Author Topic: W7 taskbar>toolbar>'desktop' extremely slow (Read 37,925 times)

Curt · « **on:** April 18, 2012, 09:31 PM »

My 64-bit Windows 7's taskbar's toolbar for the desktop is taking half an eon (20 seconds) to show the shortcut icons, when "cold", even though I have less than a hundred shortcuts for it to find. How come? Is there a setting somewhere that I should change?

I noticed that running CCleaner really helps, but I don't know which of the many options caused it. After some hours it only helped a little, and the next day it no longer helped at all. Of course I can put CCleaner into Start, but I would prefer first to understand which setting in CCleaner is doing the miracle, so I don't have to activate too many options - and/or, how to make W7 taskbar > toolbar > desktop stop wasting my time. Do 'you' know the answer(s) I am looking for?

Also it would be good to know if CCleaner > (system) "delete temp files" will let young files be and only delete older files.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2012, 11:11 PM »

I don't know the answer. But it sounds like a good question for this forum:

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/

A lot of MS MVP types hang out on that board.

SKA · « **Reply #2 on:** April 19, 2012, 02:43 AM »

Hi Curt

Maybe these help:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/desktop-toolbar-populates-extremely-slowly/d1bfc7b9-d711-4d40-83fa-3481e9fa6861

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/itdojo/windows-7-welcome-screen-pauses-for-30-seconds-during-logon/1735

http://factormystic.net/projects/apps/desktop-peek-tweak

Rgds
Ska

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #3 on:** April 19, 2012, 07:48 AM »

Quote from: Curt on April 18, 2012, 09:31 PM

Also it would be good to know if CCleaner > (system) "delete temp files" will let young files be and only delete older files.

Have a look under Options > Advanced.

The default action is to leave windows temp less than 24 hours old. I just noticed there is also an option (not default) to leave Recycle Bib contents less than 24 hours old.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #4 on:** April 19, 2012, 07:59 PM »

You may try this solution:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

Even if it doesn't work, it shouldn't hurt anything. But I would make a restore point just to be cautious.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #5 on:** April 19, 2012, 08:39 PM »

Just to be clear, when you say "toolbar for the desktop" do you mean you have about 100 icons on the desktop? Or some special toolbar? I don't use funky desktop buttons so sorry if it's obvious to everyone else.

edit: btw if you run a real time av shield try disabling it to see if the icons load in spiffy fashion.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #6 on:** April 19, 2012, 10:00 PM »

Have you tried chkdsk c: /r

I have found slow behaviour like this can be because of file system issues.

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:13 PM »

Quote from: Carol Haynes on April 19, 2012, 10:00 PM

Have you tried chkdsk c: /r

-this command took several hours to perform, but no issues were found.

------

I have now realized that when I click the ">>"-arrows on Taskbar > Desktop, the clock will freeze for (24 seconds) as long as it takes for the shortcut menu to pop up. So I guess Explorer itself is "not answering", or crashing&restarting?

----

I posted the question in Windows Seven Forum 24 hours ago. So far no answer.

------

Microsoft Fix It didn't find any problems.

-------

icon cache rebuild didn't change anything that I have noticed.

-------

Another problem was found!

My version of the command box will do it's job but then auto-close so quickly that I don't get to read anything. So something is wrong.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:26 PM »

Could be a faulty shell extension in Explorer - try ShellExView and disable all extensions to see if the proble goes away - if it does re-enable them again a few at a time until you find the culprit and then uninstall/reinstall the related software or do a repair install.

(Note there are 32 bit and 64 bit versions which don't require installation).

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:43 PM »

I have placed CCleaner in Start, but it will merely cure the symptom not the disease.

A voice in the back of my head (or in my stomach?) is saying that the problem can have to do with MRU or MUI Cache? Weird voice; I wouldn't know what to do if it was right.

----

Yes, Carol, one would think it easily could be a shell extension; I use quite a number of the kind. But CCleaner makes the problem become invisible, and then it was probably not caused by a shell extension. Or what? Anyway; if the problem stays away, I will forget about it.

---------

Thank you for your efforts, SKA, Miles, and Carol!

Curt · « **Reply #10 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:56 PM »

Quote from: MilesAhead on April 19, 2012, 08:39 PM

Just to be clear, when you say "toolbar for the desktop" do you mean you have about 100 icons on the desktop? Or some special toolbar?

Standard Desktop > Icons Hidden.
Standard Taskbar > right-click > Toolbar > Desktop
"Skrivebord" = desktop

[attachimg=#]

nosh · « **Reply #11 on:** April 20, 2012, 02:34 PM »

Do any of these shortcuts point to targets on a network or optical drive? Basically anything other than local hard drives... those may be taking a while to resolve.

Curt · « **Reply #12 on:** April 20, 2012, 02:49 PM »

-all the programs are installed on C:\..., but there are also the standard desktop shortcuts for Libraries, Curt, Computer, Network (which is empty), Control Panel, and the Bin/Wastebasket. No shortcuts for USB sticks etcetera.

nosh · « **Reply #13 on:** April 20, 2012, 03:05 PM »

Move all "special" shortcuts that don't point to files on your local hard disk away temporarily. See if that makes a difference. It's easy enough to move them back in.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #14 on:** April 20, 2012, 07:42 PM »

One thing you could try instead of hidden shortcuts on the desktop, put all your shortcuts into a folder, say Apps or whatever you want to name it. Drag it into MyDocuments. A Move from the desktop so now your desktop is clean. Right click on Taskbar, then Toolbar, the New Toolbar. Navigate in My Documents and select the folder. Now you have a ">>" on the Toolbar.

I'm thinking maybe whatever hides the desktop shortcuts may be clashing.

I did the above but I don't like mouse hover menu. So I dragged the individual subfolders onto RocketDock and made a custom icon for each category of programs.

Curt · « **Reply #15 on:** April 20, 2012, 09:13 PM »

-thanks, nosh and MilesAhead. Actually all this was a test. Not of you, of course, but a test to see if I could live without True Launch Bar. These problems, and the fact that the Windows 7 taskbar-toolbar pop-up menu is too long, has already made me think that True Launch Bar probably will be re-installed on this W7 very soon.

I installed it when I first sat up the computer, but it was so different from how it was on my Vista, and placed in the wrong side of the taskbar (I didn't know from the beginning that these taskbar-toolbars can be dragged from the right side to the left side of the taskbar), so I removed it again, and tested Windows' default solution.

A long answer to no question, but there you have it: I was merely testing ;-)

Test all, keep only the best.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #16 on:** April 20, 2012, 09:24 PM »

I haven't tried True Launch Bar, but I like Standalone Stacks 2. I can easily make a stack from a folder full of categorized shortcuts. It uses the same library that RocketDock stacks uses. It's been pretty smooth on both 64 bit Vista and 32 bit W7.

Curt · « **Reply #17 on:** April 20, 2012, 09:52 PM »

Quote from: MilesAhead on April 20, 2012, 09:24 PM

I haven't tried True Launch Bar, but I like Standalone Stacks 2.

Quote from: Standalone Stacks 2

To navigate thru folder in stack, hold CTRL when you click on it (for now, you can’t go back).

-this sounds to me like two disadvantages. Why isn't it?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #18 on:** April 21, 2012, 12:15 AM »

Quote from: Curt on April 20, 2012, 09:52 PM

Quote from: Standalone Stacks 2
To navigate thru folder in stack, hold CTRL when you click on it (for now, you can’t go back).

-this sounds to me like two disadvantages. Why isn't it?

I don't use the option to have Explorer open the stack folder. Turn that option off. Just left click a stack to open it. I have double height Taskbar so that I can fit more Tray Icons on the right, but I only use about 3/4 of the top row of the taskbar for icons because I have 8 Stacks pinned. Stuff I use incessantly like chromium and EditPadLite I have pinned. But about half the Taskbar icons are stacks. Here's a screen shot

[attach]

ha14 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 21, 2012, 05:11 PM »

Fix broken desktop shortcuts and common system maintenance tasks
http://support.microsoft.com/mats/system_maintenance_for_windows/en-us

before running the above tool, disable show desktop, run the scan perhaps to reboot and re-enable show desktop.

Curt · « **Reply #20 on:** April 21, 2012, 08:24 PM »

Quote from: ha14 on April 21, 2012, 05:11 PM

http://support.microsoft.com/mats/system_maintenance_for_windows/en-us

Quote from: Curt on April 20, 2012, 01:13 PM

Microsoft Fix It didn't find any problems.

Curt · « **Reply #21 on:** April 21, 2012, 09:30 PM »

I don't know if Ccleaner really was helping, or if it was a coincidence, but today it doesn't help; the lag is now 20-30 seconds. Something is wrong, and I have no idea why. Tomorrow I will re-install True Launch Bar instead.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #22 on:** April 21, 2012, 11:48 PM »

Out of curiosity have you tried disabling all startup items and non-MS services in MSCONFIG ? If it makes a difference re-enable a few at a time.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2012, 01:05 AM »

A quick thing to try would be disabling AV shields, if running. Those things interfere with the system more than anything.

Curt · « **Reply #24 on:** April 23, 2012, 09:15 PM »

I have now (re-)installed True Launch Bar (TLB), and am loving it. To create a lot of shortcuts in the easiest and fastest way I could think of, I have moved all the program shortcuts from the desktop to TLB, leaving only system folder shortcuts. The menu pop-up (from taskbar>toolbar>'desktop') is now instantly.

This makes me think that the delay I have complained about, only was caused by Windows waiting for the 65 icons to display, so to speak. Meaning, Windows would first take (a lot of) time to load the icons, and only then display them in the menu.

But isn't there a setting talking about how much memory Windows must use to store icons in the memory? Maybe this setting, if it exist, was too low for my setup?? If it exist, WHERE IS IT???

edited: re-reading the thread, I only now realize that I have forgotten to inform that the icons on desktop all were "hidden". Sorry! Such information should of course have been given from the beginning.

Does Windows maybe not load hidden icons into memory?