如何使用 NSIS 安装程序重新启动 explorer.exe？

Question

Running the following (hacky) code will gracefully shut down explorer.exe, but re-opens it as a window (not the taskbar).

FindWindow $R0 "Shell_TrayWnd"
SendMessage $R0 0x5B4 0 0
Exec "explorer"

However, if I type "explorer" from a cmd window, it opens the taskbar just fine.

Someone is bound to ask "Why do you want to kill explorer.exe?" -- to these people, I say, "shell extensions :|"

Answer 1

You can try adding a Sleep before the Exec call. (Explorer calls undocumented shell functions to register itself as Progman+Taskbar, if the old explorer process still exists this call will fail)

There are of course other problems. There can be other applications that also have your extension loaded or even another Explorer if you are registered under HKCR/HKLM.

Answer 2

I want to refresh desktop icon after installed app, so I try to restart explorer with exec bat file in nsis, But it doesn't work(sometime it just pop explorer windows, and toolbar disappear). Finally I find the plug-in( https://nsis.sourceforge.io/NsRestartExplorer_plug-in ), that solve my problem.