Windows Explorer is extremely slow, or at times, unresponsive.

[GuitarMetal]

I was wondering if anybody could help me out. I have an HP Pavillion dv6 running MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (upgraded from factory's Windows Vista). Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.10 GHz. 4GB of RAM and a 320GB Hard Drive. I'll start by outlining the problems that occur. Windows Explorer (in my opinion) seems corrupted somehow. For example, I would try to delete a certain file from my desktop, and the window would pop up that states that the item is recycling. However, it would just say calculating and never actually delete the file. Another example would be when I'm exploring files in my computer. The path bar at the top (which usually has a green bar that indicates the page contents are loading) will take forever to load, and would never reach the end. Another problem that may or not be related has to do with AVG free. I would run a full computer scan, and it would come up with 4 infections that could NEVER be quarantined, because the size is too large. Malwarebytes does not find the same infections, which makes me think that they are false-positives. Programs take forever to get started, even when the process is active and taking up memory. I have tried using system restore to an earlier point, but that did not work, so I did a "forward?" system restore back to the latest system image.

I have already tried the following,

• system restores
• AVG 8 free, whole computer scans (result is 4 infections that can't be quarantined. I think the file path is in C:/SWSetup/MSDVD and the files are .cab's)
• Malwarebytes Anti-malware scans (all clean)
• CCleaner registry cleaner and disk cleanup
• Defraggler defragmentation

Any suggestions as what I should do? Are there any good free programs that scan Windows for corrupt files? Should I just backup my computer and re-install Windows 7?

 

[Maguscreed]

If you believe windows files are corrupted, you can use this method to check.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

Being as how you did an upgrade, it's also possible you have drivers that aren't win 7 compatible. It wouldn't hurt to check the support page for your model on hp's site to see if they released win 7 updates for your system.

I would consider the cab file hit a false positive.
I find it unlikely that particular software package is infected unless you obtained it through a torrent or something to that effect.

Bad drivers are the cause of a lot of issues in win 7.
I would also suggest installing firefox Mozilla | Firefox web browser & Thunderbird email client
and seeing if it shows the same behavior. It could very well be a problem specific to IE and has nothing to do with any other part of the system.

Updating drivers when possible is just a good idea.

 

[BugMeister]

you could try CTRL-ALt-Del and check via task manager to see what is eating your resources..

something's chuggin' somewhere..

 

[Maguscreed]

you could try CTRL-ALt-Del and check via task manager to see what is eating your resources..

something's chuggin' somewhere..

In that scenario my guess would be it's avg, or the svchost because of avg.

 

[assass3n27]

I had to dump avg because of its memory consumption. I too was getting slow response in explorer...When I Ctrl+alt+del svchost which improved greatly when I uninstalled avg and installed avast also free. After unistalling avg i would use ccleaner to make sure its gone from the system before installing avast. Also have you tried to scan in safe mode? What files is it telling you is infected? Google the filename and see i its something you can live without, boot into safe mode and uninstalled the program its associated with. If its not associated with a program then find it on the hd and manually delete it in safemode.

 

[GuitarMetal]

When I scanned my computer in safe mode, there were no infections. Everything was slightly faster as well, however, files still couldn't be deleted and it took me forever to navigate through windows explorer. I checked the hp sight, and saw some update drivers for the BIOS and other stuff, so i will try that out when the sfc scan is done. AVG tasks have been completely stopped, but the problem still remains with windows explorer. If the scan comes back with something, that will be good. If not, I will try the updates. If all else fails, it will be time to reinstall windows 7. Thanks everybody for your help!

 

[Woodssi]

Windows Explorer (in my opinion) seems corrupted somehow. For example, I would try to delete a certain file from my desktop, and the window would pop up that states that the item is recycling. However, it would just say calculating and never actually delete the file. Another example would be when I'm exploring files in my computer. The path bar at the top (which usually has a green bar that indicates the page contents are loading) will take forever to load, and would never reach the end.

Guitar, I am experiencing a very similar problem:-
http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/145239-possible-processor-hdd-problem.html

Just for your info, a clean install DID NOT seem to rectify this problem.

Hopefully, between the two threads, we'll get to the bottom of this.

 

[Maguscreed]

I think it's time for driver verifier.
We need dump files, I'm thinking you are suffering from some major driver issues.
If a reinstall didn't clear up his problem, it's not a setting issue.

Anyhow give the following link a good read before taking the steps. It can leave your machine unresponsive so make note of how to get things back to normal.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/101379-driver-verifier-enable-disable.html

And hopefully that will produce some bsod's (yes they are actually a good thing in this situation) , if that is the case then follow the normal BSOD posting instructions. (just click on my sig for that link)

 

[sreedhav]

Dear Maguscreed,
with your implicit permission, allow me to add two points to the on-going investigation.

Dear GuitarMetal &woodssi,
I can suggest a good addition to Maguscreed's link.
This link is to slimdrivers, which not only identifies but also downloads the needed drivers! It creates a system restore point before downloading each and every driver! Download SlimDrivers 2.0.4058.993 Free - Update your system drivers on the fly - Softpedia
Please download the portable version of SuperAntiSpyware (do not get misled by the name) and run it as it catches more trojans and like than MBAM! Link: SUPERAntiSpyware.com | Remove Malware | Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware!

AVG diagnosed Four infections in your system and there is evidence to back it up,as the Windows Explorer has slowed down significantly and you are getting error messages, which should not be the case if AVG alone was to cause the slowdown!

To sum it up: Run SAS Online safe scan or the portable scan and run Slimdrivers .

Regards,
Sreedhav

 

[Maguscreed]

...as if you need my permission. I just never suggest those apps, I've never had one work right for me. If your personal experience with it is positive, I suppose it bears mentioning.

 

[sreedhav]

...as if you need my permission. I just never suggest those apps, I've never had one work right for me. If your personal experience with it is positive, I suppose it bears mentioning.

Dear Maguscreed,
My experience with SAS has/is been extremely useful. Yes, the same goes for Slim drivers. In fact ,recently the detection rate of trojans(BackDoor) is better with SAS(PRO) than MBAM (REAL-Time)!

regards,
Sreedhav

 

[Maguscreed]

I haven't actually encountered a virus on my system since I upgraded from xp two days after the release of vista.
I use the commonsense security suite. Despite spending all day on the net and using both torrents and usenet from time to time, I have never caught anything.
I rarely even bother scanning because I just know nothing is there. ...of course firefox with the noscript plugin helps a lot too.

 

[cwpaine]

Same info as original post - windows explorer seems unresponsive

I have the same probelm exactly as the original post - it started with trying to delete a file I had just recorded from a movie using VLC. now explorer is nearly always constantly thinking - although randomly works - I just had control panel do the same.