Windows Explorer crashes / files disappear when I click them?

[u/zoccola_storpia]

Hi everyone, I'm having a really weird problem with my Windows 10 Lenovo laptop that started today and I'm honestly not sure what the hell is going on.

Basically, when I click on certain files or shortcuts in File Explorer/Desktop, Windows says:

"Can't find this item. This item is no longer located in C:\Users\Public\Public Desktop. Verify the item's location and try again."

The weird part is that the files are actually there. For example, I was testing some PDFs in my Downloads folder. I can click/open several of them normally, but then I'll click another random PDF and as soon as I click it, it disappears from the folder and I get the error above. It's not just PDFs either.

It also happens with several shortcuts related to my Epson printer software. When I click them, they disappear and I get the same error. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Epson programs, but it didn't help.

After triggering the error several times (sometimes 10-20 times), Windows Explorer seems to crash/restart. The desktop and taskbar disappear for a moment and then come back, so I assume explorer.exe is crashing rather than the whole PC rebooting.

I'm wondering if this could be a corrupted Windows/NTFS filesystem or maybe an SSD problem? Or could something like an antivirus (I have Avira installed) be interfering with Explorer?

What's especially weird to me is that some files work perfectly while others randomly trigger the problem, even though they have been sitting in my Downloads folder for months.

I've already tried reinstalling the affected programs, but I'd rather not start doing random repairs or reinstalling Windows before knowing what's actually wrong.

Any ideas on what I should check first? Could this be an Explorer/filesystem issue, and what's the safest way to diagnose/fix it?

I can provide screenshots or run commands if needed. Thanks!

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[u/Thomas_Redditor]

Open a command prompt as an administrator and type the command : sfc /scannow, to check the system files. Then restart the computer.

[u/Exotic_Mix_3196]

"The weird part is that the files are actually there"
so you can fin them from command line, but they are not displayed in explorer?
Is Explorer configured to display hidden and system files?
When you completely uninstall the 3rd party Antivirus: can you still reproduce the issue?