Solved Thumbnail images VERY slow to load in File Explorer

Fabler2 said:

Just tested out a 3.85 GB photos folder on external SSD, expanding sort -more - and Date taken is the selection. The large thumbnails open nearly instantaneous. Scrolling down fast they still load fast to keep up.

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Yep, that's how it should work.

Peano said:

Yep, that's how it should work.

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Not sure if it does make a difference but how have you set Windows to sort the images? Mine are Date taken.

Fabler2 said:

Not sure if it does make a difference but how have you set Windows to sort the images? Mine are Date taken.

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Mine sort alphabetically by filename. I don't think that matters, because I used the same external drive with my previous Win 7 machine, and thumbnails always loaded fast. They should load even faster in my new computer, because it has a faster CPU, higher-end graphics card, etc.

Were the images in the file you tested already cached? If I let all the thumbs load, the next time they'll come right up, because they're cached. The real test is how fast they're created from scratch when not cached.

Berton said:

Same post at

Thumbnail images VERY slow loading in File Explorer

Windows 11 Home, ver. 23H2 When I open a folder of images and choose the Large Icons view, the thumbs load very slowly. Example: A folder with 77 jpeg images (most smaller than 300K) takes three minutes to load all the thumbnails. After they load, they're stored (I assume) in a thumbs.db file...

www.windows11forums.com

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So what? I'm seeking help on several forums. Is that a problem for you?

Thanks for doing that.

Peano said:

Were the images in the file you tested already cached? If I let all the thumbs load, the next time they'll come right up, because they're cached. The real test is how fast they're created from scratch when not cached.

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No, as I've not connected that drive before to this laptop.

Another thought, have you tested using another account. You can either create another account OR enable the hidden administrator account to test with.
From a command prompt as administrator type net user administrator /active:yes
When you restart, you will see the administrator user as an option.
See how your photos work in that account. If they work correctly that directly points to some setting or corruption in your account.
When through testing, restart again and go back into your account and disable the Administrator account
From a command prompt as administrator type net user administrator /active:no

Fabler2 said:

No, as I've not connected that drive before to this laptop.

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As a test I cleared out the thumbnail cache via system-storage- temp files and connected the drive again. They opened just as fast leaving a 14.1MB cache.

glasskuter said:

Another thought, have you tested using another account. You can either create another account OR enable the hidden administrator account to test with.
From a command prompt as administrator type net user administrator /active:yes
When you restart, you will see the administrator user as an option.
See how your photos work in that account. If they work correctly that directly points to some setting or corruption in your account.
When through testing, restart again and go back into your account and disable the Administrator account
From a command prompt as administrator type net user administrator /active:no

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Ah ha! Very interesting. In the admin account, the thumbs loaded as they should, too fast to count or keep up with. Back in my local account, just as slow as before. So I'm guessing I should create a new local account. Is there a way to migrate everything from the current account to the new one? Desktop, settings, etc.

Good call there @glasskuter. Wonder what's causing the issue though??

Fabler2 said:

Good call there @glasskuter. Wonder what's causing the issue though??

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I initially had a MS account and converted it to a local account. I wonder if I should convert it back to MS and see what happens.

Peano said:

I initially had a MS account and converted it to a local account. I wonder if I should convert it back to MS and see what happens.

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You could try , won't hurt anything.

Here's another thing you could try before anything else is to perform a clean boot and maybe find an app or program that might be causing it.

Fabler2 said:

Here's another thing you could try before anything else is to perform a clean boot and maybe find an app or program that might be causing it.

Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts

This tutorial will show you how to perform a clean boot to start Windows 10 or Windows 11 using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs for troubleshooting application conflicts. Troubleshooting Windows can be a complex process due to the many different drivers, settings, and programs...

www.elevenforum.com

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Thanks. I'm going to try the account change first.

EDIT: I switched back to a Microsoft account, and that didn't solve the problem. So I guess I'll try creating a new account and then transfer settings and data from the current account. Microsoft has, of course, made that a much more difficult process in W11 than in previous versions, so I'll have to go to school on this. Just one more entry in my "Why I hate Microsoft" book.

Fabler2 said:

Wonder what's causing the issue though??

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After reading all this IMO it's either account corruption, incorrect settings in that account, or time for a repair install. Until he proves it's not an account problem or interfering software as you suggested, even if he repair installs it won't fix the problem as a repair install does not change anything in a user account.
Also If it's account corruption the OP won't solve anything by changing his account back to a MS account. Any corruption would still be there. Only using another account is a clean test of that.
Your idea of a clean boot is a good one as well.

glasskuter said:

After reading all this IMO it's either account corruption, incorrect settings in that account, or time for a repair install. Until he proves it's not an account problem or interfering software as you suggested, even if he repair installs it won't fix the problem as a repair install does not change anything in a user account.
Also If it's account corruption the OP won't solve anything by changing his account back to a MS account. Any corruption would still be there. Only using another account is a clean test of that.
Your idea of a clean boot is a good one as well.

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Well, the problem didn't occur under an admin account, so it seems pretty clear that my current account is buggy. Also, I changed back to a MS account, and you're right, that didn't solve the problem. I'm trying now to figure out how to create a new account AND migrate my current setting to it. MS doesn't want that to be easy.

Peano said:

I'm trying now to figure out how to create a new account AND migrate my current setting to it. MS doesn't want that to be easy.

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Migrating settings, no,you'll have to do that again. It could well be one of some tweak you've made that caused the problem, so be careful.
But here's how to set up account and move your data

FROM OLD ACCOUNT

1. AS a precaution, Turn off device encryption if it is currently on. If device encryption is not available on your device, turn off standard Bitlocker.
Turn On or Off Device Encryption in Windows 11 Tutorial

Turn Off BitLocker for Drive in Windows 11 Tutorial

2. Create a new local account
Settings>Accounts>Scroll down and click on Other Users.
Select add account>select I don't have this person's signin information
In user name box name the account.
Very Important- Make the new user an administrator. To the right of the new user name click down arrow. Select Change account type.
Click arrow to right of standard user and select Administrator.

1. While still logged into old account COPY & PASTE (NOT MOVE) any of your personal files that are not already on the external drive. You only mentioned photos so this would include any documents, music, downloads, and desktop shortcuts

2. unlink Onedrive. Unlink Account and PC from OneDrive in Windows 11 Tutorial

3. Restart computer.
On signin screen you will see 2 accounts. Select the NEW ACCOUNT name and it will ask you to set up a a password and password hints. Also answer all the other setup option questions.
Your new desktop will be created.
COPY and PASTE the files you saved to the external media that you want in the personal folders of your new account.

Once everything is correct in new account, delete the old account. Settings>Accounts>Other Users>Click the down arrow next to your old account name and click Remove.

At any time you can change the new local account to a MS account if you wish, as well as turn on OneDrive Folder Backup Sync if you choose. If you want bitlocker or device encryption on, you can do that too. Note: if you use Home, it is device encryption. Pro uses standard bitlocker. If you use device encryption in Home, it encrypts ALL your drives that you connect.

Also note, even once you unlink the PC from onedrive, your current files are still stored in Onedrive on the web until you remove them. Sign in - Microsoft OneDrive

@Peano I added a few remarks to my previous post.

glasskuter said:

@Peano I added a few remarks to my previous post.

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OK, thanks so much for all that info. I copied it and saved it in a Word file to follow. If I understand correctly, I can't migrate my current profile to the new account because the problem seems to be in that profile. I can copy and paste all the data, but I'll have reconfigure all the customized settings like desktop background, files, taskbar, etc.

Yes, that is correct. When you first login into the new account,it will be just as you experienced out of box. As protection, you can also leave the administrator account enabled until your new account is working. Once everything is ok you can then disable the hidden administrator account as I posted above.