Explorer stops responding after renaming, deleting or creating a file or folder on unc path after standby
On All my Windows 7 PCs, I have the same issue:If the Computer was running a couple of hours and was in standby, the Windows Explorer stops responding when creating, deleting or renaming a file or folder on an UNC Path for a few minutes. This happens each time. After a restart, the issue is solved until the next standby or hybernate.If found this behaviour on all my Win7 PCs (x64) on different networks and domains.Enabling or disabling offline files does not make any difference.
December 1st, 2009 1:01am

Hi,How about typing the network path directly in the Rundiag box? Regarding your issue occurring after standy, it seems that some services or progresses aren't resumed from the standby mode. I assume that thismay be related to bad system files or bad network path.Some files that is required to be loaded from the network are corrupted. To solid troubleshoot this kind of issue, I recommend you to run sfc /scannow to scan the whole computer and see if any system file is corrupted. Moreover, you can use a Microsoft free utility Process Monitorto narrow down the cause.Best RegardsDale
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December 3rd, 2009 8:09am

I dont't think it's related to corrupted files. This must be something else. This happens on two different Networks with 3 different PCs. I will try find out the hardware specs.. maybe there are similar network cards or something else which could cause the problem.I played arrount with this error and found a strange behaviour:- I create a folder (right click -> new folder) on a UNC path.- The Windows Explorer stops responding.- I open a new Explorer and navigate to the UNC path. The "New Folder" isalready created.- The firs explorer is still not responding but i can rename the new folder with the 2. explorer.- now the second explorer stops respondig to.- with a 3. explorer, i can see that the folder is already renamed.- after about 1 to 5 minutes, all explorers are responding again till i rename, copy, move or create a folder or file.Maybe Network Driver ? I will try to find out which network cards are used.Maybe a problem related to dfs paths. I only tried it on UNC paths like this: \\mycompany.com\dfsshare\xyzIf it happens next time, I will try to access a non dfs unc path.
December 3rd, 2009 11:29am

Sorry for the delay.It seems that Windows Explorer hangs at refreshing itself. Does this issue occur with local path? Based on my research, I found the following articles:When you open a network share by using a previously created shortcut in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008, a newly created file or folder in the network share does not appear until you update the screen.File list in the Windows Explorer folder is not refreshed after you create, move, or delete filesBest RegardsDale
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December 7th, 2009 1:09pm

I tried it, and it seems to hang on local paths also. On local Paths, most time it does not refresh the content and in some cases it hangs. While on network paths, it always stops responding for a few minutes, this happens on local paths rarely.When deleting the recycle bin, this could also happen. The message "empty recycle bin..." appears and stops responding. When opening the recycle bin, the recycler is already empty.File list in the Windows Explorer folder is not refreshed after you create, move, or delete filesis for XP, but it seems to be the same problem.
December 8th, 2009 2:15pm

Hi,Yes, it is original written for Windows XP, but it is worth to have a try. Since it is releted to modify registry, it is highly recommended to backup your registry before modification. Moreover, if the issue persists, pleaserun ShellExView to turn off shell extensions one by one to narrow down the cause. To do this, please refer to the following steps:1. Download ShellExView.Please Note: we provide 3rd party link to download tool for technical use only. There may be some changes without notice, Microsoft doesn't guarantee any accuracy on contacting information.2. Right-click the "shexview.zip" file, select "Extract All", the Extraction Wizard will prompt.3. Click Next, input "C:\ShellExView" (without the quotation marks) in the "Files will be extracted to this directory" textbox.4. Click Next and click Finnish.5. Open the "C:\ShellExView" folder and double-click the "shexview.exe" file. It will scan the registry for all the shell extensions.6. Select all the non-Microsoft extensions in pink by press "Ctrl" in the keyboard.7. Click the "Disable Selected Items" on the toolbar and click Yes.8. Restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.Best RegardsDale
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December 9th, 2009 6:28am

Registry Key does not help.ShellExView doesn't help also.If the Userloggs out and in again, it is working until the next 1 till 2 timesstandby.
December 16th, 2009 2:34am

I am experiencing a similar issue, using Windows 7 x64, with the exception that I'm not trying to rename, create or delete a folder or file on a network, but a local HDD.
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December 25th, 2009 5:15am

I am experiencing a similar issue, using Windows 7 x64, with the exception that I'm not trying to rename, create or delete a folder or file on a network, but a local HDD. I have the same problem. Explorer hangs, but when I start a second instance and go to that folder, the rename or delete actually was succesfull. The first explorer seems to hang on the refresh. Eventually, after 10 minutes, explorer may recover (if I didn't terminate the process).
December 28th, 2009 11:53pm

I also am having the same problem with Explorer hanging itself. It also causes the "Save as" dialog boxes in applications to hang if I create a new folder, or rename a folder in them. It becomes fine after 2 to 3 minutes but it is mighty annoying. Details are as follows Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Clean install Operations are done to a local solid state hard drive(so it should be fast) Could Microsoft solve this as a late Christmas present to us?
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December 29th, 2009 12:31am

I am having the same problem (Win 7 Ultimate, x64), but it seems to be exclusively with explorer, or other system dialogs (save as, etc.). It doesn't happen when I perform the same file operations in a command prompt...everything done in there happens very fast (as it should). WTF, explorer? -Steve.
January 9th, 2010 7:51pm

I have a strange behaviour: If you logg off and log in again without restarting the PC, the Explorer works as expected. Even after a few days or multible times standby, the problem is "solved". It seems to just appear if you log in the first time after a PC restart.
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January 10th, 2010 1:10am

I am running Windows 7 64 bit and now I have the same problem too. Microsoft, do you guys read this stuff? When I try to use explorer to delete or rename, it appears to hang. If I get out and get back in again, the action actually took place but explorer had to be reinitiated. It also happens when in Save As dialog boxes. If you want to rename, or create a new folder etc. Please tell me how to fix this problem. I have had Windows 7 for about a month and it just started today.
January 19th, 2010 2:14am

I also have window 7 64 bit and have been seeing this problem for about 3-4 weeks. Let me know if there is a solution.
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January 21st, 2010 10:23pm

Same issue here. Like the original poster, it seems to occur after the laptop (lenovo w/ Ult (x64)) recovers from standby. It occurs in Windows Explorer or a dialog box such as open or save as. It doesn't happen every time and it seems to create the folder but never refresh the screen. Forces the application to have to be forcibly shutdown.
January 28th, 2010 8:53pm

I am also getting this problem but it's only happening on one Windows Server 2008 std SP2 machine.It drives me crazy!If I create or rename a file it will hang after you press "enter". The same when you delete a file/folder. It gives you a progress bar that will never disappear.The changes do hapen in the background but explorer just can't seem to update its view.The only way to get around it is to open Task Manager and kill the "explorer.exe" process then restart it from Task Manager's File>Run menu.I have several Win7 X64 PCs as well as similar servers and none of them have his problem.I tried adding the DWORD as linked above but that didn't make a difference.
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February 3rd, 2010 2:50pm

Same issue here. Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit - Save as... dialogue -> click on new folder and it stops responding... try to rename the folder it's stops responding...Hello? Microsoft? Any fix for this please?
February 4th, 2010 8:36pm

Having same issue, and I just installed win7 ultimate x64 today. creater a folder hang, start new explorer, find new folder rename folder hang ... and so on. incredibly annoying ... whats the problem?
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February 7th, 2010 2:13pm

I am having the same issue, Win7 Enterprise x64 on Dell Latitude E4300, clean install. This happened to me a few months back (Issue went away and has resurfaced after months) and I had found a fix, can't remember it, will try to look again and post here.
February 7th, 2010 4:07pm

I am very disappointed in the lack of Microsofts reaction to this thread. My post was over a month ago and since then, there has been no feedback from Microsoft, either direct to me or through this thread. If they have no answer, a simple post of "We acknowledge your feedback, and are continuing to look into the issue" would let us know that the issue is being taken seriously by Microsoft.Ignoring the thread however, just creates the impression that Windows 7 is just like Vista, it has bugs that really hurt productivity and Microsoft don't place much emphasis on solving them.
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February 7th, 2010 5:43pm

I have found the answer! Or one of them...I have had this problem since the beginning of Windows 7. It would not reflect changes on rename, copy, paste, delete. Would come and go.Been searching for a solution but was unable to find one.Was thinking it must have something to do with drives connected to the "Computer"Looked at the list of drives and saw a printer? It was my HP Officejet 7410... it has a sim card reader.I disconnected this (right click, disconnect)And bam. All is good!Something is going on with the HP driver of that printer. It is messing up explorer.
February 14th, 2010 4:27pm

I have found the answer! Or one of them...I have had this problem since the beginning of Windows 7. It would not reflect changes on rename, copy, paste, delete. Would come and go.Been searching for a solution but was unable to find one.Was thinking it must have something to do with drives connected to the "Computer"Looked at the list of drives and saw a printer? It was my HP Officejet 7410... it has a sim card reader.I disconnected this (right click, disconnect)And bam. All is good!Something is going on with the HP driver of that printer. It is messing up explorer. Thanks, but I have no such printer, so this is not the problem for me.
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February 15th, 2010 6:13pm

This answer does not solve the problem for me, since I have no unusual devices in my device list.
February 16th, 2010 12:34pm

I have found the answer! Or one of them...It was my HP Officejet 7410... it has a sim card reader.I disconnected this (right click, disconnect)Something is going on with the HP driver of that printer. It is messing up explorer. This is not the answer for me either (I have no printers installed) and I doubt it's the answer for anyone else on this forum.
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February 16th, 2010 12:52pm

I have solved the problem that I was experiencing. I noticed that whenever I renamed/deleted a file there was a small jump in activity on the Windows Search process. I stopped the service, tested renaming a folder and the service tried to start itself up again, causing the hang. I went into the Indexing Options in Control Panel but it wouldn't display any of the monitored folders properly. I decided to set the Windows Search service to "Disabled" via the Services MMC and the problem disappeared immediately. I would like Search enabled so I will try restoring the default settings (through the Indexing Options applet) and setting the service back to automatic (requires a restart). This will recreate the index and perhaps sort the issue but thankfully I at least know how to stop it. edit: I just restarted the server and the index has rebuilt itself correctly. It is also not causing the rename/delete explorer problem :)
February 16th, 2010 1:00pm

>This is not the answer for me either (I have no printers installed) and I doubt it's the answer for anyone else on this forum. It is not really the printer, but the memory card that is in the printer that shows up as a drive that causes the problem.
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March 6th, 2010 10:02pm

Awesome! Thanks so much for figuring this much out, ThomMck - this was becoming a real impediment to my work. I simply went into Indexing Options and clicked Rebuild Index, and after closing the dialog, I tried creating a new file in the folder I'd been working in (simple folder located on the desktop) by right-click > New, and then renamed it. Up until now, simply creating a new file would have caused the folder window to hang for like 2-3 minutes, and then renaming it would have done the same thing for another 2-3 minutes. This time, both operations happened instantly, although I had to hit F5 to view the changes - the failure of Explorer to update views is still happening, but at least it's not hanging the system (and me) anymore.Incidentally, I used Windows 7 RC1 32-bit for the last year or so (or since whenever it came out) prior to upgrading to Windows RTM 64-bit and never noticed the issue until the upgrade. Based on what I've read, I have a hunch it's a 64-bit thing - I haven't activated this install yet, so if I get the cycles I may wipe it out and install 32-bit to see if the problem goes away.thanks!
March 15th, 2010 4:31am

and lo and behold - everything was working great, until I left my computer for a few minutes and it went to sleep. Came back, woke it up, and now the problem's back. Going to rebuild my index again, and disable sleep, and see how long that lasts me.
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March 15th, 2010 4:58am

Happening to me as well (Windows 7, x64 - I use sleep quite often). I've turned off indexing on my networked drives). Only happens on my networked drives.
March 17th, 2010 8:08pm

I'm having the same problem (Windows 7 Enterprise, 64x). Creating/renaming/deleting a folder causes Explorer Shell to freeze ("Not Responding"). Happens on network drives and local drive. (I do have Windows Sync enabled for one of my network drives.) Turning off the search service and removing all non Microsoft Shell Extensions did not fix the problem.
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May 9th, 2010 9:27pm

Hi luciusism. I was having the problem, but it appears to be solved in a windows update released this month. Check out this update and see if it resolves it for you. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/980408
May 10th, 2010 6:15am

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll try it out and see if it works, but the symptom description looks spot on. Fingers crossed.
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May 10th, 2010 9:06am

I have an HP Office Jet All-In-One 7580. I deleted the printer and it worked for me.
March 4th, 2011 10:50am

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