Sometimes Windows Explorer freezes and your computer becomes unresponsive. The taskbar may disappear or clicking on an icon may appear to do nothing. This may be caused by an error in Windows Explorer and you may need to restart the explorer.exe process.
To restart the explorer.exe process:
- Press Alt + Ctrl + Del simultaneously to bring up the Task Manager or right click on the taskbar and click Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab then search the list of processes for explorer.exe. Tip: You can sort the processes alphabetically by clicking on the Image Name heading.
- Right click on explorer.exe then click End Process (your taskbar may disappear).
- Click on the Applications tab in Task Manager then click on the New Task button at the bottom right. In the dialog box that pops up type explorer.exe (your taskbar should reappear).