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By default Windows creates one multi-threaded Explorer process which contains the Desktop, Taskbar and all other explorer instances. If one of these instances fails, all instances will fail. When enabled, this setting causes Windows to create separate processes insulating them from other failures.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'DesktopProcess' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: When this tweak is enabled with Internet Explorer 5.0 it may cause Explorer to open after startup.

Note: On some IE 4.01 systems, launching folders results a message box saying "SHDOCVW.DLL can't be opened" or a Notepad window displaying the file SHDOCVW.DLL. On these systems it is recommened that you disable this tweak.

Note: This may not work when Active Desktop is enabled.

		(Default)	REG_SZ	(value not set)
		DesktopProcess	REG_DWORD	0x00000001 (1)

	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Related Tweaks

• Launch Folder Windows in a Separate Process (All Windows)
• Launch Browser Windows in a Separate Process (All Windows)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.