Windows Explorer freezing a lot recently.

spunk said:

Refresh Firefox and see how that goes.
Does this happen with other browsers?

I'll let you know if/when I refresh Firefox, thanks for the suggestion.

I don't think I've noticed the clock + Windows explorer being frozen, with other browsers.

Or if I had another browser, like Chrome open, I probably also had Firefox open at the same time, with more stuff in Firefox.

But, in this post, this user says it happens in Chrome to them too:

Windows Explorer freezing a lot recently.

Yes I have updated all drivers and updated bios, and after reinstalling windows yet again for the third or fourth time, the issue has disappeared.

This has been happening a lot lately. None of the prior solutions worked.

Even the temporary solution, of clearing the browser cache, hasn't been working. Usually that would alleviate the problem for a few weeks.

Are there any other suggestions?

In my case it turned out that I had to reduce RAM speed from 3200 MHz to 2666 MHz. It was instability from the higher RAM speed that was my problem

Henrik Ler said:

In my case it turned out that I had to reduce RAM speed from 3200 MHz to 2666 MHz. It was instability from the higher RAM speed that was my problem

What made you think of trying that?

I have 2 8GB modules running at 1500 MHz each.

I think it was something I read somewhere else that gave me that idea. I think I read that the RAM controller for my motherboard and CPU combo could have issues with the RAM overclocked to its max supported O.C profile. And that caused the instability and freezing in my system

Henrik Ler said:

I think it was something I read somewhere else that gave me that idea. I think I read that the RAM controller for my motherboard and CPU combo could have issues with the RAM overclocked to its max supported O.C profile. And that caused the instability and freezing in my system

How do I know what speed my RAM should be running at?

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Desktop Memory Model F4-3000C15D-16GVR - Newegg.com

Also I created my PC build in January 2019. I didn't have any issues with Explorer freezing until late 2021, 2.5 years later.

nuraman00 said:

I am on Version 10.0.19043 Build 19043.

Windows Explorer seems to freeze a lot, during the past 1 - 2 months. I notice this because the clock in the lower right corner stays frozen.

When that happens, I can't open Windows Explorer, if it was open.

I can't even close a lot of apps. Nor can I restart the PC. If I try and click on restart, nothing happens.

Same with shut down.

I have to manually hit the restart or power off on my tower.

This also seems to almost always happen when I'm using Firefox. Maybe 100% of the time.

And, there are no warning signs either. It's just every now and then, I'll look at the clock, and I'll notice it hasn't moved in a few minutes. That's when I know explorer is frozen, and all of the other symptoms then happen (can't open windows explorer; can't search for programs; can't restart or shut down from within windows, etc.)

Hello, I had that problem before and the solution i found worked perfectly.
Using TaskManager > in Processes scroll down to Windows Explorer, right-click and Restart.... Solved !