Explorer.exe hangs up on large avi files

  • Thread starter Thread starter johnstockett
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johnstockett

I am running Win XP Pro on 2.4 Ghz, 512 Mb RAM, 120 GB
HD, fully updated/patched, no antivirus.

Everytime I go to "My Videos" (I believe it is large --up
to 10 GB-- *.avi files I have in this folder) in Windows
Explorer, the explorer.exe process takes my CPU to 100
percent. Even after I close the window, explorer.exe
never releases the CPU.

How can I fix this (without "end task" and starting
explorer.exe again)?

After looking through +/- 40 pages of posts... still
nothing.

Thanks,
(e-mail address removed)
 
johnstockett said:
I am running Win XP Pro on 2.4 Ghz, 512 Mb RAM, 120 GB
HD, fully updated/patched, no antivirus.

Everytime I go to "My Videos" (I believe it is large --up
to 10 GB-- *.avi files I have in this folder) in Windows
Explorer, the explorer.exe process takes my CPU to 100
percent. Even after I close the window, explorer.exe
never releases the CPU.

How can I fix this (without "end task" and starting
explorer.exe again)?

After looking through +/- 40 pages of posts... still
nothing.

Thanks,
(e-mail address removed)
Click to expand...

Just posted this in reply to a similar post dated 30/6/04 titled 'can't
delete movie file'..

Sounds like the common(ish) problem that Windows Explorer has with some
video type files.
Windows Explorer will scan video files for various properties which it may
then display for you.
A video file that is corrupt (in structure not content!) will cause Windows
Explorer to hang trying to reads it's properties.

The solution is to disable Windows Explorer's AVI handler within the
Registry.

Open RegEdit and browse to this key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler

You should find it's value to be a long string of various characters.
If you edit the PropertyHandler value - set it blank - then it's effectively
disabled.
You may need to reboot to effect the change and then you'll find that video
files don't hang Explorer and - not being 'in use' - can be deleted etc.
The various 'features(?)' that Windows Explorer had with regard to the
videos - displaying previews and showing duration, resolution etc will be
gone!

Using RegEdit, what i've done is to export the registry key before clearing
it's value - saved it as AVIhandlerON.reg, and then edited this REG file
removing the AVI handler value and saving it as AVIhandlerOFF.reg.

Gives me a single click option to turn this rather useless Windows feature
on or off.

Martin.
 
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