Solved File Explorer keeps searching

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Hi All,
I got a annoying bug this morning and I was wondering if someone had this and found a simple fix before I go into all the tutorials on Google lol.
Each time I open File Explorer now I get the green bar indicating it is searching. It continues doing that all while I have the File Explorer open. I open a 2nd File Explorer I get the searching and in the right pane "working on it". I already unchecked the Windows search in the msconfig window and rebooted but same thing. What do you all think is happening today?
Btw, I do have 22H2 installed from last week and no problems until this morning.

cheers

Try3 · Oct 3, 2022

It sounds like it's having difficulty reading the properties of the files in the folder you are in.
Does ChkDsk help?
I once had the problem in one specific folder. I had been changing my [video files] file extensions manually to fool a particular application into opening the files without fuss. That turned out to be the cause of the problem. Once I stopped doing that the problem disappeared.

Best of luck,
Denis

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Thanks for the reply.
I just ran chkdsk and all is good there.
I guess it's a bug I just have to try every solution lol
It picked a fine day to bug me :)

Mooly · Oct 3, 2022

I have had this in the past on W10 ? and it was an offline printer (Epson) causing the problem. It was easily 'deletable' and that was an end to it. It was printer specific and used to appear with each install.

Could it be something like that?

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Thanks for the reply. I only have one printer (Canon) and it is online and so far have not had any problems with that. I don't see any offline printer installed.

Mooly · Oct 3, 2022

Thinking more on the printer I think it was because it had a built-in card reader and Windows was always searching for it as a drive that wasn't there (when the printer was off) and that stalled file explorer and you got the green progress bar.

Good luck in the search anyhow. These things are annoying.

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Weird if I go into the Task Manager and restart 'Windows Explorer' it opens with a snap and only a flash of searching and looks great. I will work on this a little later and check back here also. Now back to work

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Well I guess it fixed itself. I can now open several instances of file explorer and everything is working fine. Windows is so weird. Greatly appreciate the replies.

Mooly · Oct 3, 2022

Scramjet said:
Windows is so weird.

You're not wrong there.

Berton · Oct 3, 2022

Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?

Scramjet · Oct 3, 2022

Berton said:
Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?

Well this morning when i opened the file explorer it showed all white in panes and on the right it said 'working on it'. I figured when the green search bar got to the end it would display all contents. But it just kept searching. I opened a 2nd file explorer and it done the same thing. I could not see my drives or anything. When I returned later just to take a coffee break it all worked fine. lol

Mooly · Oct 4, 2022

Berton said:
Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?

or perhaps non indexed drives or drives with no drive letter allocated.

Scramjet said:
Well this morning when i opened the file explorer it showed all white in panes and on the right it said 'working on it'.

This all sounds very familiar. Do you have any networked drives or anything like that it might be looking for? Or anything in a networked location like a USB drive in a router that it can't find.

Scramjet · Oct 4, 2022

@Mooly My wife's computer is connected properly and I have nothing else connected to the computer that hasn't been since last year. So I have to assume it was just a morning bug I got for first time. Can't remember having that happen to any of my computers in the past. I have seen it do the search if I put in a USB drive but it usually is very quick.

Mooly · Oct 4, 2022

OK

I hope it keeps behaving itself.

Scramjet · Oct 4, 2022

yes :)

IlDavo · Jun 27, 2023

Mooly said:
or perhaps non indexed drives or drives with no drive letter allocated.

This all sounds very familiar. Do you have any networked drives or anything like that it might be looking for? Or anything in a networked location like a USB drive in a router that it can't find.

Just created a forum account to thank you, @Mooly, for your suggestion that we consider whether network drives are pinned to Windows 11 Quick Access. Once I unpinned a network drive, my Windows 11 Windows File Explorer returned to opening, quickly -- rather than "searching" with the green bar for several seconds, every time I opened it. Thank you!

Scramjet · Jun 28, 2023

Thanks again Mooly, I have not had a problem since. Works great!

cheers

Mooly · Jun 28, 2023

Good to hear it worked for you two

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