devices and Printers window loads real slow in windows 8.1

this is such a BS cookie cutter Microsoft answer.  These suggestions are a waste of time.  There is something wrong with the code in 8.1 vs 7.  This issues happens on every clean 8.1 install I have.

How about a real world solution to this issue??

Windows 8/8.1...worst IT decision I've made in a LONG time!!!

I've been fighting this issue for a while now with no success until today. For me it had to do with the Devices and Printers cache in my user profile. Delete or rename the following folder and it should be back to normal.

%systemroot%\users\*currentuser*\Appdata\Local\Microsoft\Device Stage (in Windows 8)

%systemroot%\users\*currentuser*\Appdata\Local\Microsoft\Device Metadata (in Windows 7)

Hope this helps!

I only had (2) subfolders in Device Stage:

Device

Task

Neither looked to have cache.  What do yours look like?

devices and Printers window loads real slow in windows 8.1 and loads fast in windows 7 both are on the same computer as a dual boot system

SeaTech (and others),

Do you have a motherboard who's onboard sound uses a RealTek driver?

I struggled with this problem myself and even went through the process of scratching my OS and starting all over, installing drivers and software until the hang occured.  I was quite surprised to find that it was the RealTek sound driver that did it...not bluetooth, not a printer, as most other reports regarding this matter suggest are the culprit.

It is DEFINITELY the addition of the RealTek driver.  Just to make sure it wasn't an interaction of the Realtek driver and some other piece of software, I scratched the OS again and just installed the driver, that's it, and the problem manifested itself.  Both the driver from the motherboard vendor AND the latest one from the RealTek website suffer this issue.  It seems the latest driver from Realtek doesn't ALWAYS hang, but still hangs most times.  I have reported the issue to both the motherboard vendor (AsRock) and RealTek, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Now, computer issues are complex, and it may be something that MS has done or changed in Windows 8 that is interacting with the RealTek driver in a way that makes Devices and Printers hang, but regardless of the exact mechanisms or faults (either MS or RealTek or both), the combo of MS Windows 8, my board's hardware, and the RealTek driver are the cause of the problem.  Let's hope someone who can do something about it cares enough to take a look.

I had this problem but it seems to have solved itself while sorting another problem.

Here is what happened.

In Device Manager - View - Show hidden devices - Storage volume shadow copies, I found I had about a 1000 'Generic volume shadow copy'.

All but one were greyed out showing  'Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)'. 

I did post a question about this elsewhere but have not received a solution.

See post :

1000 'Generic volume shadow copy' entries in Device Manager

Further research showed I had about 25 greyed out 'Generic volume' under Storage volumes and many greyed out entries under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

I manually 'un-installed' all of the 'Generic volume' greyed out entries and the many greyed out entries under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

This automatically removed the vast majority of the 1000 'Generic volume shadow copy'. 

I then manually un-installed the rest of the greyed out ones.

Lo and behold - Devices and Printers now loads instantly!

This may not work for you and I hasten to add that I am a total amateur!

As always, don't forget to do a backup first (don't bother with Microsoft's methods. They don't work - many posts on this too! I use Macrium Reflect - works well).

Good luck

Agreed. Irritating answer and in the style I have seen before several times.

Try this. Worked for me.

http://itsolutionsblog.net/devices-and-printers-not-loading/