Win7 "Explorer.exe" Question: Multiple instances stay running.

As the title suggests, I have a question about the "Explorer.exe" process:

When Windows starts, "Explorer.exe" is automatically started as part of the GUI. Perfectly normal. When I open Windows Explorer to browse my drives, another copy of "Explorer.exe" is loaded into memory. Again, normal.

What seems abnormal to me is, over time, as I continue to open and close Windows Explorer and browse my drives, multiple instances of "Explorer.exe" remain running in memory, chewing up RAM until I forcibly close them with Task Manager. I counted 4 instances running at once, when I last closed them.

I've gone down my usual checklist of virus, trojan, worm, rootkit, spyware, and malware scans. All were clean.

Not having used Vista, and being new to Windows 7, is there something I am missing here? Is it normal for multiple instances of "Explorer.exe" to remain running even when all programs are closed and no file browsing windows are open?

Ideas/Comments welcomed.

--DKnight

EDIT: Currently running the x64 edition of Win7 Ultimate, just FYI.

 

Just throw that code into a text file with .ps1 extention, then click Run With PowerShell, right? I'll give this a try, thanks.

--DKnight

 

Lots of replies since I went to bed last nite.

@Mr Jinje - I tried your code snippet via PowerShell, but it errors out with 4 lines of red text inside the dos window, then the window disappears before I can read the exact message. Gonna try to cut+paste code into an already-running PowerShell window, instead of running via a file on my desktop.

@orhtejgalen - Just read your linked article. Cool stuff.
Having Windows Explorer default to My Computer, rather than Libraries which I don't use, helps me move around abit faster.
However, it hasn't solved the multiple-explorer-copies issue, sadly.

@Searinox - I do use uTorrent on a regular basis. However, I tend to keep it running in the background and forget about it. I think I've used "Open Containing Folder" on a torrent within uTorrent twice in the last 3 weeks or so. You were right on it opening a new instance of explorer.exe with each click of "Open containing Folder". I can also confirm that after uTorrent opens another Explorer.exe process, when I close that window, the Process still runs in the background until I close it.

All versions of Explorer.exe that I see running are always x64. I never see "32" next to them.

- - - - -

At this point I'm sure uTorrent is causing part of the problem, but it still doesn't explain why I can browse via My Computer normally, and Explorer.exe stays open at-random after closing. (no uTorrent running)
I'll keep poking around and post again if I find anything interesting. Thanks for the responses folks.

--DKnight

EDIT:

@Phazor - Just checked for that, and yes, somehow that was enabled. That's not a setting I normally mess with; is that enabled by default? Anyway, it's off now and I'll keep testing.

 

@Mr Jinje - Just ran that command, then tried your original code snippet again, and errored out with this text:

Code:

"Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

PS C:\Users\DKnight2066> Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Execution Policy Change
The execution policy helps protect you from scripts that you do not trust.
Changing the execution policy might expose you to the security risks described
in the about_Execution_Policies help topic. Do you want to change the execution
 policy?
[Y] Yes  [N] No   Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"): y

PS C:\Users\DKnight2066> Get-Process explorer  Sort-Object -descending CPU  Sele
ct-Object -Skip 1 ID  ForEach-Object -Process {Stop-Process -Id $_.ID}

Get-Process : Cannot evaluate parameter 'Name' because its argument is specifie
d as a script block and there is no input. A script block cannot be evaluated w
ithout input.
At line:1 char:101
+ Get-Process explorer  Sort-Object -descending CPU  Select-Object -Skip 1 ID
ForEach-Object -Process <<<<  {Stop-Process -Id $_.ID}
    + CategoryInfo          : MetadataError: (:) [Get-Process], ParameterBindi
   ngException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ScriptBlockArgumentNoInput,Microsoft.PowerShell.
   Commands.GetProcessCommand

PS C:\Users\DKnight2066>"

 

Agreed, it worked this time. Code ran with no errors, then the Powershell box closed itself.

Thanks.

--DKnight