the same happens to me, just after few hours. It happens on Window 11 22H2 (desktop) and 21H2 laptop. It's crazy, this is some kind of bug Microsoft hasn't adressed yet. How do we let them know?
Windows 11 File Explorer EXTREMELY Slow Unless Restarted Every Few Minutes
Hello all. I have been researching this issue for a while, but none of the suggested fixes I have found and tried have had any effect. I've tried numerous setting change suggestions with indexing, File Explorer options, etc, but nothing has improved this issue even slightly. Even a complete clean install when I recently upgraded my SSD had no effect.
The issue is that my file explorer starts out normally fast when first opened. For example, opening my downloads folder(located on my desktop) and fully populating all thumbnails, etc, takes about a second the first time you do it. However, within a few seconds that speed is replaced by EXTREMELY slow performance. For example, if I open a subfolder under downloads, then attempt to return to the downloads folder, it will take 45 seconds to 2 minutes to perform the same action is just did in less than 2. During this time, CPU load never exceeds 10%, Disk usage never exceeds 1%, and Memory usage never exceeds 25%. The second or third navigation request within Windows Explorer will start the issue every time. It will stay this way until you restart Windows Explorer from the Task Manager, upon which it will be normal speed again for a few seconds, then immediately revert to the exceptionally slow behavior. It is so slow that the fastest way to navigate is to constantly restart the process every time you need to change folders. All other programs and features operate perfectly normally.
This is not a hardware speed issue, as Windows 10 ran perfectly fine on this machine. It's an i7 8700K with 32 Gigs of RAM on a Gigabyte Z390 with a Samsung Evo 980 M.2 SSD. This should be lightning quick at such tasks.
I could really use a hand here, this is a completely unacceptable situation.
Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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Anonymous
2023-02-03T21:27:33+00:00 -
Anonymous
2023-02-01T00:19:57+00:00 Here's a great deal on 32gb USB drive:
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Transfer-S...
Once you create bootable media on a flash stick, you can add other files to it as long as you don't delete any of the 7 files it places in the root.
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Anonymous
2023-01-31T22:52:03+00:00 The suggestion of third party software was in the reddit links you shared. Some sort of software that supposedly reverts windows explorer back to a previous version that works better.
Regarding re-importation of a virus, it would have had to come from either a factory USB Windows 10 bootable media, the Ethernet and other drivers I loaded from my motherboard factory install DVD, or windows update files and Windows 11 upgrade files loaded from the server by Windows itself. That's literally all I did before the issue was there again. I did not import mu old files
Thinking of possibly buying a new USB drive big enough to download the the most up to date Windows 11 image directly from Microsoft and doing another clean install. I suspect something is not going correctly with the upgrade process from Windows 10 to 11. I'll try your most recent suggestion tomorrow after work, then the USB option if it doesn't wor Bed time here in Europe though.
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Anonymous
2023-01-31T22:21:52+00:00 Alan -
What third party paid software did I suggest? I don't see it and did not recommend it. If it's an ad in one of the articles, there are multiple warnings to ignore those and just read and follow the articles.
This is why I asked for detailed results, because having System File Checker find broken system files is a loaded smoking gun that I would have helped you with immediately, had you not just vetoed my post and would have reported back then as requested. I hope it's not too late now that you installed an important update while you had broken System files.
It's possible having corrupted System Files so soon after a Clean Install is due to infection reimported with files that harbored malware. Test for this now by running everything in this disinfection routine: Disinfect Windows 11 most thoroughly 2023. We do not take chances with infection, it must be removed and then System Files it broke fixed before proceeding!
If System File Checker cannot fix critical broken system files within three separate tries, then the next step is to run a minor, non-destructive Repair Install which re-installs Windows while saving your files and apps in place, brings it up to the latest version by the most stable method, takes about an hour and resolves most problems: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/repair-install-wi...
Keep me posted on your progress as I will be here to help until the case is resolved. _________________________
Linked tutorial is from a trusted Microsoft MVP
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Anonymous
2023-01-31T22:14:32+00:00 None of the recommended items I tried so far produced any change for the better. I am not willing to load third party pay software I don't know the provenance of to try to fix what is obviously an internal Windows issue. I was notified that corrupted files had been identified and replaced/repaired during one of the recommended steps, but this produced no beneficial result after a reboot.
I should also note that this issue was present even before any external software was loaded post clean install. I had suspected that maybe one of my third party programs was to blame, so I checked in on the issue immediately after loading all available Windows updates and system drivers only. My intent was to slowly add back my third party apps until I identified the culprit, but the issue was there right from the start, which is why I was posting here rather than somewhere less specific to Windows.
One interesting observation from today. A new Windows comprehensive update, "2023-01 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5022360)" became available today. This was not available as recently as last evening, as I checked before posting here. This update initially appeared to have corrected the issue, however it returned several hours later, though most of that time was spent away from the machine.