Are your folders opening slowly?
Good day, dear guests!
Have you ever observed this effect: a lot of different files from the Internet have accumulated in your Downloads folder and this folder begins to open slowly when you go into it? Although it could be any other folder with a large number of files. I have observed similar slowdowns when opening on various computers of my clients and others. This, of course, irritated me, as it did you, I suppose. And now I will share a method that will increase the speed of opening a folder in Windows (7, 8 or 10).
Why are your folders loading so slowly?
This is a long-standing feature that dates back to Windows Vista. It allows the user to "explain" to Explorer what type of files are contained in certain directories, in order to optimize the way they are displayed.
For example, if you create a Music folder, then copy several mp3 files into it, Windows Explorer will automatically optimize it for Music content. That is, when you open a folder, you will notice new columns that were not there before, for example, “Title, Artist, Album.” You can do this experiment yourself and see for yourself.
But when a folder is optimized for “Images”, but in fact a bunch of different files are stored inside, of which no more than 1% are actual pictures, then this function turns from a convenient and pleasant feature into an annoying and annoying bug. After all, when a folder is optimized for images, then when you open it, Explorer immediately starts going through all the files inside to check and update all the thumbnails/thumbnails of all found files, especially if there have been recent changes (adding/deleting).
What if there are downloaded programs inside that your antivirus immediately starts to take an interest in? Can you imagine how Explorer and antivirus attacked the same folder at the same time? What if there are several thousand files? In such a situation, even a powerful and modern computer can become thoughtful and sweat a lot from such a load, and the old one will freeze completely :)
First of all, this problem is typical for the Downloads folder, into which everything is downloaded from the Internet, but you just can’t get around to sorting it out. Thanks to automatic content detection, the Downloads folder for some reason has the default Images type. It is better to address the question “why is this so” to the developers, and we will better answer the question “How to fix it.”
How to speed up opening a slow folder?
When you know where exactly the setting is stored, solving the problem looks like a piece of cake. First, select the problematic folder, such as Downloads. If you have several such folders, then select the parent directory that combines them.
When you have decided on a folder, right-click on it or on an empty space inside it and select Properties.
In the Settings tab, in the “What type of folder do you need?” section. immediately below the point Optimize this folder There is a drop-down list with content types.
Select Common Elements. Additionally, you can check the box just below Apply the same template to all subfolders. Click OK.
Changes must take effect immediately. Go to your current folder and update it using F5 or log in again. The problem should go away.
Did the article help resolve the issue with hanging folders? Share in the comments.
Instructions
We will perform Disk Cleanup and clear the system of “garbage”. We launch the standard cleaning program.
For Windows 7: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup" (right click ->
For Windows XP: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup"
If your computer has several hard drives installed (or one is divided into several logical drives), then a window will appear asking which of these drives to clean. Select the desired system drive on which WINDOWS is installed. (Then it is better to carry out this procedure with all computer disks).
Check the boxes for all the items suggested in the box, click “OK” - and wait. You may have to wait a long time, depending on how dirty the system is
Now let's check the computer's hard drive for errors and failures. First close all running programs and remove all external media (flash drives, hard drives, etc.). For Windows XP and Windows 7, the procedure will be the same.
Open the “My Computer” window in Explorer. Right-click on the system disk or partition of this disk and select “Properties”. In the window that opens, go to the “Service” tab, and there click on the “Run check” button. A small window will open in which you need to check the boxes for the 2 check points presented and click the “Launch” button.
A message will appear stating that Windows cannot check the disk that is currently in use and will prompt you to do so after rebooting. Click "Schedule Check Disk" for Windows 7 and "Yes" for Windows XP. Restart your computer. After the reboot, a scheduled disk scan will begin in text mode. Until it completes, the operating system will not start. The scan will most likely take a long time, so it would be more advisable to run it at a time when the computer is not needed (for example, leave it checked overnight).
The next step will be to defragment the system disk. We launch a standard disk defragmentation program.
For Windows 7: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter" (right click -> "Run as administrator").
For Windows XP: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter"
In the window that opens, select the disk on which the operating system is installed and click on the “Disk Defragmentation” button. (Then it is better to carry out this procedure with all computer disks).
Now let's play around with the size of the paging file.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance -> Options -> Advanced -> Virtual Memory -> Change."
For Windows 7: "Right click on Computer -> Properties -> Advanced settings -> Performance -> Options -> Advanced -> Virtual memory -> Change."
In the window that opens, select “Specify size” (“Special size” for XP)
Now we multiply the entire amount of your RAM by 1.5 (if there is very little of it, then by 2). We write the resulting value in the "Original size" and "Maximum size" fields.
(And as an exception, if the computer has 4 gigabytes of RAM and Windows XP is installed, then you can set a small value, for example 512 megabytes)
Disable unused services. "Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services." In this large list of all services, we study the names and descriptions of all services. We decide that all of this can be disabled without harming the state of the system. (Specific advice on the advisability of disabling a particular service can be easily found on the Internet). Stop the selected services (double-click on the selected service “Startup type -> Disabled” and click on the “Stop” button)
Disable unused startup items. First, let's go to "Start -> All Programs -> Startup" and remove all unused shortcuts from there. Then run the standard system startup setup program: “Start -> Run” and write “msconfig” in the line, go to the “Startup” tab and disable all unused programs. (You can easily find specific advice on the advisability of disabling a particular program in startup on the Internet by typing the name of the program into a search engine)
Let's turn off visual effects.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance -> Options -> Visual Effects."
For Windows 7: "Right click on Computer -> Properties -> Advanced Settings -> Performance -> Options -> Visual Effects."
In the window that opens, switch the item “Ensure the best performance” -> OK
Disable unused devices.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager."
For Windows 7: "Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager"
In the window that opens, disable unused devices (right-click on the selected item -> "Disable")
You can disable unused camera, network card, IEEE 1394 controller, COM and LPT ports, etc. If something happens, a disabled device can always be “used” if needed
We clean your computer from viruses using an antivirus with up-to-date antivirus databases. You can use both permanently installed anti-virus programs and free “one-time” ones for routine scanning, such as CureIT from Dr. Web,
Video on the topic
Useful advice
Do not store large amounts of data on the “desktop”; in most cases, this consumes RAM resources, which in turn leads to a slowdown of the computer. It’s better to transfer the information somewhere to “logical” drives or delete it altogether if it is not particularly valuable. Ideally, only shortcuts to folders and frequently used programs should remain on the desktop.
Probably the most common and most annoying problem that occurs with a computer for users is its freezing, which often has no apparent reason. In this regard, both experienced and novice users are constantly racking their brains over how to eliminate the unreasonable freezing of the computer and return it to stable operation. There can be many reasons for freezing, and in this article you will learn about some of them, as well as how to fix them.
Instructions
Go to Start > Run and type msconfig in the window. In the window that opens, open the “Advanced” tab and disable fast system shutdown. If fast shutdown was otherwise disabled, try enabling it. In the same window, in the “Startup” section, uncheck those programs that you do not need to autostart the system.
Open the system.ini file and add the following parameter in the section: PagingFile=C:WINDOWSwin386.swp.
It is possible that your antivirus program is causing the freeze. Try changing your antivirus and see if the system freeze continues.
Program crash
Sometimes the following situation occurs: you launch a program, and it stops responding to your actions, not responding to button presses and mouse clicks. You can forcefully terminate a faulty program: the combination Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Ctrl+Shift+Esc will come to the rescue. In the list that appears, select the problematic application and click “End task”.
If a program freezes regularly, it is better to install a new version of it or completely abandon it in favor of a similar one.
Extra files
The operation of the operating system leads to the formation of many temporary files. The system registry is also filled with unnecessary information. All of these can also cause your computer to freeze.
For example, the CCleaner program will help you clean your PC of junk. It is convenient, easy to use and allows you to quickly get rid of unnecessary data that slows down your work.
Video on the topic
If you don't pay enough attention to your computer, sooner or later it will start to slow down. Sluggishness refers to all sorts of freezes and system crashes when using a PC. Fixing this problem will only require a little effort and patience.
Software part
In most cases, the computer starts to slow down due to problems and glitches in its software. The following tips will help you troubleshoot problems:
Keep your hard drive clean - it is not recommended to install all the software on your PC (you only need to install on your computer those programs that you use);
- remove unnecessary programs and games - it is worth carefully analyzing the list of programs on your PC and removing those that you did not install (perhaps they were installed automatically when using the Internet);
- clean the operating system registry - after cleaning the PC, you should work on the registry (this can be done using a large number of specialized utilities, for example, CCleaner);
- remove unnecessary programs from startup (the same CCleaner utility will help you with this);
- defragment hard drives, do this at least once a month (this way all files will be well organized and the computer will work faster);
- free up space on your hard drive – there must be at least 5 GB of free space on the computer’s system drive (this is necessary for the correct operation of the operating system and installed programs);
- disable visual effects that add beauty to the operating system (these are all kinds of shadow effects, minimizing windows, beautiful icons and frames).
Viruses
Due to virus infection, your computer will slow down or work incorrectly. Viruses can take up PC processor time, and there will not be enough of it to run the operating system or programs. Of course, it would be easy to purchase a licensed antivirus program. But not everyone can afford this pleasure, so you have to use free analogues of well-known branded antivirus applications. Or free utilities.
If viruses are detected and you are absolutely sure of their presence, it is easier to reinstall the operating system while formatting the infected partition. You can also remove the hard drive and, for a fee, clean it of viruses in a specialized center or from a friend who has a licensed anti-virus program.
Technical part
The computer may slow down due to severe contamination and dust on its internal parts and components. In this case, you need to carefully disassemble the PC and carefully clean all visible dust spots with a small brush. Depending on the performance and specifics of the computer, it is sometimes necessary on the processor and video card. If you have knowledge of this, you can do the replacement of the cooling paste yourself, but otherwise this work should be entrusted to a specialist.
Computer freezes can be caused by various user actions. For example, when one antivirus program is running (scanning), the user begins to perform another action that requires system resources. Freezing of a personal computer can be directly related to a large amount of malicious software that is located on the computer, etc.
Task Manager
Of course, first of all you need to calm down and not press the mouse on the screen, buttons on the keyboard, etc. The first solution to such a problem is to use the task manager. There are several ways to open it. For example, this can be done by right-clicking on the arrow located in the lower right corner of the screen. Another way is to use computer hotkeys. To open the task manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Del simultaneously, after which a new window will appear.
You can disable a frozen program in the “Applications” tab. To determine which program you need, look at its status. If it says that the program is “Not responding,” then feel free to select it and click on the “End task” button. After this, a window will appear where you need to confirm your action. In the task manager, the user can disable various processes (the “Processes” tab), which also load the system.
It should be noted that the most important thing here is not to disable an unknown program, since this tab also displays system processes, disabling which can lead to irreparable consequences. Most problems can be solved using the Task Manager.
Reset button
Of course, it may also happen that the user’s personal computer freezes so that even the task manager will not open, or everything will work too slowly. There is also a way out of this situation, but it will not be the best and should be resorted to only as a last resort. Today, almost every power supply has a computer reset button (usually it is located next to the power button and slightly smaller than it). When you click this button, the computer will automatically restart, but in this case all unsaved data will be lost.
Video on the topic
Microsoft strongly recommends that users upgrade to the Windows 10 operating system, which has many advantages over previous versions. But we should not forget about the shortcomings, of which there are more than enough in the new OS of the American corporation. One of the problems with Windows 10 is slow loading of directories. Folders can take a long time to open even on the most modern computers, and the point here is not at all in the hardware, as many people think, but in the features of the operating system.
Why do folders take a long time to open on Windows 10?
In the Windows Vista operating system, the Automatic Folder Type Discovery function was introduced, which is required to analyze the contents of a folder and adapt the display of files based on the received data; it migrated to Windows 10. In simpler terms, all files in the operating system can be divided into several types . According to Microsoft, users should store music in one folder, videos in another, and so on. In practice, a small number of users actually act this way, and the above function determines the file type incorrectly, which is why problems arise with long loading times for the folder.
Each of the file types in a separate folder has its own parameters, which the operating system seeks to scan in order to display them for the convenience of the user. In total, Windows provides optimization for 4 types of files with the following display parameters:
- “Video”: name, date, type, size, duration;
- “Music”: name, track number, title, artist, album;
- “Images”: name, date, type, size, tags;
- “Documents”: name, modification date, type, size.
The Automatic Folder Type Discovery utility analyzes files in a folder, offering users file optimization based on the data obtained. However, if, for example, the “Downloads” folder stores all types of files, and it is optimized for “Music”, the operating system seeks to obtain parameters from the files to fill in the corresponding columns. This takes a lot of time, as a result of which the folder takes a long time to open, since the system has to analyze each file for the presence of “Song Number”, “Artist”, “Album” and others, which they may not have.
If a folder is not automatically optimized for the files that are stored in it, loading it may take from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the amount of data in it. In such a situation, it is recommended to disable the Automatic Folder Type Discovery feature for a specific folder, which every user can do.
How to fix long folder loading times
Since Automatic Folder Type Discovery works without problems in most cases, it is not recommended to disable it completely by changing registry settings. It is better to disable it for specific folders where all the “garbage” is dumped without sorting. This is done as follows:
Important: If the folder contains other folders that do not need to be optimized using Automatic Folder Type Discovery, you can immediately apply the assigned actions to them by checking the “Apply the same template to all subfolders” checkbox.
The article provides examples of how you can resolve problems with Word taking a long time to load. Some of them remove user-friendly tools, while others require the work to be done manually. Whether to use these settings or not is all at the discretion of the user. The purpose of this article was to show what opportunities there are to speed up Word without resorting to purchasing new computer components.
Speeding up Word
Disable automatic spelling and grammar checking in a text documentWord is configured to automatically check spelling as you type. When detected, spelling errors are highlighted with a squiggly red line, and grammatical errors are highlighted with a green line. On weak computers, this check may cause slowdowns.
In Word 2007, click the Microsoft Office button in the upper left corner (in Word 2010, click File) and select Word Options. In the dialog box, select the Spelling section, and then look for the When correcting spelling in Word section. Uncheck: Automatically check spelling and Automatically check grammar
Save your changes.
Disable Background Saving
By default, the Background saving option is enabled. It requires RAM to operate. By turning it off, you can
save some system resources.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options.
In the window that appears, select the Advanced section, and almost at the very end, in the Save section, disable the option
Allow background saving OK.
Disable the Use printer settings when marking up document option
If you are working with files created in Word 6.0 for Windows or Word for Windows 95, you can disable this option. In this case, the printer parameters will not be checked when calculating text formatting and markup. This increases the speed and responsiveness of Word when scrolling. And then it is advisable to make sure that the documents are reflected correctly, because small changes are possible when breaking lines and pagination.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options - Advanced
Under Compatibility Settings for the file, select All New Documents.
Just below, expand the Layout Options tree and uncheck the Use printer settings when marking up the document
Disable the Automatically update connections when opened option
If Word takes a long time to load when opening a document, turn off this option; opening will be much faster (given that they are involved in the document). In the future, connections can be updated manually.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options - Advanced - General Section.
Disable Automatically update connections when opened 
Disable Cuts and Pastes
By turning off two options, Honor Spaces and Show Insert Options Buttons, Word 2007 may run faster.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options - Advanced - Section Cut, Copy and Paste.
Clear the Inspect Spaces and Show Insertion Options Buttons check boxes, and then click OK.
Disable tooltips
Disable Tooltips
In Word, when you hover your cursor over any element, such as notes, ribbon objects, or hyperlinks, a short description is displayed. Turning off tooltips will make Word work faster.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options – General – Section Basic Word Options
In the Tooltip Style options, select Don't show tooltips 
Use Blank Picture Frames
If your document contains a lot of images, you can increase its opening speed by enabling this option. It displays an empty rectangle instead of each image, which increases the speed of scrolling and displaying the document.
Turn on Show empty picture frames.
Uncheck all checkboxes in the status bar
The status bar has a lot of functions that burden Word with not-so-useful calculations. Be it counting lines or displaying line number. All this puts a strain on him and takes away precious resources.
Using Draft mode
To display a document that contains many images and a lot of formatting faster, you can use this option. This will cause most formatted text to appear bold and underlined, and there will be empty rectangles instead of images.
To set the font in Draft:
Launch Word.
Microsoft Office Button - Word Options - Advanced - Section Show Document Contents
Enable Use draft mode in Draft and Outline modes and set the size and font to your liking.
Disable hardware acceleration
If, when you open Word, terrible brakes begin and you cannot work fully, you should try disabling hardware acceleration.
File - Options - Advanced - Screen section - Disable hardware acceleration of image processing.
The advice is relevant for Word 2013
Increase print speed
- To improve the speed of printing large documents, disable all screen savers in the OS. It is advisable not to use the screensaver at all, as this wastes precious processor time.
- Turn on Draft mode. When you use this mode, the document is printed with minimal formatting. Due to this, the printing speed increases. This option is suitable for printing drafts.
- Using background printing mode. If the background printing mode is turned on, then in parallel, while the document is printed, you can work in Word itself. But background printing uses additional resources. If background printing is disabled, the document prints faster. But it will no longer be possible to work in Word until the document is finished printing. It is turned on/off in Microsoft Office Button - Word Options - Advanced - Print Section. Set the required value in the Background printing parameter.
When Word takes a long time to load
Disable checking extension associations with Word.
When running Word for a long time, you can try disabling the check for extension bindings.
Launch Regedit.
In the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.00\ Word\Options branch, create a DWORD parameter named NoRereg.
And after creation, we change its value from zero to 1. Close the registry and launch the editor.
Removing unused fonts
A large number of fonts installed can slow down Word performance.
On Windows 7 and Windows 8
Go to Control Panel and click Appearance and Personalization.
In the Fonts group, select View, delete, show, or hide fonts.
And remove unnecessary fonts.
On Windows Vista
In the Control Panel window, select Appearance and Personalization.
Click Install or remove a font.
On Windows XP
Start - Settings - Control Panel - Fonts.
Starting with keys
To do this, a Word shortcut is created, its properties are called up, and the necessary keys are written in the Object line, after the quotes. The most commonly used values for speeding up Word are the /q /a switches 
/safe – Safe mode.
/ttemplate_name - Launch with a new document created based on this template. If the file name has spaces, you must put it in quotes: /t"Draft.dot"
/pxslt - Launch the editor with a new XML document. Example: /p:c:\work.xsl
/a – Word loads without automatically loading add-ins and templates. The /a key also blocks configuration files.
/lpath_to_add-on_file - Loads the selected add-on. Example: /lServices.dll.
/m – Word does not execute any macros when it starts.
/mmacro_name - Launches the Editor and executes the specified macro. Example: /mMacros.
/n - Launches an instance of Word without opening a document.
/q – The splash screen is not displayed when the editor starts.
/w – Word starts and creates a blank document.
The video below shows how much faster Word can start when you change/add a setting to the registry:
We encountered such a not very common PC ailment. The machine slows down wildly, and not only works slowly - opening documents or launching applications takes half a minute. At the same time, running applications work quickly. Freezing occurs precisely at the moment of opening files (documents, executable ones - it doesn’t matter which ones).
This behavior is most often typical for a computer that has survived some kind of cataclysm. A cataclysm can be a virus infection, the consequences of viruses, the consequences of a global system failure or incorrect transfer of the OS or part of it. However, in all these cases there is one radical cure: system rollback (restoring from a save point). What if not?
In the case we encountered, rolling back the Windows state did not help. Another symptom of the problem was identified: it is tied to the network. We pull out the network cable or disconnect the network adapter (or disconnect from the network if we are using a wireless network - in general, we break the connection) - the problem disappears. Files open fine. We turn on the network - everything returns to normal.
If everything looks exactly as described above, it means that the PC is trying to restore communication with an unavailable resource. And we are not talking about an inaccessible network drive, but about a network resource that is accessed by some program.
To solve the problem, you need to calculate this resource and stop the system from accessing it.
How to do this? There are two ways.
Method one– use a program like TCPview. This method is suitable if your PC is yours, you know it well and have an idea of what all the programs and services do, but there are few local resources. But what if you see a PC for the first time in your life, several people are working on it, and none of them knows the situation with software in general, and the local area is huge? It’s not a fact that monitoring will help.
So it’s better to solve the problem radically - go to the registry.
So, let's launch regedit and find the Applications section in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. The path to the folder in which the program is installed is indicated in the command section; the path to the section itself may vary.
If the path begins with an access to the local disk, for example, it looks like C:\Program Files\And so on\, we do not pay attention to it. If we see a path starting with a pair of slashes (like “\\Buhgalter\Shared Files\Superprogramma.exe”), then we check the availability of the resource. In this case, type \\Buhgalter\Shared files\ into the Run line (or into the browser line, or into the address bar of Explorer) and see if the folder opens.
When we find a program that accesses an inaccessible resource, we remove it. If it has already been deleted, but some pieces of it remain in the system, delete the entire section related to the program.
After removing all programs, the brakes will stop.
