Explorer.exe High CPU usage when opening/closing folders


Recommended Posts

Hello let me first say thanks for any help with this problem. Ive had this problem for about 2 weeks now and have been trying to fix it for awhile now.

Whenever I open a folder on my desktop explorer jumps to 25% and the folder takes roughly 30 seconds to open. Whenever I try closing the folder it takes about 10 seconds to close.

My system specs are:

OS=Vista x64

HDD=1 TB Seagate Barracuda

RAM= 4GB Corsair Dominator

CPU= 3.0GHz Q6600 Quad Core

Ive tested this by creating an empty folder on the desktop so that there are no directories in it and then opening the folder.

Other files on the desktop work fine such as text documents and .exe files. I ran process explorer and under the threads tab there are two things that take up CPU

SHLWAPI.dll and BROWSEUI.dll ive been unable to fix this issue so any help is appreciated.

Ive tried turning hard drive inexing on and off both didnt help.

Hello let me first say thanks for any help with this problem. Ive had this problem for about 2 weeks now and have been trying to fix it for awhile now.

Whenever I open a folder on my desktop explorer jumps to 25% and the folder takes roughly 30 seconds to open. Whenever I try closing the folder it takes about 10 seconds to close.

My system specs are:

OS=Vista x64

HDD=1 TB Seagate Barracuda

RAM= 4GB Corsair Dominator

CPU= 3.0GHz Q6600 Quad Core

Ive tested this by creating an empty folder on the desktop so that there are no directories in it and then opening the folder.

Other files on the desktop work fine such as text documents and .exe files. I ran process explorer and under the threads tab there are two things that take up CPU

SHLWAPI.dll and BROWSEUI.dll ive been unable to fix this issue so any help is appreciated.

Ive tried turning hard drive inexing on and off both didnt help.

What else do you have installed? It could be security software causing the issue or even a bad shell extension.

Thanks for the reply. I am using Kaspersky internet security 2010. When I pause the program the problem still exists. My normal processes are running and i have no other applications running. Next I will try and see if it will happen in safe mode.

Ok so I have done some digging and decided to sue process explorer to find out more info. Process explorer confirms that explorer.exe is the problem and then i look at teh threads that explorer has running. while opening a file 2 threads cause the issue. SHLWAPI.dll uses high CPU first then when a window appears for the opened folder BROWSEUI.dll uses high CPU this whole process takes about 30 seconds and then returns to normal usage. If you need it i can post the stack info for these 2 threads.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • AMAZON needs to take total accountability for this.
    • Server Summit had a heap of announcements, ADCS changes are baller.
    • Nice, hope they *finally* fixed the issue with the NTFS driver where the system would completely brick during large file copies using the built in driver. It's been broken for years requiring me to use the older, slower, NTFS-3G FUSE driver.
    • Windows 11 KB5094126 BSODing, freezing, forcing BitLocker lockout, breaks OneDrive, and more by Sayan Sen Microsoft released Windows 11 KB5094126 and KB5093998 last week as the latest Patch Tuesday updates. Following that the company also published the accompanying dynamic updates under KB5094149, KB5095971, and KB5094156. While Microsoft has so far not acknowledged any major problems with the release, some users online are running into problems. These range from OneDrive and Dropbox access issues, BitLocker recovery lockouts, to blue screens and BSODs. The most common one seems to be happening with HP systems wherein affected users say they hit 0xc0430001 BSOD (blue screen of death) error code after the KB5094126 update. We wonder if this could be related to the recent bug we covered on HP devices wherein the ongoing Secure Boot certificate updates are leading to similar issues. While we are not certain, users affected by this issue likely need to ensure that the boot.stl file is included on the installation media (such as a USB installer or ISO), if the above-mentioned dynamic updates are deployed. If this file is missing, computers may fail to boot from the installation media and could display the error 0xc0430001. This STL file is used by Secure Boot to verify that the boot files are trusted, so it must match the same Windows version and system architecture. To ensure the file is included, Microsoft recommends using the Update WinPE script, which automatically updates the image and handles the required files. Alternatively, you can manually copy the boot.stl file from the Windows\Boot\EFI folder on a Windows device and place it in the matching folder on your installation media before deploying the updated image. Aside from blue screening some users also note their systems have been freezing following the update. This could be happening to Lenovo PCs specifically. In the case of the OneDrive and Dropbox access issues, a user figured out that there could be a conflict with UAC. He explained: "Okay, so I did some digging, and in our environment KB5094126 breaks OneDrive and Dropbox in Explorer. I went through all our GPOs and found out that the combination of disabling UAC and having my user being a local admin breaks OneDrive in Explorer. ... If I enable UAC again, then it works, even with KB5094126 still installed." Hopefully, Microsoft will look into these issues. Source: Microsoft forum (link1, link2, link3, link4), Reddit (link1, link2, link3, link4)
    • It is when it's a desktop in my house though for a PC that's lightly used and not really important when it is. If it was a laptop, it would be a different story. The real solution is varied and begins starting at post #22 in that thread.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Jeroen Wilms earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      508
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      197
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      138
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      90
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      80
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!