Windows 10: Windows 10 issue possibly file explorer related?

Hello,


I have a Dell XPS 8900 i7 desktop running Windows 10 home.


After the last several updates begining in what I believe was December 2020, I have had what I think are file explorer issues. The symptoms have changed from update to update so I will list what I am seeing now.

1. Browsers esp Chrome seem to lock up when I attempt to attach a file.
2. Certain folders are slow to reveal contents which I presume is an indexing issue.
3. Several programs that require or attempt to connect to an indexed location for recently accessed files freeze up upon opening esp AutoCAD.
4. I have intermittent issues accessing shared network folders Quickbooks running on another machine, file server machine running ubuntu and virtual windows 7.

I have done an in place Windows 10 Home reinstall/upgrade, I have played with the registry a bit, I have restarted explorer, I have tried to clean the AutomaticDestinations folder, rebuilt the index and several other tasks. I have made no progress. I have a couple of laptops that had no issues after the Windows updates.


Any help would be welcomed!

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

Windows File Explorer and (possibly) related External HD Issue

Help, I am at wit’s end regarding Windows file explorer. It rarely starts up expeditiously, crashes routinely, and it really is impacting the Windows 10 experience. There are some things going on that I simply do not understand:

• There is a mysterious Local Disk (EJ that I cannot access. It reports that the drive is not accessible as the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. I did not create it with a clean image install if Win
  10.
• I have an external HD that the system (through Control Panel and Devices/Printers) recognizes as an external drive and that it is working properly. When I look on the Hardware tab of its properties, I see the USB disk drive, but that pesky E: drive
  shows up as a portable device – very confused. Interestingly enough, file explorer (when working) calls it a System Folder and reports it as empty. Per above I cannot access E:.
• Since file explorer is catch as catch can, I resort to opening files with Office 2007. Unfortunately, I believe the file functions also impacts my use of Office 2007. Most applications open, but then sputters for several seconds before I can access
  the file list, or is slow to navigate to the particular document folder.

I had the same experience with Win 8; frustrated to the point that I went back to Win 7 and life was perfect until the Win 10 upgrade. That process was painful, as it needed much help from MS Techs (they were great). Ended up having to burn an image DVD of Win
10 and do a clean install. The issues above were not present immediately under Win 10, only after a few updates. Any help and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated. BTW, I have tried most of the explorer suggestions here and on other blogs with no improvement.

 

Windows Explorer Replacement?

I don't use Internet Explorer, I meant the thing where you can look at files etc. Hotkey Windows+E. Maybe it's the wrong name in english though. *Stick Out Tongue