Topic awaiting preservation: Windows Explorer bad behavior

For the sake of describing what I am going to ask, let me give some (obvious) names. Windows Explorer has the folder pane and the file pane. The folder pane is that one to the left and the file pane is the one to the right. Right?

I don't know if you, Windows XP users, have noticed (I think Windows will act the same way in Win2k and older versions but I am not sure), but when using Windows Explorer, whenever you select (just select, no running) one file (just one!) in the file pane, some information about that file is displayed in the status bar, at the bottom of the window. Note that I don't have that "information column" turned on, in the file pane, so all that I get is this information in the status bar (the default installation is to have such info column).

Here's my problem. I have noticed that because Windows Explorer needs to know some information about the currently selected file, whenever I select a new one, there is a lag between the time when I selected the file and when the info about it is displayed in the status bar. If the file is small, this lag in not noticeable, but in huge files, it can last many seconds.

For example: for a file that I have and that's a movie, in DivX format, with 1.36 GB of size, if my computer is running some background tasks (usually with the CPU almost at 100%), this lag is of 9 seconds. NINE seconds! It's a lot. Even if there is no background action, it still takes a lot of seconds.

Another example. Try starting a music, any one, using your player of choice (I use Winamp 2.x, very light). Then, go to a folder that has dozens of other mp3 files, and try to use the up or down arrow to move the selection of ONE of these files, always to new ones, and quickly. Every time you select a new mp3 file, W.E. will try to show info about it in the status bar. If you keep changing this selected file quickly, W.E. will have a lot of work to do because as soon as it starts getting info about the file you selected, you have already selected a different one. Here in my computer, whenever I do this, my current playing mp3 file will skip, will not play smoothly, until I stop making this quick changing in the selected file.

And, to make things worst, even if I choose NOT to view the status bar, W.E. will behavior the same way. So my real question is: does anyone of you know a way to make W.E. stop fetching information about the currently selected file? Note that if you select ONE file only, W.E. will show you information about it in the status bar, at the expense of demanding some CPU cycles, as I already mentioned. But if you select more than one, as you go adding files to the selection (by holding the Shift key, for instance), W.E. will stop trying to read the files and no extra CPU cycle will be used by it).

Was I clear in my question? This is so hard for me to explain in words but it would be so easy to show live...

Does this weird behavior also happens with your Windows?

No, this does not happen with my windows. (WIN 2K Pro) But I have a reasonably fast processor. If running background tasks has your CPU at nearly 100% you need to shut down some of that stuff. My guess is that this is the cause of the lags. Have you defraged lately ? Possibly a lot of stuff on your Start menu ?
As far as the not getting file info, I know of no way to change this.

Well, I looked around the options in the Explorer, but found nothing....

...what the hell are you doing with a Gig plus of movies, anyway?

*phones the RIAA*


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You have the wrong number, Petskull.

*phones the MPAA instead*

viol: I think I understand the problem you're describing, but my system is relatively fast, so I don't notice much lag. If you're willing to do away with status bar entirely, you could go into the View menu, and uncheck "Status Bar," buy i'm not even sure if that will stop Explorer from processing file info. Other than that, I'm outta ideas...

Yeah, Windows XP opens and reads information about a file every time you select it. Personally, I've only found it to be a nuisance occasionally; sometimes it's helpful to me (for seeing an image's dimensions or something). I've never had problems with it causing lag.

Removing the status bar won't stop it because it uses the info for other things, like tooltips and stuff.

I don't know how to turn off this feature...

Yeah, I didn't think turning off the status bar would work.

There's most likely a registry fix for this out there somewhere. We'll just have to find it...



[This message has been edited by ozphactor (edited 09-27-2003).]

The most obvious fix -> Stop trying to do things when your processor is maxed out.

The next fix being -> Get a faster processor.

quote:

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...what the hell are you doing with a Gig plus of movies, anyway?

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I've signed Netflix, an online rental DVD service, and some of the movies I rent, that I liked, I convert to DivX usually with 1.36 GB of size so I can burn them into 2 CDs (I don't have a DVD burner yet).

Don't let MPAA knows about it... I already have enough problems with RIAA (jk)

What I really wanted is to disable completely this "read-in-advance feature" of W.E. but I also think it's impossible. Maybe I should try some W.E. replacement, I know there are some alternatives out there.

...try Konqueror.... it comes with Linux... (smiley)...


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he, he, I told Windows Explorer replacement, not Windows replacement.