How do I restore Explorer.exe?

[Najoba]

Yesterday, I was resizing a photo in Photoshop, when everything went haywire. I suddenly started getting a continuous explorer.exe error screen that could not be shut down, nor could I do anything else. The only temporary solution was to shut off the computer switch. When I turned it back on again, the screen kept popping up. I could do no further work on my computer. We ran ScanDisk, and then On Track System Suite. We eliminated a file that was problematic. We have uninstalled everything we can think of that would be creating a conflict. How can I restore the Windows 2000 OS without formatting the hard drive? I have so many graphics loaded that it takes days to get them reloaded after formatting. I would like to avoid that if at all possible.

Also, some off the graphics will open, and others will not. Some have evolved into thumbnails after being loaded into the 2000 OS. These were all perfectly good photos that worked fine on this computer when I was running Windows 98 2nd ed. They are all .jpg, .bmp, or .psd format.

I looked for System File Checker on Windows 2000 but could not find that utility.

 

[wolluf]

You could try running sfc /scannow from a command prompt.

You could also do a repair reinstall. Boot from 2k install CD, select install new version (not repair). It should find your existing installation and offer to repair it (type R). Accept this - and it gors through something like a normal install. It should leave data, apps & settings as is - but you lose windows updates. Ideally, your install CD should be same service pack level as your installation (you can create one using slipstreaming if it isn't) - but you can always apply service pack after its completed.