Windows 10: Taskbard Frozen and Restarting Explorer Does Not Fix It

As the title says, my taskbar sometimes gets randomly frozen Ibelieve after waking up from sleep. I can still see the app's icons and open them with click, but right clicking on the taskbar does not work nor changing windows with alt + tab. If I restart the explorer, the icons disappear and the task bar still does not work forcing me to sign out to fix it.

:)

 

Upon restart taskbar frozen until interacted with

Hi, first of all I have to make a clarification. Your first suggestion was to restart the Windows Explorer, but as I stated in the problem description, the taskbar is frozen only until I click on it or interact with it in some way. When I do that the screen flashes black and the whole Windows Explorer restarts itself and the taskbar works fine after that. Its just the very first time when I log-in the user, this problem happens. Interacting with the taskbar un-freezes it



Also, I had already tried sfc/scannow and the DISM but I repeated the scan and no issues were found. I also performed the Windows app repair as you instructed, and while I did get the red errors, the task finished and I restarted the PC, the issue persists.

I forgot to add in the main post the things that I have already tried doing:

• Run the PC in Safe mode with networking (issue still persists)
  
• Disable all non-windows services and disable all the startup programs (upon restart, the issue still persists)
  
• Unplugged all external drives along with my 2nd monitor, only leaving keyboard and mouse (the issue still persists)
  

My current Windows version is 21H1 which I installed just today trying to fix this issue. Previous version was 20H2.

I created the other user (test) as you instructed and here is what I found:

- The issue persists either way, but the problem has in some instances worsened

- When I sign-out of my main user into the "test" user the taskbar is also frozen and the signing-in process takes longer time than needed

- The new issue is that after creating the new user, clicking or interacting with the taskbar restarts it like previously (desktop flashes) but this time the taskbar is still frozen. Clicking on it more just makes the Windows Explorer restart again and again and I cant seem to get the taskbar to un-freeze.

- When this happens, I changed the user and the other user might have the same new problem (clicking on taskbar, it restarts but is still frozen) , or other times just the old problem (clicking on taskbar, it restarts and the taskbar unfreezes)

 

Windows Explorer Replacement?

are you running IE7? if not that wouold be my first suggestion,upgrade to ie7 that can fix some stability issues with windows explorer

 

Explorer Crash FIX!

Our old Dell Inspiron N5110 got this problem also.
Taskbar keeps refreshing. Thanks many hints from guys above pointed me the direction to fix it.
From Reliability History Monitor I found Explorer keeps crashing because of IDTNC64.CPL (type reliability history at Start)
1. the issue was from IDTNC64.cpl, the sound driver,
but I could not successfully to uninstall it from device manager nor control panel or rename the file or the folder.
2. uninstalled High Definition Audio Device few times, problem remain
3. tried to uninstall within Control Panel > Program file, yet Control Panel only open 2, 3 seconds then closed automatically.
4. finally solved Control Panel shut down problem by going to msconfig>services>and disable Windows Error Reporting Service. see below sequence:
Click window + R keys, type msconfig, Enter to open msconfig, click Services Tag and look for Windows Error Reporting Service. Unchecked it, then apply, ok then reboot system when it suggests.
5. After this, open Control Panel by clicking Start > type Control Panel. Then my Control Panel open and stay put, won't shut down by itself.
6. In Control Panel > Programs > I found IDT Audio and successfully to uninstall it.
7. No more taskbar refresh or Windows Explore shut down after uninstalled IDT and Sound still works great!!!
8. repeat step 4 to check Windows Error Reporting Services by clicking it. OK then follow system suggestion to reboot.
9. Control Panel still able to open and remain open. Sound still works and no more refresh.
10. From Reliability History monitor found no more Windows Explorer crashing.
I am happy and hope above steps help