A couple of issues with Windows Explorer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brett
  • Start date Start date
B

Brett

1. Why doesn't it keep the window size that I close with. Every time I
open it, the window is at some default much smaller size than I'd like. I
resize it but it never remembers this. WinXP always does.

2. It's very slow. I click "Computer" to get a listing of my drives. The
progress bar moves across the top horizontally. It takes a few seconds
before anything appears. Once the drives are there, it's very fast. But
why this initial slowness? I have an E6600 Core2 Duo, 4GB DDR2 667 SDRAM,
and a 7200 HD with plenty of space.

Thanks,
Brett
 
Open Windows Explorer and place your cursor at one of
the corners of the window, stretch the window to your desired size,
then from the Toolbar select File > Close.

Have you installed the latest Windows Vista video drivers
for your video card? Check the web site of the manufacturer
of your video card for Windows Vista WHQL drivers.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

1. Why doesn't it keep the window size that I close with. Every time I
open it, the window is at some default much smaller size than I'd like. I
resize it but it never remembers this. WinXP always does.

2. It's very slow. I click "Computer" to get a listing of my drives. The
progress bar moves across the top horizontally. It takes a few seconds
before anything appears. Once the drives are there, it's very fast. But
why this initial slowness? I have an E6600 Core2 Duo, 4GB DDR2 667 SDRAM,
and a 7200 HD with plenty of space.

Thanks,
Brett
 
Brett--

When you manually resize the explorer folder use File>Close or the X but
hold down the control key will get you window memory while closing.
Popunders can throw this off behind the scenes, and when one does, just
repeat.

As to slow opening, it usually boils down to CPU demand and I use these
steps to speed things up:


Speed PC and Control CPU Tips/Steps
SPEED AND CPU:
_______________
1) Trim processes you don't need in TM. Google them or "search engine of
your choice them" if you have to.

2) Go to

services.msc in run box and turn off services not needed and there are some.

Vista Services Guide Part 1
http://www.tweakvista.com/article38662.aspx

Vista Services Guide Part 2
http://www.tweakvista.com/article38664.aspx

3) Run System File Checker.

SFC: http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

In Vista run it from an elevated command prompt. Right click command on
start and run as administrator.

4) Run 3 or so spyware scans Windows Defender, , Adaware, and Spybot

5) Probably the most important for speed consistently and efficient resource
use DEFRAG with www.raxco.com or www.diskeeeper.com with 15% free space on
drive if DK and or >5% if Raxco's Perfect Disk.
http://groups.msn.com/windowsxpcentral/spyware.msnw Download Adaware and

Spybot from here.
GOOD Overall Review for Defending Your PC:
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
MSFT Defense Site MSFT Security:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
Protect Your PC from MSFT Security:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.mspx
MSFT Windows Defender
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
MSFT MSRT: (Malicious Software Removal Tool)
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
MSFT "Windows One Care" in Wings (AV and Spyware Scans)
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/may05/05-13WindowsOneCarePR.mspx


6) Unck items from msconfig start tab you don't need starting and some
won't start--peoiple who think just uncking for many are naive because there
are 12 places things can be started including several reg keys like Run Once
keys and there are serveral.

7) Turn off Messaging service--it's a security vulnerability and it slows
you

8) Defrag very often every other day actually.

9) Turn off indexing.

10) Clear TIF and %temp% files (delete) and go to safe mode to get as many
as u can.

10) Do troubleshooting with msconfig.

11) Do Clean boot with msconfig utility and search for the directions here:

SERVICE CONFIGURATION REFERENCES*

*Vista Services*

Part One
http://www.tweakvista.com/article38662.aspx

Part Two
http://www.tweakvista.com/article38664.aspx

Windows Vista Services Tweak Guide v1.0
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=87443

Vista RTM Tweak Guide (Tweaks to Improve Performances)
http://www.google.com/search?source...,GGLJ:2006-47,GGLJ:en&q=vista+rtm+tweak+guide

1) Task Manager lists the services on the services tab in Vista.

2) Type services.msc in run box and using the list of services, click the
service and you'll get a description of services.

3) There is a list here of the default services and a description>>click
"default settings for services" in the left pane.
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Windo...afb8-43ce-b39d-50e6d5b89bf81033.mspx?mfr=true

4) To view service dependencies
1.
Open Services.

2.
In the details pane, right-click the service that you want to view
dependencies for, and then click Properties.

3.
Click the Dependencies tab.

4.
To view services that are associated dependencies of the selected service,
in the list on the Dependencies tab, click the plus sign next to the
service.

Many of the services but not all in Vista are the same as in XP, so in that
context:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/services.htm

Also see the extremely helpful site:
Black Viper's Service List

http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP Services.htm


Black Viper's Site (Many of the same services in Vista)
http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP Services.htm

http://www.z123.org/techsupport/xpservices.htm
http://www.geocities.com/ziyadhosein/xpserv1.htm
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
This will be helpful
http://web.archive.org/web/20041128084144/www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
______________________________________________________________________________________________
How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560/
Resources for troubleshooting startup problems in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308041/
How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316434
How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/
How to Disable a Service or Device that Prevents Windows from Starting
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310602/

Also ck out these references:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,5155,00.asp
http://www.speedupyourcomputer.windowsreinstall.com/index.htm and
http://www.extremetech.com/search_r...=how+to+speed+windows+xp&filterapp=&site=4P.S.

Defragging with a decent defrag every day will make a huge dent inefficient
resource/CPU use.Good luck,CH
Perfect Disk has a 5 month full functionality trial on now for Windows
Vista.

Good luck,

CH
 
Do you have any mapped network drives or external media? Sometimes
retrieving the state of network drives or even CDROM drives can take a few
seconds when opening Computer or My Computer.

Dale
 
Carey Frisch said:
Open Windows Explorer and place your cursor at one of
the corners of the window, stretch the window to your desired size,
then from the Toolbar select File > Close.
Click to expand...

Yep - doesn't save it.
Have you installed the latest Windows Vista video drivers
for your video card? Check the web site of the manufacturer
of your video card for Windows Vista WHQL drivers.
Click to expand...

Thanks on this. I see they do over those drivers:
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scr...dows+Vista*+32&lang=eng&strOSs=164&submit=Go!.
I installed and rebooted but it doesn't seem to help.

Brett
 
Dale said:
Do you have any mapped network drives or external media? Sometimes
retrieving the state of network drives or even CDROM drives can take a few
seconds when opening Computer or My Computer.
Click to expand...

I have mapped drives but if that was the problem, wouldn't it be slow in XP
(same network)? By comparison, XP takes about 2 - 3 seconds before
everything is displayed. Vista takes 8 - 10 seconds.

Thanks,
Brett
 
I have found lots of things slower in Vista, especially explorer.exe items,
such as copying or moving files and deleting them.
 
Yes--this is a good disappointing point. Even when you do everything
possible to minimize CPU draw. And I continue to see the "glitch" some
times when you move a file from one folder to another that there is a hang
delay with that progress bar up if the file is a certain size or if the
folder you move has a certain number of files within it..

CH
 
Clear back to DOS, W95, and Windows NT, you could complete a delete of tens
of thousands of files in a few seconds. Now it takes many seconds to
calculate the time it will take and even longer to do the delete. The
problem of showing too much information has long been a problem in Windows
Explorer.

It kind of reminds me of the review recently discussed here comparing Vista
to MacOS where it talked about all the notifications from Windows Vista.
Sometimes it is just better to shut up and do the job rather than spend
several seconds and clicks telling us what it is going to do, then what it
is doing, and then, when it's all done, tell us what it did.

Dale
 
It's well over 15 seconds when I save as from an app then click the top
address bar to see a folder listing. That just takes forever in all kinds
of apps.
 
LOL agreed.

CH

Dale said:
Clear back to DOS, W95, and Windows NT, you could complete a delete of
tens of thousands of files in a few seconds. Now it takes many seconds to
calculate the time it will take and even longer to do the delete. The
problem of showing too much information has long been a problem in Windows
Explorer.

It kind of reminds me of the review recently discussed here comparing
Vista to MacOS where it talked about all the notifications from Windows
Vista. Sometimes it is just better to shut up and do the job rather than
spend several seconds and clicks telling us what it is going to do, then
what it is doing, and then, when it's all done, tell us what it did.

Dale
Click to expand...
 
That's spot on.

I was at a friend's house the other day, he
was messing around with his computer.
This particular machine was running
Windows 2000 Professional, installed on
a three old computer. He was zipping around
Windows Explorer, moving files, and deleting
files at speeds I had almost forgotten about.

XP deletes/moves/copies files much quicker than Vista, too.

-Michael
 
Does this slowness have something to do with the indexing and "restore
previous versions" features?
 
Indexing maybe, but it wouldn't be caused by Shadow Copies (the branding for
the previous versions snapshots).
 
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