Help!!! Can't open new windows

[elementals]

I get a error message that says Explorer crashed or something, I don't remember what it says but its not Internet Explorer its Explorer and I can't open new windows and search the Internet or anything like that. I want to access files from my documents but I can't really do anything but move around the desktop and stuff like that. All icons and toolbars are there.

Oh yeah I am running Windows 98. Must I re-install it, I don't want to lose my files.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Lone Wolf]

It would be helpful if you could atleast say when you get the error message. Is it when you are playing games? surfing on-line? working on a document????

Also when it does give you that error message, what do you do afterwards? Reboot?

 

[DB_13]

Explorer encountered a problem? These are usually what are called exceptions if there is not a piece of code to handle this then the system stops these can also be called bugs you can get them from any program that has one I had one once it deleted a couple programs. But I found him and deleted him and the program he came in then fixed the program anyway what you could do is go to microsoft's website and try downloading updates.