Fix Explorer Crashes When Pressing Print Screen Key

draft · os-and-system pdsexplorer-crashssd-health

Generated by docuprocessor (prompt article/v3) · 2026-04-22 15:56

Source thread

thread_id: spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/VVCBZwL7F7s · 11 msgs · first 2025-02-14 · participants: Tech ATech BTech CTech D

Tech A 2025-02-14 18:38

Having strange issue with PDS Teaneck FD02 PC - whenever she presses the printscreen button on her keyboard, explorer stops responding and she can no longer click on anything in her task bar/task tray (have to kill explorer.exe process from task manager and start it again to get it to work properly).. I checked hard drive health - it shows health status is good but hard drive health is 96%. They recently got this PC though as per office - it is still under warranty until September 28, 2025. I tried running sfc /scannow , dism, windows updates, also updated graphics driver but none of that helped. Any other suggestions here?

Tech B 2025-02-14 18:40

Does that also happen with another windows profile or just with that one?

Tech C 2025-02-14 18:40

Is there software to take screenshots/record videos installed?

Tech C 2025-02-14 18:41

Also, you can check event viewer,maybe writes something there

Tech A 2025-02-14 18:41

didn't test with other account - will try that next . and I didnt see any other software for that

Tech D 2025-02-14 18:41

we are having the issue with Vermont's PVT2 PC that is extremely slow for no reason and the drive is at 92%. Dell refuses to replace it afaik.

Tech C 2025-02-14 18:42

Is it an ssd or hdd? 90% of the cases, I disable Sysmain service and goes to 1%

Tech D 2025-02-14 18:42

SSD

Tech A 2025-02-14 18:42

its ssd

image/png image.png

**CrystalDiskInfo 9.4.4 x64** displays an **SK Hynix SC311 SATA 256GB** SSD (Serial: **MJ8AN58791050AK0P**, Firmware: **70000P10**) reporting **Health Status: Good at 96%**, temperature **32°C**, with **29,977 Power On Hours** and **441 Power On Cycles**. Total Host Reads: **19,091 GB**, Total Host Writes: **36,944 GB**; all SMART attributes show **Current/Worst values above thresholds** with all Raw Values at zero except Power-On Hours (**0000000075 19**), Total Erase Count (**00000195DF5**), Unexpected Power Loss Count (**000000000 13B**), Wear Leveling Count (**00000000003B**), and UnUsed Reserved Block Count (**000000002E7**). The **Wear Leveling Count Worst value reads 1**, which is notably low compared to the Current value of 97.

Tech A 2025-02-14 18:42

one of those m2 sata ssds

Tech D 2025-02-14 18:55

the PDS setup is very simple. as soon as we have time and they can let us mess with this PC, we can: - demote from the domain - reinstall OS - rejoin to the domain - see how it works after that There might be something happening to the SSD that causes OS to glitch. Unless Phil we can somehow convince Dell to replace these SSDs. Maybe fool Dell by giving them the failed code as if we ran the onboard diagnostics and have them send a tech or at least the new SSD

---
title: "Fix Explorer Crashes When Pressing Print Screen Key"
category: os-and-system
tags: ["pds", "explorer-crash", "ssd-health"]
source_thread_id: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/VVCBZwL7F7s"
source_space: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s"
generated_at: "2026-04-22T15:56:23"
participants: ["Tech A", "Tech B", "Tech C", "Tech D"]
---

# Fix Explorer Crashes When Pressing Print Screen Key

## Problem

A PDS workstation experiences Windows Explorer crashes whenever the Print Screen key is pressed. The explorer.exe process stops responding, preventing interaction with the taskbar and system tray. The user must manually kill the explorer.exe process from Task Manager and restart it to restore functionality. The system uses an SK Hynix SC311 SATA 256GB SSD showing 96% health status with 29,977 power-on hours. Standard troubleshooting including sfc /scannow, DISM, Windows updates, and graphics driver updates did not resolve the issue.

## Resolution

1. Test with a different Windows user profile to determine if the issue is profile-specific
2. Check Event Viewer for error messages related to the explorer crashes
3. Look for screenshot or screen recording software that might be conflicting with the Print Screen function
4. If the issue persists and the SSD health continues declining, consider OS reinstallation:
   - Demote the PC from the domain
   - Reinstall the operating system
   - Rejoin to the domain
   - Test functionality after clean installation

The root cause may be related to SSD degradation affecting OS stability, as similar performance issues have been observed on other systems with SSDs showing health percentages in the low 90s.

## References

- Source discussion: `spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/VVCBZwL7F7s`
- Attachments: ![image.png](../attachments/VVCBZwL7F7s.J05efYEiEdQ/image.png) — **CrystalDiskInfo 9.4.4 x64** displays an **SK Hynix SC311 SATA 256GB** SSD (Serial: **MJ8AN58791050AK0P**, Firmware: **70000P10**) reporting **Health Status: Good at 96%**, temperature **32°C**, with **29,977 Power On Hours** and **441 Power On Cycles**. Total Host Reads: **19,091 GB**, Total Host Writes: **36,944 GB**; all SMART attributes show **Current/Worst values above thresholds** with all Raw Values at zero except Power-On Hours (**0000000075 19**), Total Erase Count (**00000195DF5**), Unexpected Power Loss Count (**000000000 13B**), Wear Leveling Count (**00000000003B**), and UnUsed Reserved Block Count (**000000002E7**). The **Wear Leveling Count Worst value reads 1**, which is notably low compared to the Current value of 97.

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