Solved File Explorer keeps searching


Scramjet

Scramjet

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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
 

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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
 

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Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
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Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.9168
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 :)
 

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Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
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Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
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Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
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?
 

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W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
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Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
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Intel i5
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Unknown
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8Gb
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Realtek
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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.
 

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Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
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Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
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Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
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Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
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Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
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.
 

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W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest buildsIntel i58GbIntel HD Graphics
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W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
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Laptop
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Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
CPU
Intel i5
Motherboard
Unknown
Memory
8Gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics
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Realtek
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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 :(
 

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Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
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.
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest buildsIntel i58GbIntel HD Graphics
OS
W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
CPU
Intel i5
Motherboard
Unknown
Memory
8Gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek
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Hard Drives
2 x 256Gb SSD
PSU
Dell 240 watt
Mouse
Dell Premier Bluetooth
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Edge
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Default Microsoft Security
Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?
 

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    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
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    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz16GBOnboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA a...
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Berton said:
Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?
Click to expand...
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
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
Berton said:
Rather than Searching could it be Indexing or Re-indexing the contents of the drive?
Click to expand...

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'.
Click to expand...

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.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest buildsIntel i58GbIntel HD Graphics
OS
W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
CPU
Intel i5
Motherboard
Unknown
Memory
8Gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
Internal
Hard Drives
2 x 256Gb SSD
PSU
Dell 240 watt
Mouse
Dell Premier Bluetooth
Internet Speed
50Mbps
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Default Microsoft Security
@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.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
OK :-) I hope it keeps behaving itself.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest buildsIntel i58GbIntel HD Graphics
OS
W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
CPU
Intel i5
Motherboard
Unknown
Memory
8Gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
Internal
Hard Drives
2 x 256Gb SSD
PSU
Dell 240 watt
Mouse
Dell Premier Bluetooth
Internet Speed
50Mbps
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Default Microsoft Security
yes :)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
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.
Click to expand...
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!
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Thanks again Mooly, I have not had a problem since. Works great!

cheers
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 CoresCorsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DR...ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700K Desktop Processor 8 Cores
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX ROG STRIX 1080 8GB
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z SE
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VG34VQL1B plus a Samsung 60" Smartv
Screen Resolution
3440x1440, 165Hz
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Series - (OS)1TB Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2, 1TB Gen3. x4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2, WD 1TB, WD 500GB, WD 350GB
PSU
Silverstone Olympia OP1000W PSW
Case
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans
Keyboard
Corsair K70 RGB
Mouse
Logitech 310 wireless
Internet Speed
1 GB
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
ESET Internet Security
Other Info
Testing Windows 10 Pro on 350GB drive
Good to hear it worked for you two(y)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest buildsIntel i58GbIntel HD Graphics
OS
W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
CPU
Intel i5
Motherboard
Unknown
Memory
8Gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics
Sound Card
Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
Internal
Hard Drives
2 x 256Gb SSD
PSU
Dell 240 watt
Mouse
Dell Premier Bluetooth
Internet Speed
50Mbps
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Default Microsoft Security
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