File Exporer slow and SFC Scan repaired corrupt files but still slow

rjc7394 · 17 Feb 2024

I'm using Windows 10 Home version 10.0.19045 Build 19045, PC Manufacturer is ASUS, CPU is Intel Core i5-10600K CPU 4.10 GHz 4104 Mhz 6 Core 12 Logical Processors, motherboard is ASUSTeK (Prime Z590M-Plus), RAM is 32 GB.

File Explorer is slow today in my internal drives and external drives (I have a docking station with 2 external hard drives). (Internal and External drives are usually quick to access 99.9% of the time.) My Internal drive is divided into 3 sectors.

I ran SFC Scan to Repair Corrupt System Files in internal drives and found corrupt files and it successfully repaired them.
I didn't run DISM Tool to Diagnose Issues With Local System Images and I didn't run CHKDSK, restore my system or run SFC Scan for other drives.
I've run CHKDSK a couple times over the past 3 months and it repaired files and my system's been working fine.
File Explorer for Internal and External drives has worked fine in Windows Safe Mode recently.
I guess I'll run CHKDSK again to see if it helps. (And maybe System Restore.)
Anything else I can do to troubleshoot this?

Macboatmaster · 17 Feb 2024

[QUOTE]I've run CHKDSK a couple times over the past 3 months and it repaired files and my system's been working fine.
File Explorer for Internal and External drives has worked fine in Windows Safe Mode recently.
I guess I'll run CHKDSK again to see if it helps. [/QUOTE]

Was this as a result of a message that chkdsk needed to be run on a drive or just you deciding to run it.
Which chkdsk cmd did you run please
chkdsk on its own - that is in read only mode
chkdsk /f
chkdsk /r

R includes F
and repairs bad sectors it does not actually repair them, it simply copies data to good sectors and marks a sector bad

I recommend you run a chkdsk /r on your OS drive from an admin cmd prompt
Drive Error Checking in Windows 10
option 3 please but use cmd
chkdsk /r

and then follow this to see the results. If there are bad sectors it is time to replace the drive

Read Chkdsk Log in Event Viewer in Windows 10

rjc7394 · 18 Feb 2024

I haven't gotten any messages to run chkdsk. I just read that chkdsk is one way to fix slow File Explorer.
So I ran chkdsk in read only mode then I tried running chkdsk /r and got the message: "chkdsk can not run because the volume is in use by another process" and it asked if I wanted to run chkdsk at Startup. So I tried to do that but at Startup it said Option 4 could take an over an hour.
Anyway, I just checked chkdsk in Event Viewer for 2/17/2027 and it says "Checking file system on C: The type of the file system is NTFS. WARNING! /F parameter not specified". At the end of the Event Viewer/chkdsk details it says "Stage 3....Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems. No further action is required".
So I don't know if I ran chkdsk properly or not. chkdsk /r didn't run. How do I get chkdsk /r to run from Command Prompt?
I guess I'll do more research on how to do this tomorrow - it's 2AM and I can't do it now.
Thanks for your help.

dalchina · 18 Feb 2024

The absolutely easiest way AFAIK to run a chkdsk scan (no fixes, no restarts, result right on screen is as I've posted hundreds of times;
From an admin command prompt run
chkdsk c: /scan

Anyway you've already got

found no problems. No further action is required

so that's fine.

To actually check the PHYSICAL disk rather than your partition - once again, Crystal Disk info (free) or better, Hard Disk Sentinel.

Probably none of that will help with your actual symptom though.

File Explorer is slow today in my internal drives and external drives

Slow when doing what, exactly?

And can you define 'slow' in seconds?

Look at your task manager, processes tab. Is there any significant resource usage?

Boot to Safe Mode.
Repeat the operations you found to be slow.
Do you notice any difference?

rjc7394 · 18 Feb 2024

Slow when doing what, exactly?
And can you define 'slow' in seconds?

File Explorer was slow yesterday when accessing internal and external drives. It took up to 8-12 minutes to access folders or File Explorer completely failed to respond when accessing folders and I had to close File Explorer. (Explorer's never ever been slow for me.)

So today I ran chkdsk from boot screen. I typed "chkdsk C: /r" in Command Prompt and ran it. It completed Stages 1, 2 and 3 and after Stage 4 completed it said "File datafication completed. Unspecified error occurred (75736e......500). Failed to transfer logged messages to event log with status 6".

What do the Stage 4 messages mean? And dId chkdsk look for bad sectors? Did I use the right chkdsk command? Should I have used "chkdsk C: /r /f" instead?

I haven't defragmented my computer in ages. Could defragmentation slow my system down?

Guess I'll have to do some more research.
Thank you for the help.

Macboatmaster · 18 Feb 2024

File Explorer for Internal and External drives has worked fine in Windows Safe Mode recently.

That may tend to suggest that the cause of it running slow when not in safe mode is a driver or some app on the drive
Safe mode loads a minimal set of drivers and services.

IF it is OK in Safe Mode I recommend a clean boot and if the problem is NOT evident in clean boot then use clean boot troubleshooting to try and ascertain the cause
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...a-a97a1807f3dd

follow carefully please the directions for hiding all microsoft services before disabling the others
If that solves it proceed to this section
How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean boot - on the link.
==================================================

re your last post

Should I have used "chkdsk C: /r /f" instead?

Not necessary, as I said on my first reply
/r includes /f

Try3 · 18 Feb 2024

rjc7394 said:

slow Anything else I can do to troubleshoot this?

This can have a tremendous effect on a system's speed of response. Disk Cleanup - TenForumsTutorials

Denis

rjc7394 · 18 Feb 2024

One more thing: I just opened Event Viewer and looked at "Application->Details" for 2/18/2024 and it says "CHKDSK was executed in scan mode. Checking file system on C:, Stage 1: Was not able to send command for self-healing due to lack of memory".
Does this mean I don't have the memory to let CHKDSK complete? (I attached a screenshot of Event Viewer.)
I'm going to try and troubleshoot this with a clean boot now. Thanks very much.

File Exporer slow and SFC Scan repaired corrupt files but still slow-ev-checking-file-system.jpg

dalchina · 18 Feb 2024

healing due to lack of memory"

- Please see my post regarding your task manager. Thanks.

I haven't defragmented my computer in ages.

Not relevant. Plus Windows generally looks after disks reasonably well, and at best defrag applies to HDDs not SSDs.

rjc7394 · 18 Feb 2024

Look at your task manager, processes tab. Is there any significant resource usage?

I attached a screenshot of Processes in Task Manager. I don't know why Firefox appears about 15 times. It's using the most Memory. And so is Antimalware Service and Skype. I really don't know what Skype or Microsoft Edge are - I never use them or don't think I need them.
I did a clean boot and I really couldn't find any services that are slowing down File Explorer. (Haven't had any problems with Explorer today.)
I read that another way to check your drive for system errors is to click the drive and run Error Checking. I did this (it took about a minute) and it said there were no errors on the drive. I don't know if this as thorough as running chkdsk.