Creative Cloud Desktop install crashes Windows Explorer and hangs

Question

This all started with my inability to activate Adobe Acrobat on my computer after wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the OS.
I had no trouble initially downloading or installing anything from the Adobe Creative Cloud. I ran several apps and they worked (albeit in trial mode for a day or two)
And then the Initial Problem: Trying to Activate Adobe Acrobat failed to get pass the sign-in screen.
It would hang for about 30 minutes and then come back to the error that the computer's clock must be incorrect or an error with the Internet connection. (It's a standard error documented on Adobe's site that says you need to make sure your computer can really get to all of Adobe's activation servers/sites/etc. I double-checked everything in the troubleshooting list to be sure but found nothing wrong with the computer or the ability to get to Adobe's sites.
Exasperated. I went online for tech support. It was definately Level 1 support (had me checking all the stuff I had already spent an hour checking - and had already told him I tested it all).
Anyway, I spent an hour on the chat with Adobe Tech Support going through the usual stuff.
He had me check virus programs, computer clock, conenctions to Adobe sites (like the licensing servers). But nothing ever helped or worked. Then he told me to try going directly to the Adobe Creative Cloud site and trying to download and install the Creative Cloud desktop manager. I did that but it hangs when it launches the manager on the initial window with a black/grey Creative Cloud bar at the top (with the tool drop-down on the right side) but the rest of the window never loads.
After an hour of going in circles I decided it would be better to try again later with someone in second-level support.
In the meantime, I uninstalled ALL Adobe applications. There is no Flash-Player, no Acrobat Reader - nothing from Adobe in my programs list.
I then tried to download and install the Adobe Application Manager. It works up to the point where it launches the Creative Cloud Desktop tools and then hangs at the same place.
There is a Creative Cloud window with the normal black/grey bar at the top - but the rest of the window (where you would normally see and load the apps from) stays empty.
I have rebooted the computer several times to be sure it is a fresh start. That has not helped at all. One additional thing I have noticed in these multiple attempts is that when the Creative Cloud Desktop Manager installer gets about 95% done, it causes Windows Explorer to crash (not Internet Explorer but Windows Explorer). Once Windows Explorer resets, Creative Cloud continues the installation but then opens the window (above) that has nothing but the black/grey header.
I'm struggling for what to do next. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Right now I am paying $50 a month for something I can't even install or use.
For what it's worth, the system is an HP laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate x64. 8GB of RAM and plenty of HDD space. All security updates applied and Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1. I doubt that any of that last line is relevant since I could run all of this with no problem before wiping the hard drive AND it was all running with no problem - other than Activating Acrobat at the start of this whole issue.

Answer 1

Jim,
You are a lifesaver! I can't think of how many additional hours of frustration you just saved me - but Thank You!!
After posting, I had determined (like you said), that Explorer must be doing that for a reason. I created a new user profile on the system (added a user temporarily) and observed the same behavior of Windows Explorer (stopping/starting) but then continuing to work as it should. At that point I knew the answer was somewhere in the user's profile but I would have had no idea where to look. The opm.db file was indeed the culprit.
I sure do appreciate the excellent help.
Jay