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Thread ID: 25087 2002-09-25 12:10:00 Windows Explorer Hanging when deleting files + IE6 cbrown (2028) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
83132 2002-09-25 12:10:00 Hi

I have a curious problem. I am using Win98SE and IE6 SP1 but the problem was the same with just IE6. Whenever I delete a large numbers of files (eg >1000 files) I find that the files delete normally until right at the end of the process. Then Windows Explorer stops responding or is very slow to respond to any simple task (2 minutes). It keeps behaving this way even to move a simple file or other subsequent tasks. I then hit CTRL ALT Delete and choose Explorer, I get the message that Explorer is not responding and I end the task. My Task bar then disappears and a few seconds reappears but a number of items then are missing from the System tray (some are OK). Explorer then starts to respond again as per normal but it does become unstable. Restarting the PC fixes the repsonse time ....until I try to delete a large number of files again.
Now here is the curious bit...when I roll back to IE5.5 SP2, the problem disappears. Any ideas? Apart from this problem I really like IE6 SP1 and want to keep it.

Carol
cbrown (2028)
83133 2002-09-25 22:30:00 How full is your re-cycle bin?
Bye
Peter H (220)
83134 2002-09-25 22:47:00 Just leave your computer for a few minutes while it is deletting the files. It's responding slowly because the computer is trying to process it all. Common if you have a very very fragmented disk roofus (483)
83135 2002-09-26 05:15:00 Thanks for the answers, but my system is defragged. I have also been patient but the curous thing is that the problem doesn't affect the system when using IE5.5 SP2, only IE6. I also have 512MB of RAM and no other probs on the computer.

Carol
cbrown (2028)
83136 2002-09-26 07:52:00 I don't know if this is going to help, but I really hate having to wait when deleting a bunch of files.

I tend to create a new folder on the root, and call it something like "dump", then go Start > Run > command > OK.

At the DOS prompt: deltree /y c:\dump

Much faster. :)
antmannz (28)
83137 2002-09-26 07:54:00 Oops, forgot to say that after creating c:\dump I move all the unwanted files into that folder, then do the DOS deltree. antmannz (28)
83138 2002-09-26 10:09:00 Further to antmannz solution, you could create a shortcut to "dump" in your sendto folder. Then to send files to the dump, you just right click and select sendto -> dump. Then you could have a shortcut on the desktop or quicklaunch bar that runs a batch file to delete the contents of dump.

eg:

del /f /s /q C:\dump\*.*

(This is in XP - I haven't tried it in other OS's)

Basically what the batch does is delete all files in C:\dump.

/f forces delete of read-only files
/s forces deletion of files in subdirectories
/q deletes without confirmation first (leave this out if you want to be asked if you are sure).

G P
Graham Petrie (449)
83139 2002-09-26 10:19:00 OK - you may not want to do that, but if you do, that method will only remove files, and not the subdirectories themselves.

In win 9x or ME the batch should look like this:

deltree /y c:\dump\*.*

In XP, deltree doesn't exist, so you will have to be clever:

rd /s c:\dump
md c:\dump

If you don't want to confirm deletion add the /q switch after rd.

G P
Graham Petrie (449)
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