Skip to main content
Participant
June 19, 2017
Answered

After effects crashes when the Explorer window opens

  • June 19, 2017
  • 10 replies
  • 9301 views

After effect crashes every time when Explorer window is opened.

I mean that this happens when opens the Windows Explorer window (save as, import, output to, etc..).

To use the new version is simply impossible, it is necessary to return to the 2013 version

Maybe there is a solution to the problem?

Version 2013 works perfectly.

When I booted in safe mode, this problem disappeared.

Windows reinstalled - it does not help.

    Correct answer Djcurley

    It's likely caused by a DLL file called GROOVEEX.DLL
    located either here (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\GROOVEEX.DLL)

    or here (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\GROOVEEX.DLL)

    Change the extension from .DLL to .BAK, restart the computer then DELETE that GROOVEEX.BAK file. Should be good to go after that.

    10 replies

    Participant
    January 6, 2025

    Follow this tutorial to solve the issue for all Adobe software. This solution worked for me. It fixes an issue to drag and drop files into Adobe programs as well. No need to run Adobe software as administrator anymore.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ackU1S9HYc4

    finleyg21076769
    Participant
    August 30, 2022

    This bug is alive and well in 2022, five years later.

    Known Participant
    October 2, 2023

    One of our 5 workstations has just developed this issue.  It's 2023!  Office is not installed on these machines, so it can not be GROOVEEX.dll.  What gives Adobe.  You keep bringing back old bugs into new releases.  It is infutiating. 

     

    Participant
    October 2, 2023

    Did you find a solution?
    I'm having the same issue. Frustrating to say the least.

    Participant
    January 24, 2018

    Is there a resolution to this? This just started happening to me now and I do not know how to resolve it. It happened even on a brand new file, as soon as the import explorer windows tries to open, it freezes and crashes....every single time. It has rendered the import function completely useless. Please help!

    Version 15.0.1 (Build 73) CC 2018

    Windows Pro 10.0.16299 Build 16299

    Participating Frequently
    January 25, 2018

    Yes, read my post right above yours. Open event viewer and look at the application logs under windows logs, you'll see AfterFX.exe reporting an error and it is likely due to GROOVEEX.DLL or a similar DLL causing this issue.

    Ridkurn
    Participant
    August 6, 2020

    Hi, It is 2020 here and this issue still happening to me. Thanks to you I just checked my event viewer and found out that other dll from Office folder is causing this. Thanks a bunch for the suggestion!

     

    EDIT :
    It is still happening, turns out it was caused by COMCTL32.DLL

    DjcurleyCorrect answer
    Participating Frequently
    November 22, 2017

    It's likely caused by a DLL file called GROOVEEX.DLL
    located either here (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\GROOVEEX.DLL)

    or here (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\GROOVEEX.DLL)

    Change the extension from .DLL to .BAK, restart the computer then DELETE that GROOVEEX.BAK file. Should be good to go after that.

    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    January 26, 2018

    The "Grooveex" issue should be fixed in a current version. Please try it, Djcurley.

    Cheers!
    Kevin

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
    Participant
    January 26, 2018

    Hi Kevin,

    I have the newest version of AE from the cloud and I also have removed the Grooveex.dll from Microsoft Office and it STILL crashes on me when opening the import window. Please help, because AE is unusable at this point.

    Participant
    October 2, 2017

    Hi, I had the same problem with a project.

    I've duplicate the .aep file inside windows explorer with a different name (incremented version)

    After that It worked on AE - CC2017

    Hope it will work for you guys!

    Rameez_Khan
    Legend
    October 5, 2017

    Hi all,

    Can you try guillaumel's suggestion?

    Thanks,

    Rameez

    alphanine
    Known Participant
    September 9, 2017

    Hi, the problem still exists, but here what i did trying to solve it and did not work!:

    1. Reset AE workspaces. (Did nothing)

    2. Close all the scripts. (Did nothing)

    3. Reset AE reference file. (Did nothing)

    4. Collect the project and move it to another hard disk. (Worked! But next day problem surfaced again!!)

    4. Upgrade Windows! (Did nothing)

    5. Unistall and re-install AE (looked like it worked, but after few hours it start crashing again when browsing!)

    its just weird! My major problem now is that i need to replace a model inside Element 3D, but everytime i try to replace it and the browser is opene, AE crashes!

    hey Kevin-Monahan​ Any updates from your side?

    will keep this thread updated.

    Participant
    February 6, 2020

    Hello. Did you resolved this problem? I have the same, AE crashes each time when I open explorer window in AE. Nothin helps me.

    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    July 22, 2017

    Hi Panshsh,

    Are you still having this problem? Please let us know.

    Thanks,
    Kevin

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
    alphanine
    Known Participant
    September 1, 2017

    I have the same problem on AE 2017.2 (14.2.1.34) Windows 10 64bit.

    the crash does not happen if its a new project or an empty one, but once the project is starting to grow, the problem starts to happen, and it does not happen to all projects, some projects have the error so when u try to import, Save as, render ... it will crash Always no matter the project is big or small, close that project and open another project without the error, it will import and output with no problem! without even re-launching AE!

    Maybe its an error related to some plug-ins or used script?!

    also dragging footage from an explorer window to AE solves the import crash, but does not solve the rendering and saving as, or some other commands executed from some plugins. like import OBJ to E3D or Replace a model for example! any time you open the browser from inside AE, AE crashes with no Messages or errors

    panshshAuthor
    Participant
    September 1, 2017

    Absolutely the same problem.

    Support for Adobe said that the problem is in some kind of plug-ins. but the problem appeared after one of the updates of the AE 2017.

    For myself, I found a solution to the problem: I returned to AE 2015.3  :))

    I have never seen such an unstable version of AE (since version 5.5)

    Participant
    June 28, 2017

    I've the same problem... i Don't know what To do, did you find any answer ?

    Szalam
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    July 7, 2017

    Do you have anything interesting running on that system? Seer, Suitcase Fusion, Password managers, etc.?

    Rameez_Khan
    Legend
    June 20, 2017

    Hi panshsh,

    Do you get a specific error message after it crashes?

    Which version of Windows exactly?

    Check if there are any logs at the following location:

    C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\After Effects\14.2\logs

    NOTE: AppData is a hidden folder, by default.

    Thanks,

    Rameez

    panshshAuthor
    Participant
    June 20, 2017

    Hi Rameez,

    The program closes without messages, but a crash log is generated

    Windows 10 Pro (1703 build 15063.413)

    Log file is pretty big, which part to show?

    Here is the beginning:

    Process:                AfterFX.exe [28288]

    Path:                   C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CC 2017\Support Files\AfterFX.exe

    Product Version:        14.2.1.34

    File Version:           14.2.1.34

    Code Type:              x64

    Parent Process:         explorer.exe [12444]

    Date/Time:              2017-06-20 12:31:48 Èåðóñàëèìñêîå âðåìÿ (ëåòî)

    OS Version:             10.0.15063.296

    Report ID:              b2dbc578-8f2f-4a9e-8cc9-dc839b510af5

    Time Awake Since Boot:  49979 seconds

    Crashed thread:         109 [31344] THREAD_PRIORITY_NORMAL

    Exception Code:         0x011d91d0

    Exception Parameters:   0x00000001 0x00000000

    Exception Message:      18715088

    Application Specific Information:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\VFS\ProgramFilesX64\Microsoft Office\Office16\GROOVEEX.DLL

    Rameez_Khan
    Legend
    June 21, 2017

    Do you mind sending me the log file?

    I have sent you a DM with my contact details.

    Thanks,

    Rameez

    Jose Panadero
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    June 19, 2017

    Try to update AE to the latest version.

    Also, you can delete the preferences file before launch. Hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift immediately after launching AE and you will be prompted to delete your prefs file.

    panshshAuthor
    Participant
    June 20, 2017

    The latest version is installed 14.2.1.34

    Unfortunately, the reset of the settings did not help