Windows 10: File explorer closes and all my taskbar icons disappear then come back, but most programs I...

I'll be perusing files (different folders and different files) and try to select a file, then my desktop background shows up and all my icons on the taskbar disappear for about ten seconds. When they come back, only Chrome and Edge are still open, but explorer and any other photos, word docs, excel, and probably other programs are closed.


I have windows 10 with all the updates automatically set. I've rebooted a couple times since I first recall seeing this happen, and it doesn't help.


I'm running an ASUS laptop that I paid about $1,500 for, so I'm not on some slow old machine with no memory.


Any suggestions, besides buy a mac?

:)

 

File Explorer icon disappears from Taskbar

The File Explorer icon in the Start Menu indicates it is already pinned to the Taskbar even when it has disappeared. Clicking on Unpin from Taskbar and then immediately clicking on Pin to Taskbar causes it to reappear, but only temporarily. After that it periodically disappears and reappears just as before.

 

File Explorer icon disappears from Taskbar

SFC found no problems apart from the aforementioned WinHlp32.exe.

I do seem to be slightly closer to tracing a possible cause of the problem. If the File Explorer icon has disappeared from the Taskbar, closing Outlook 2007 will cause it to reappear, although it will later randomly disappear regardless of whether Outlook 2007 is open. In that case, reopening and closing Outlook 2007 will cause the icon to reappear, even if it later randomly disappears. So I have found a way to make the icon reappear, even if I can't identify what makes it disappear.

It all seems mighty strange. What is the best way to report this behavior to Microsoft?

 

File Explorer icon disappears from Taskbar


You can try to pin it from start menu as shown, just right click on "File Explorer". Since I've already had it pinned to taskbar, the option on yours would be "pin to taskbar":