Windows Explorer (Windows XP Pro SP2) formerly launched and opened within 1-2 seconds, but is now taking 30-45 seconds.  During the period between starting Windows Explorer (WindowsShiftKey+E) and the appearance of the application, there is no noticeable disk activity.

A reboot or cold start of the PC does not solve the problem, and there is no malware on the machine (as reported by Norton Internet Security 2006, Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.0, Ad-Aware SE Professional, and SpyBot).  I have examined all active running processes as well as all startup items, and nothing is awry.  With the exception of this one problem, the PC is operating properly in all other respects.

In searching the web, it appears that the issue has been widespread and is often due to:

• Bad media in a floppy/CD/DVD drive, which Windows Explorer cannot read
  
• A mapped network drive that is unavailable
  
• Conflicts with the Windows Image Acquisition service (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;819017)
  
• Defective operation of the Desktop.ini cache (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=898612)

I have confirmed that none of the above are responsible for the slow behavior of Windows Explorer on my PC – and thus am at a loss to determine the source of the problem.

Any recommendations?

Pleonasm,

A few months ago two of my kids' computers had a similar problem. Windows Explorer would take a minute or so to load on the first occasion and load in 1 to 2 seconds on subsequent occasions. Rebooting started the minute to load on the first occasion cycle. NAV found the same malware in both computers but removing it didn't correct the problem. I restored images from the previous week and the problem was fixed. I can't remember what NAV found.

Open Windows Explorer.
1. Click on the Folders icon so you have the traditional two-panel display.  
2. Select/Highlight "My Network Places" in the left panel, and then look at the right panel and see if you have any shortcuts there, specifically any shortcuts that point to Internet locations, websites or ftp locations.  If there ARE any there on the right panel, delete them.  Leftover web shortcuts are often culprits in the slow startup.

Additionally, clear your recent documents list which can also cause the slowdown you describe, especially if a file/document you recently opened was a remote one:
1. Right Click in the properties toolbar
2. Start Menu
3. Customize
4. Advanced
5. My Recent Documents -- select "Clear List"
6. Enter

Brian and Ghost4me, thank you for the suggestions.

Brian, I ran Norton AntiVirus 2006 again with the most recent definitions, and it detected no concerns.  Thus, I don't believe that malware is the cause of the problem in my case.

Ghost4me, the "My Network Places" did not contain any shortcuts.  (A good troubleshooting idea, nonetheless!)

However, the problem does appear to be related – in some unknown way – to the MRU (Most Recently Used) tracking functionality of Windows.  Although "C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Recent" is empty, a right-click of the Start button & Properties & Start Menu-Customize & Advanced & Recent Documents-Clear List results in the display of an "hourglass" and the operation does not terminate.

Perhaps this problem will become the motivation I need to adopt one of the better file managers for Windows XP as a replacement for Windows Explorer.  Do you have any experience with or recommendations for one?

A review of file managers may be found here, and a comprehensive listing of file manager options here.

Pleonasm wrote on Jul 16^th, 2006 at 2:20pm:

However, the problem does appear to be related – in some unknown way – to the MRU (Most Recently Used) tracking functionality of Windows.  Although "C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Recent" is empty, a right-click of the Start button & Properties & Start Menu-Customize & Advanced & Recent Documents-Clear List results in the display of an "hourglass" and the operation does not terminate.

I don't think you waited long enough.  Wait longer.  It may take awhile because of the location of some of the links.  You're getting close to the problem I think.

Or manually delete them by navigating to:
c:\Documents and Settings\your-logon-userid\Start Menu\Recent
Then delete all the shortcuts in the right hand panel.

Then try properties approach again.

Another thing:  While in Windows Explorer...Recent folder, select Tools/Folder Options/View/ and UNCHECK "Automatically search for network folders and printers". ok, ok, etc.

Also delete your Temporary Internet Files.

Don't blame the messenger (Windows Explorer) for the message yet.

However, one free one I like is explorer2 lite or pro:

http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm

Pleonasm

I've been using *PowerDesk4*--the version 4.xx when it was still by OnTrack--it's the *free* version--just occasional nag screen that you can *Cancel* out of asking if you want to purchase the *Pro* version--the link sends you to the OnTrack website--but they sold the program to another company now--the latest version is 6.xx, I think, and it may be a trial/shareware--no longer *free*.

Used it since Win95, onto Win98se, and now on WinXP--still offers all the functions I need--I suspect there are newer file manager functions that I'm unaware of--but, until one becomes a *must have* that I become aware of--I'm good with this version!

Regarding the slow loading of Windows Explorer--I saw something about a networking issue--but that may have been when logging onto WinXP--system was looking for a network share, or something to that effect, that was no longer there--and Windows kept looking until a *time-out* occurred.

I doubt that this applies, but be sure that you don't have a cdrom or dvd in one of your drives.  Any "refresh" of locations will slow down.

Also, try doing a c: search for "ftp" just to verify there aren't any ftp shortcuts stored in some unusual place.

Ghost4m3, your advice that "I don't think you waited long enough.  Wait longer." was correct, at least in so far as the operation completed after about 15 minutes.  I also disabled the option "Automatically search for network folders and printers" in Windows Explorer, cleared all Temporary Internet Files, and delete all items in the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Recent".  Unfortunately, the problem still persists.

In the spirit of troubleshooting, here are a few other observations that may be pertinent.

(1) Using WindowsShiftKey+E to launch Windows Explorer results in about a 30 second delay before the application is launched.  Interestingly, however, clicking on the following shortcut starts Windows Explorer immediately:

    C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe /e,"C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Documents"

Therefore, the behavior is different depending upon the method by which Windows Explorer is launched (keyboard shortcut versus program shortcut).

(2) Opening a Microsoft Word 2003 document by clicking on the file name displayed within Windows Explorer results in about a 45 second delay before the application is launched and the document is loaded.  However, if Word is invoked directly (through the Start -> All Programs menu), it starts promptly; and if the document is then selected from within Word (File -> Open), it opens instantly.  A .PDF document, in contrast, opens immediately when the file name is clicked within Windows Explorer.

Could some aspect of Norton Internet Security 2006 be responsible for this issue?  As a test, I did disable the two features "Program component monitoring" and "Program launch monitoring", as well as disabling the Norton AntiVirus option "Turn Office Plug-in on".  Yet, these changes did not alter the behaviors I have reported (alas!).

What might the above observations suggest?

P.S.:  Couldn't find any FTP shortcuts on the PC, and the behavior of Windows Explorer is the same whether or not a disc is inserted within either or both of the two optical drives on the machine.

P.S.:  NightOwl and Ghost4me, I'll wait a bit before trying one of your recommended file managers.

OK, looks like you're making some progress.

The ShiftKey+E and the opening by double-clicking issue suggest there is a problem with the context handling.  For example, when you select a file and choose "Open with", then XP has to search through all the file associations and present a list to you to choose from one.  It can be painfully slow if you have a long list, slow pc, or corrupted file associations.

I know there are utilities that display/modify all the context handling.  I will have to think about it and see if I can find some references, but you might try googling in that area.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=context+right+click

It's possible that one of your context pointers or file association pointers is pointing off to some invalid location, which is why it is taking so long.

Have a look at some of the searches above.

Pleonasm wrote on Jul 16^th, 2006 at 2:20pm:

Brian, I ran Norton AntiVirus 2006 again with the most recent definitions, and it detected no concerns.  Thus, I don't believe that malware is the cause of the problem in my case.

Pleo, I don't know the answer but there were a few inconsistencies with NAV. I looked back at images taken over the few weeks prior to our problem and the malware files were present but were not being detected by NAV on the weekly scans. The Symantec site indicated that definitions for this malware had been available for over a year. In the Norton Ghost 9 plugin, cmdow.exe is now being detected as malware by NAV (last month or so) and definitions have been available since Jan 2004.

Does your Windows Explorer open properly on the second and subsequent attempts?

I didn't fix our problem with NAV. I restored an image.

Ghost4me, I'll take a look at the context-handling approach, and report back.

Also note that I did a search of the registry for any values with the "\\" designation, and found no network references.  Additionally, while blocking all Internet access (using Norton Internet Security 2006), the Windows Explorer problems remain.

Brian, I do have (fortunately) a Ghost 10 image that was created shortly before the appearance of this problem.  I would prefer to identify the root cause and solve it, but - if unsuccessful - will restore the image.

Pleo, does Windows Explorer open within a few seconds on the second and subsequent attempts?

Pleonasm, I doubt that this will solve your problem, but it's a free program that I think you will be interested in:

MRU Blaster
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/mrublaster.html

Brian, (1) concerning your comments in Reply #11 (“The Symantec site indicated that definitions for this malware had been available for over a year”), are you saying that there is a problem with LiveUpdate not downloading or maintaining the most recent virus definitions?  Did you try to use Symantec’s Intelligent Updater rather than LiveUpdate?  How did you get the virus definition file that was successful in identifying the malware?

(2) Can you kindly provide information on the files which are indicative of the presence of the malware ("I looked back at images taken over the few weeks prior to our problem and the malware files were present but were not being detected by NAV on the weekly scans")?

(3) When using the WindowsShiftKey+E method to launch Windows Explorer, the delay occurs on the first as well as all subsequent attempts.  The delay also occurs whether or not a Windows Explorer window is already open.  However, using the “program shortcut” method to launch Windows Explorer (see Reply #8 ) seems to consistently result in Windows Explorer appearing quickly.

Ghost4me, concerning the clearing of MRU items, Microsoft has made available a registry script to do this task (see “ClearMRU.reg” in the article Customizing Your PC with the Windows XP Registry).  Ad-Aware SE Professional can also be used to detect and clear MRU items.

Please keep the ideas coming.  More “detective work” yet to be done . . . .

Ghost4me, for your reference, you may be interested in ShellExView, a free tool to investigate context-menu problems in Windows Explorer.

Quote:

Brian, (1) concerning your comments in Reply #11 (“The Symantec site indicated that definitions for this malware had been available for over a year”), are you saying that there is a problem with LiveUpdate not downloading or maintaining the most recent virus definitions?  Did you try to use Symantec’s Intelligent Updater rather than LiveUpdate?  How did you get the virus definition file that was successful in identifying the malware?

I mainly use LiveUpdate and the definitions in my computers are always current. Occasionally I try Intelligent Updater. LiveUpdate would be responsible for the definitions that identified the malware.


Quote:

(2) Can you kindly provide information on the files which are indicative of the presence of the malware ("I looked back at images taken over the few weeks prior to our problem and the malware files were present but were not being detected by NAV on the weekly scans")?

Sorry. This is now very relevant but I didn't record the names. I can't be certain that these agents caused the problem with two of my computers but it's very likely. Two computers with the same Windows Explorer problem and the same malware.

In the case of cmdow.exe, it had definitely been in my computer for over a year. In two places. Symantec claim definitions have been available since Jan 2004. I've submitted cmdow.exe to online scans and only a few companies regard it as malware.

Thanks, Brian, for the post.  I run LiveUpdate automatically upon Windows startup, and so my Norton AntiVirus definitions are always current.

Concerning my problem with Windows Explorer, I have run "sfc /scannow" and it reported no difficulities.  Additionally, I have re-registered Shell32.dll ("regsvr2 /i shell32.dll") as described here.  Unfortunately, the issue remains . . . .

Pleo, is your CPU on 100% while you are waiting for Windows Explorer to open? I think mine was.

No, Brian - there is little (if any) disk activity between the time Windows Explorer is launched (using WindowsShiftKey+E) and the time the application appears, and the CPU usage is minimal during this 30-second interval.
The subjective appearance of the system is that Windows Explorer is "waiting" for something, and after a time-out criterion is reached, it starts.

Pleonasm

There seem to be some interesting *clues* here--but I'm not sure what to make of them.

You said you have a backup that pre-dates when the problem began--so you must have some good idea of when this started--what changes in the system occurred just before the problem started--install of some new program, Windows Update, other program updates......? ? ? ?

I wonder how the *WindowsShiftKey+E* keyboard shortcut differs from using the *“program shortcut” method*--is there a registry key that defines how the keyboard shortcut acts?

On my system the *WindowsShiftKey+E* opens *My Computer* with it's own view of the system, while the *program shortcut* for Windows Explorer has this command--*%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe*--and it opens Windows Explorer focused on *My Documents*--so the two commands are not exactly the same function call!

Pleonasm

This is an interesting article that discusses using ProcessExplorer
from Sysinternals.com to see what's going on while waiting for Windows Explorer to delete an *in use* file--maybe you could use this to see what's taking place while there's a delay in the opening of Windows Explorer:

Eliminating Explorer's delay when deleting an in-use file

Pleonasm

Also found this on *Kelleys Korner's* website, across for the item #157 in the right column--*Prevent Delay Opening My Computer/Explorer*:

Registry Edits for Windows XP

If you download the registry *tweak*, and open it with *Notepad*, you see the following:


Quote:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stisvc] "Start"=dword:00000004 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced] "NoNetCrawling"=dword:00000001 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoRemoteRecursiveEvents"=dword:00000001

Maybe this could help?!

Building upon the observations of NightOwl, it seems that there are really two fundamental problems occurring.

Problem #1:  WindowsKey+E launches Windows Explorer with about a 30 second delay, whereas invoking Windows Explorer through other methods results in an immediate launch (e.g., using “Start -> My Computer”, or clicking on a program shortcut to “C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe /e,"C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Documents").

Therefore, the root cause of the problem may not be with Windows Explorer per se, but with the mapping of the WindowsKey+E keyboard shortcut to the Windows Explorer application.

Question:  How does Windows XP Pro SP2 “know” that the WindowsKey+E is associated with Windows Explorer?  Where is this information stored?

Problem #2:  When using Windows Explorer, clicking on a document associated with Office 2003 applications (“*.DOC”, “*.XLS”, or “*.PPT”) results in about a 30-45 second delay before the application is launched and the document is loaded and appears.  However, if an Office application is invoked directly (through the “Start -> All Programs” menu), it starts promptly; and if the document is then selected from within the application (using “File -> Open”), it opens instantly.  Additionally, clicking on other non-Office document types (e.g., “*.PDF”) within Windows Explorer operate as expected, immediately opening the application with the document loaded.

Therefore, it appears that the association between Office 2003 files types (“*.DOC”, “*.XLS”, or “*.PPT”) and the corresponding applications have been corrupted.

With the above analysis in mind, what troubleshooting steps might you recommend?

P.S.:  NightOwl, thanks for the ideas in Reply #22 and #23.  I’ll take a look, and report back.

NightOwl, the registry edits documented in Reply #23 are designed to (A) disable Autoplay on removable drives, (B) disable “net crawl” functionality (same as Windows Explorer -> Tools -> Folder Options –> View -> “Automatically search for network folder and printers”), and to (C) bypass possible problems with mapped network drives.  Since the issues I have described occur without removable media present in the floppy/optical drives and the PC is not on a network, I don’t see that the registry edits are applicable.  Nonetheless, it was good troubleshooting idea, and I appreciate the suggestion.

One idea to correct the “WindowKey+E” problem is to use the AutohotKey utility to explicitly “reprogram” that key combination to launch Windows Explorer as illustrated in the technique described here.

Concerning your comment in Reply #21 about “what changes in the system occurred just before the problem started”, I can’t be 100% sure, but I believe the most recent Windows XP updates (issued on July 11th and including several critical security updates for the Office 2003 applications) may be the instigating factor.  I also upgraded from Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5 to version 5.0 and from Macromedia Flash Player 8 to version 9; however, these are probably fairly benign alternations.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm

Ghost4me, thanks again for the troubleshooting idea.  I have not used ShellExView (see Reply #16) , but will give it a try if some of the hypotheses I have yet to test prove to be false.

By way of an update, concerning “Problem #2” (see Reply #24) with Office 2003, I have tested the following (but with no positive impact).

• Running “CHKDSK /R” and "sfc /scannow" did not reveal any problems.
  
• Running "winword /unregserver" followed by "winword /regserver" (and the same for "excel" and "powerpnt") has not corrected the problem.
  
• Running "Detect and Repair" on the Help Menu from Word and from Excel did not correct the problem.
  
• Running "Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, Microsoft Office 2003, Change, Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation" did not correct the problem.

More information to follow . . . .

I had a similar problem, not exactly the same but in case it helps...

I have a laptop with a single 100Gb Drive. There are two partitions, Drive C: 40Gb; Drive D: 60Gb. Both use NTFS.

Recently, in Explore when clicking on Drive D: it's been taking an age to display the folders and files in the right pane.

I created a shortcut to the top level folder that I use most and this opened instantly. Eventually I decided to try to fix the problem and discovered that Drive D: was almost full, just 2.6Gb free space.

I deleted some  redundant files (a backup of an old hard drive) and now have 17Gb free. The drive now opens instantly.

I also decided to lower the Windows "Restore" from 12% of disk size, some 7Gb, to 2Gb. I was not too sure that this was really needed for a data partition but figured I could spare 2Gb!

Golden Rule of Troubleshooting
"Whenever you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
Much to my surprise and chagrin, the root source of the problems documented in this thread is the installation of a new sound card driver.  Reverting to the original driver solved both the difficulties (A) with the Windows+E keyboard shortcut and (B) with the launching of Office 2003 applications by clicking on a file name within Windows Explorer.  (Who would have guessed?)

Pleonasm

Glad you finally found the problem--now when exactly did you install that sound card driver  ;) ?!

Pleo, amazing perseverance.

Pleonasm

The thought occurred--yes, you found the *system change* that caused that behavior change--but, it's still curious that that *system change* effected the key board short cut in a different manner than opening Windows Explorer directly.

There must be a different *command line syntax* that is being called by the keyboard short cut that was effected by that sound card driver--but did not effect the direct open command.