Windows Explorer and 'My Computer' extremely slow to open file folders.

Question

Occasionally, after a reboot or a cold boot, Windows Explorer and 'My Computer' take several (5-10) minutes to display the file tree. In these instance, other programs such a PhotoPaint that use Explorer, also take forever to open and display file folder contents. This problem seems to happen without warning and I cannot identify anything that each instance has in common with the others. Sometimes turning the computer off completely and back on fixes it, usually it has no effect. Sometimes this lasts several days, sometimes it's fixed the next time I turn the computer on.   I know others have had this problem, but I have never seen a definitive answer or fix. Has anyone successfully identified the cause and the fix?   Doug

arthr · Answer

Do you have enough RAM? If not Windows will create a 'swap file' (virtual memory) on the HDD. If Windows needs to use the file things can be real slow while it's swaping files.

mombodog · Answer

I had a similar problem in the past and it was a problem with the context menu (right click on a folder) in the windows shell. It is usually add on software that adds something to the right click context menu that causes this problem. Here is a link to a program that will show you everything in the windows shell, you only need to look for the 'context menu' in the 'type' column of this software when you run it. This program will not tell you which one is causing the problem but will allow you to disable the one you suspect is causing the problem.   http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

dougvg · Answer

I may have found the answer in another forum. I suspended the 'WIA' - Windows Image Acquire - service, rebooted and all is ok - for now.

Windows General

Windows Explorer and "My Computer" extremely slow to open file folders.

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