"Explorer.exe Has Generated Errors and Will Be Closed By Windows" Error Message When You Try to Install Service Pack 3 (326612)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP3
This article was previously published under Q326612

SYMPTOMS

If you start the Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 Setup Wizard from Windows Explorer (start Windows Explorer, and then double-click w2ksp3.exe), you may receive the following error message after the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard is complete:
explorer.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows.
You will need to restart the program.

An error log is being created.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because SP3 for Windows 2000 does not correctly update the following Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or Internet Explorer 5.5 SP1 file:

MSHTML.dll

RESOLUTION

To work around this issue, quit all running programs and close all open windows before you install SP3 for Windows 2000. If you start the Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 Setup Wizard by double-clicking w2ksp3.exe in Windows Explorer, quit Windows Explorer before you continue to install SP3.

To run SP3 for Windows 2000 from a command line, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type drive:w2ksp3.exe (where drive is the drive that contains the SP3 CD-ROM), and then click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/29/2002
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB326612
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.