Restart your computer.

Thanks for reporting back. Glad you found a work around. I'll leave this issue open to monitor the situation. I'd be very interested to see if this is an isolated issue or not.

[Robzorino]

Just an FYI that the issue is still happening. Less frequently, but still happening.
I am gonna look into some script or whatnot that just restarts Windows Explorer automatically on logon (not sure if doable).