I've been experiencing a frustrating issue on my Surface Pro 8 where files take over 30 seconds to open when accessed through File Explorer or the desktop. However, opening files directly from applications like Media Player, Excel, or Word works fine and is quick. I checked the SSD health using CrystalDiskInfo and CrystalDiskMark, and everything looks okay. This problem started about two months ago. I've tried a few potential fixes like clearing the File Explorer history, disabling all non-Windows services, restarting the related service, and running 'sfc /scannow,' but nothing has helped. The device runs Windows 11, and resource usage appears normal. Sometimes I do see CPU spikes when opening files. As an additional note, saving files takes about 2-3 seconds, creating new files is instant, and opening files from the command prompt is also fast. It's only through File Explorer that there's a delay.
1 Answer
Hey, I get your frustration! I’m kinda scratching my head too. But just to clarify, when you try to open a file through the app's Open dialog, does that entire process (besides navigating the dialog) also take about 30 seconds? Because if that’s the case, it might just be how your PC is handling loading both the application and the file. If opening files through the Recent History in Excel or other apps is faster, then that’s super interesting!
I’ll definitely look into that. But I do know that the software opens quickly, so that seems like it shouldn’t be the issue. I even tested different file sizes and made sure the files weren’t just cached in the programs.