Windows File Explorer hangs when working with .ogg files

Hey guys;
I am at my wit's end tonight after spending nearly the entire day troubleshooting this issue.

First, I am running Windows 10 Pro ver 2004
The problem is that when I open a folder containing .ogg music files, the folder will open, and immediately all of the files will be displayed. Then, a fraction of a second later, all of the file names will disappear, leaving only the icons on the left side.
Then, one by one the file names will reappear, starting at the bottom of the window and moving up.
Often, when the list is nearly complete, Explorer hangs (freezes) with the top file name not displayed. The cursor is an hourglass if I move it into the Explorer window, but other apps continue to function.

Explorer also freezes if I open a folder with .ogg files and right-click on any of the files.

This is happening on my 'normal' user which has admin privs. The user is local, not a MS account.

When I log off the user, and log back on with the administrator account, everything is fine.

Checking the user data in C:\users\<username>\AppData\, I see that there are many more entries in my normal user than in the administrator. This makes sense, since I never use the admin account, except for troubleshooting.

I have tried running 'shellxview', and have disabled all non-MS extensions, but this had no effect.
I have run 'autoruns' and tried un-ticking some of the items from the Login and Explorer tabs, but nothing I do has any effect on the problem.

I also un-installed Foobar2000, since it was (at one time, but now restored to Groove) the registered app for .ogg files. That had no effect.
I have un-installed iTunes, as it seems to mess up pretty regularly. Again, no effect.

I have tried running Explorer as admin (from the regular user acct), but that had no effect.

The only thing that does fix the problem is logging into the admin account.

I have Googled and tried many suggested solutions, but none have worked for me.

I was so frustrated at one point, I was about to restore a partition backup, but it's at least a week old, and I really hate to go to that extreme; and besides, I am not at all sure that the problem didn't crop up long before any of my saved backups, as this is the first time in a while I am working with my .ogg files.

Note: The problem does not occur with other file types, such as .flac, .jpg, or any other type I have browsed through.

For reference, this is a list of all the apps I have which are able to open .ogg files:

Reaper (ver 6.15 x64)
Foobar2000 (ver 1.6.2)
MusicBee (ver 3.3.7367
Groove Music (default Windows)
Tag & Rename (ver 3.9.15)

If all else fails, I am thinking that I need to create another user, and migrate all apps to that user, testing Explorer after each one is added.
I really hate to un-install all of my music apps, as I have spent a lot of time getting them set up how I like. I suppose i can save the config files, but I am never sure whether everything will restore properly.

Thanks for your help
Ultrarunner

Hello @ultrarunner2020,
See if this helps.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...4-06b095fc6c32

- - - Updated - - -

Specifically this part:

"CaptainTeo
In case anyone else comes across this thread, I wanted to update it to say that I finally figured out the problem! It turned out to be Web Media Extensions, a Windows 10 app that handles Ogg Vorbis support in Windows 10 default apps. I'm not sure why it was bugging out so badly, but I uninstalled it and that's finally eradicated the problem. "

VLC Media Player, Chrome, and Firefox (among others) can handle .OGG files as well -

OGG File Extension - What is an .ogg file and how do I open it?

steve108 said:

Hello @ultrarunner2020,
See if this helps.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...4-06b095fc6c32

- - - Updated - - -

Specifically this part:

"CaptainTeo
In case anyone else comes across this thread, I wanted to update it to say that I finally figured out the problem! It turned out to be Web Media Extensions, a Windows 10 app that handles Ogg Vorbis support in Windows 10 default apps. I'm not sure why it was bugging out so badly, but I uninstalled it and that's finally eradicated the problem. "

That seems to have solved my problem. I'm not surprised that it was a Microsoft program that was causing it.
Hope I don't have it return with next Windows update, but at least I will know what to do.

One more thing: Should I have indexing turned on for the drive that contains these files, or any drive for that matter?

ultrarunner2020 said:

That seems to have solved my problem. I'm not surprised that it was a Microsoft program that was causing it.
Hope I don't have it return with next Windows update, but at least I will know what to do.

One more thing: Should I have indexing turned on for the drive that contains these files, or any drive for that matter?

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you got it solved. Indexing is a personal choice depending on how you use your PC. I keep indexing on for my internal drives and sometimes turn it off for my external drives because I don't need them indexed as I use them to make backups.

I find indexing/Windows Search works so well on 2004, it's the most used function for me. I use it to find files, folders, apps, and settings - it's my right-hand most used favorite function on Windows now.

- - - Updated - - -

Initially it takes a while to build the index, so I have to leave my PC on until it finishes, but after that, indexing updates unintrusively and rather quickly for new/removed files.

Thanks;
I have always kept indexing turned on, but turned it off on the drive containing the .ogg files while troubleshooting, as I was taking 'shots in the dark' when I became frustrated. I have turned it back on.
I seem to recall having read somewhere that indexing can have some negative effects, but I don't remember anything specific.

With the Media Extensions removed, I'm wondering what other useless 'features' of Windows I might be able to remove or at least disable. I have already disabled Cortana.

dalchina said:

Cortana is a Store app now- so can simply be uninstalled, as I understand it.

Maybe, but the Uninstall button is grayed out on my system (Windows 10 Pro ver 2004). It's OK though; I have it disabled.

I started using XYPlorer, and like it very much. None of the quirks that Windows Explorer suffers from, and the double window is very helpful. I haven't even read through the tutorial on what it can do, but I suspect it's a lot more powerful than Windows Explorer. It's not free though, so when the 30-day trial runs out, I'll have to purchase a license.