explorer.exe wants to use 100% memory, as seen in task manager

My Win10 PC has gone mad. Stats: 8GB ram, Windows 10 Pro, version 21H1.

Upon bootup, explorer.exe immediately starts using more and more of the available memory. It takes about 90 seconds for it to get to 100%, at which point my PC locks up. I have learned to open the Task manager immediately on bootup, to RESTART or END TASK explorer.exe, to manage it. I can open various applications, folders, etc, in those 90 seconds, then do an END TASK or RESTART on explorer before it's too late. In this way I can try various fixes - without the benefit of the Windows IO, but at least the machine does not lock up immediately!

Here's what I have tried so far:

using admin-enabled CMD, I ran "DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth" and also "sfc /scannow".
They claimed to finish successfully and not find any problems. This did NOT fix my problem.

I updated to Windows 21H1. No help.

CHKDSK C: found no problems.

I deleted every sort of temp file possible with the Disk Cleanup Utility. No help.

Running in safe mode doesn't help.

I ran a Malwarebytes scan - nothing.

I am considering using SYSTEM RESTORE to go back to a restore point from only 3 days ago. However I am worried that the reboot that it involves will preclude me from getting to the task manager and shutting down explorer.exe before it's too late. Any thoughts?

Beyond using the restore point, I am thinking the next step would be to reinstall windows from an ISO file. I REALLY don't want to lose my applications - I have a LOT of them and rebuilding all that would take forever. Happily all my files are backed up.

Have I missed anything here? Is the ISO the next logical step? Thanks for your input. BTW, my PC was in the middle of rendering a video when it first locked up. Not sure how that could instigate all of this.

Interestingly, my computer seems to work fine in every other way.

Here's what the task manager looks like, about a minute after a reboot and just before I stop explorer...

@SMichelsen


You CAN reinstall Windows AND keep all your programs and files. It's called an In-Place upgrade...

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade



Here is the short version of the In-place upgrade tutorial...

DISABLE non-Microsoft:
a) antivirus software
b) firewall software
c) drive encryption software

Make a full OS backup with a program like Macrium Reflect (free)
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

Go here and get the Media Creation Tool and save it to your desktop.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

RUN the Media Creation Tool and use it to: Create an ISO image... save IT to your desktop.
This will be the latest version of the ISO image.




Right click the ISO image and choose: MOUNT
Open File Explorer and you will see a new drive letter. It will "look" like a DVD optical drive.
Double click the new drive letter to open it.
Find setup.exe and double click it to start the in-place upgrade.

Choose the Keep personal files and apps option.

After it's all done... to UNmount the ISO image, right click the new drive letter and choose: EJECT.


The ONLY thing you will lose is some of your personalizations. Your programs and data will be intact.

What causes explorer.exe to go crazy like that... I don't know. I have seen explorer.exe try occasionally, to access the internet, which it should never do... maybe something like that is occurring.
I have explorer.exe blocked in my 3rd party firewall, for just that reason.

Anyway... the In-Place upgrade won't take very long at all. Somewhere between 15 and 40 mins., depending on the computer.

SMichelsen hello and welcome to tenforums ,

Did you recently install any new software or make changes you can think of that might be involved with this issue?

We recommend making periodic Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect as restore points are not always reliable.