explorer.exe using lots of memory when closed

[Guest]

I had a problem with my ISP (AOL) today and when I went into Task Manager to end the process I found that explorer.exe is using over 26k of memory even though I wasn't connected to Internet Explorer. I also noted that it sometimes occupies 100% of the CPU's time even when I'm not connected to the internet. Is this normal? If I was to end this process, would it damage my computer

Obviously, I'm a beginner...

 

[Gunnar]

by ending the explorer.exe process you terminate your
unsaved settings but it will not damage your computer but
when you do this it will not initalize automaticly so you
will have to click file in the taskman and then New Task
and type in "explorer" without this:"" . Explorer
somtimes restarts itself when a program manager window
freezes and you choose to end task on it.

Sorry about spelling errors...

Gunnar

-----Original Message-----
I had a problem with my ISP (AOL) today and when I went

into Task Manager to end the process I found that
explorer.exe is using over 26k of memory even though I
wasn't connected to Internet Explorer. I also noted that
it sometimes occupies 100% of the CPU's time even when
I'm not connected to the internet. Is this normal? If I
was to end this process, would it damage my computer?

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

I had a problem with my ISP (AOL) today and when I went into Task
Manager to end the process I found that explorer.exe is using over
26k of memory even though I wasn't connected to Internet Explorer. I
also noted that it sometimes occupies 100% of the CPU's time even
when I'm not connected to the internet. Is this normal? If I was to
end this process, would it damage my computer?

Obviously, I'm a beginner...

Explorer.exe is NOT Internet Explorer. It's the shell, the user interface
to Windows.

 

[Bob Lundy]

Please see Frank's response. "Explorer.EXE" is the Windows "shell", it is
not "Internet Explorer" (a well-known web browser) which is "IEXPLORE.EXE".