Opening My Photos Folder takes a long time to open

Hi everyone!

I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!

Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
VERY long time to open. Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time to
perform that activity, as well. Rebooting the computer did not help.
Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive (everything
is back up there) opened instantly.

No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.

So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures to
this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply delete
the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?

Any ideas?

Thank you!

On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
<HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:


> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!


How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?


> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
> VERY long time to open.


How long is a "VERY long time"?


> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time to
> perform that activity, as well.


And how long is that "very long time"?


> Rebooting the computer did not help.
> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive (everything
> is back up there) opened instantly.
>
> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.


How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?


> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
>
> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures to
> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply delete
> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thank you!
>
>
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon or
preview mode?
that may take a while

or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort of iconic
preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course fast
graphics card helps.



The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder opens in
detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40 different
folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as quickly.
The total storage is only a couple GB so far


I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub folders not just
throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
performance
fast search/category
easier backup and recovery if needed

BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store orginal as
gif.

"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>
>> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
>
>
> How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?
>
>
>> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
>> VERY long time to open.
>
>
> How long is a "VERY long time"?
>
>
>> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
>> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time
>> to
>> perform that activity, as well.
>
>
> And how long is that "very long time"?
>
>
>> Rebooting the computer did not help.
>> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
>> (everything
>> is back up there) opened instantly.
>>
>> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
>
>
> How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?
>
>
>> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
>> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
>>
>> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures
>> to
>> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply
>> delete
>> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

(Using top posting to conform with what was done previously in this
thread.)

The original poster (OP) copied his "My Pictures", which I assume
is his My Documents\My Pictures
to another directory having the name "My Pictures" and the performance
problem went away.

While the comments of gs@dontmail.telus are valid in general, they
don't address the OPs question or problem, which are:
Q can the OP simply delete the original My Pictures and rename
the copy (so it is in My Documents) ?
P why was the performance on the C drive slow?

In answer for Q: I'm sure that there are some issues with Access
Control Lists (ACLs), so I would not just delete and rename, but
rather wait for further information from someone who can describe
how to do things correctly.

As for P, I thought the OP said both the copy on G and the additional
copy that he made provided fast access, so the problem doesn't seem
to be with the C drive, but perhaps something messed up in the
My Documents/My Pictures. I suggest deleting all of the files
in the My Documents/My Pictures directory and then copying the
files back one of the other two copies that he has.
Perhaps this will make the problem go away. If the problem doesn't
go away than he can try deleting and recreating the file with the
proper ACL.

However, my recommendation is not to store anything that you have
control over in anything that Windows knows about, since it has been
my experience that Windows loses the stuff in the places that it
knows about more often than I forget to backup my stuff but would
have been saved by some automatic backup that Windows did of the
stuff it knew about.

On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:58 -0600, "msnews.microsoft.com"
<gs@dontMail.telus> wrote in part:

> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon or
> preview mode?
> that may take a while
>
> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort of iconic
> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course fast
> graphics card helps.
>
>
>
> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder opens in
> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40 different
> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as quickly.
> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
>
>
> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub folders not just
> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
> performance
> fast search/category
> easier backup and recovery if needed
>
> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store orginal as
> gif.
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
> >
> >
> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?
> >
> >
> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
> >> VERY long time to open.
> >
> >
> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
> >
> >
> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time
> >> to
> >> perform that activity, as well.
> >
> >
> > And how long is that "very long time"?
> >
> >
> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
> >> (everything
> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
> >>
> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
> >
> >
> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?
> >
> >
> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
> >>
> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures
> >> to
> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply
> >> delete
> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
> >>
> >> Any ideas?
> >>
> >> Thank you!
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>

The OP has reported that his "My Photos" folder opens almost
instantaneously in "detail" view - but takes a long time to open in
"thumbnail" mode. That indicates that delays occur, when the computer
creates icons or thumbnail images. These symptoms may be related to one
(or more) of the following factors:

Hardware issues (processor, HDD or graphics card)
You are running Win XP with only 512 MB Ram, which is barely adequate.
Excessive use of Virtual Memory, associated with the read/write speed of
your HDD

Running Windows XP with only 512 Mb RAM leads to increased dependence
upon Virtual Memory (where the processor reads and writes data from and
to temporary locations on the HDD). Consequently, the problems might be
related to Virtual Memory settings and/or the read/write speed of the
primary HDD.

It always takes a while to create picture thumbnails, when there many
large files in a folder. Consequently, folders will open more quickly,
if files have been transferred to sub-folders.

However, the OP reported that pictures open quickly from a folder on an
external G drive - which suggests that the size of folder and the
processor, graphics card and RAM might not be primary issues.

He should also consider the following possibility. When the user
configures a folder to display picture files in "thumbnail" mode,
Windows will create a hidden system file named "thumbs.db". There might
be a problem with this system file on the OP's computer. He could try
the following workaround, to re-create the "thumbs.db" file.

1. Open the folder.
2. Click on Tools | Folder Options | View - and select "show hidden
files and folders". Save your settings.
3. Switch to detail view.
4. Delete the "thumbs.db" file.
4. Close the folder
5. Re-open the folder and switch back to "thumbnail" view.

If that doesn't help, he could try additional RAM. Windows XP runs much
better with a minimum of 1 Gb RAM.




"Mark F" <mark49607@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7c8hf41pgujda1n0ch9dlic50b3n8e54al@4ax.com...
> (Using top posting to conform with what was done previously in this
> thread.)
>
> The original poster (OP) copied his "My Pictures", which I assume
> is his My Documents\My Pictures
> to another directory having the name "My Pictures" and the performance
> problem went away.
>
> While the comments of gs@dontmail.telus are valid in general, they
> don't address the OPs question or problem, which are:
> Q can the OP simply delete the original My Pictures and rename
> the copy (so it is in My Documents) ?
> P why was the performance on the C drive slow?
>
> In answer for Q: I'm sure that there are some issues with Access
> Control Lists (ACLs), so I would not just delete and rename, but
> rather wait for further information from someone who can describe
> how to do things correctly.
>
> As for P, I thought the OP said both the copy on G and the additional
> copy that he made provided fast access, so the problem doesn't seem
> to be with the C drive, but perhaps something messed up in the
> My Documents/My Pictures. I suggest deleting all of the files
> in the My Documents/My Pictures directory and then copying the
> files back one of the other two copies that he has.
> Perhaps this will make the problem go away. If the problem doesn't
> go away than he can try deleting and recreating the file with the
> proper ACL.
>
> However, my recommendation is not to store anything that you have
> control over in anything that Windows knows about, since it has been
> my experience that Windows loses the stuff in the places that it
> knows about more often than I forget to backup my stuff but would
> have been saved by some automatic backup that Windows did of the
> stuff it knew about.
>
> On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:58 -0600, "msnews.microsoft.com"
> <gs@dontMail.telus> wrote in part:
>
>> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon or
>> preview mode?
>> that may take a while
>>
>> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort of
>> iconic
>> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course fast
>> graphics card helps.
>>
>>
>>
>> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder
>> opens in
>> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
>> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40 different
>> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as
>> quickly.
>> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
>>
>>
>> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub folders
>> not just
>> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
>> performance
>> fast search/category
>> easier backup and recovery if needed
>>
>> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store
>> orginal as
>> gif.
>>
>> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
>> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
>> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
>> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
>> >
>> >
>> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you
>> > have?
>> >
>> >
>> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it
>> >> took a
>> >> VERY long time to open.
>> >
>> >
>> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
>> >
>> >
>> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
>> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very
>> >> long time
>> >> to
>> >> perform that activity, as well.
>> >
>> >
>> > And how long is that "very long time"?
>> >
>> >
>> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
>> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
>> >> (everything
>> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
>> >>
>> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
>> >
>> >
>> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's
>> > so?
>> >
>> >
>> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
>> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C
>> >> drive.
>> >>
>> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my
>> >> pictures
>> >> to
>> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I
>> >> simply
>> >> delete
>> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
>> >>
>> >> Any ideas?
>> >>
>> >> Thank you!
>> > --
>> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>

I have 3 GB of RAM, and no errors.
A long time is more than a minute before it opens. I created a new folder
Called My Pictures 1 and copied all subfolder from C:\My Documents\My
Pictures into the new folder My Pictures 1. When I click on My Pictures 1,
everything opens instantly!

I've run AdAware and Webroot Spysweeper, and have McAfee.

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

> On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>
> > I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
>
>
> How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?
>
>
> > Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
> > VERY long time to open.
>
>
> How long is a "VERY long time"?
>
>
> > Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> > the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time to
> > perform that activity, as well.
>
>
> And how long is that "very long time"?
>
>
> > Rebooting the computer did not help.
> > Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive (everything
> > is back up there) opened instantly.
> >
> > No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
>
>
> How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?
>
>
> > Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> > All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
> >
> > So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures to
> > this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply delete
> > the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
> >
> > Any ideas?
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>

No, I just click on My Documents, then click on the My Pictures Folder.

"msnews.microsoft.com" wrote:

> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon or
> preview mode?
> that may take a while
>
> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort of iconic
> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course fast
> graphics card helps.
>
>
>
> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder opens in
> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40 different
> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as quickly.
> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
>
>
> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub folders not just
> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
> performance
> fast search/category
> easier backup and recovery if needed
>
> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store orginal as
> gif.
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
> >
> >
> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?
> >
> >
> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took a
> >> VERY long time to open.
> >
> >
> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
> >
> >
> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long time
> >> to
> >> perform that activity, as well.
> >
> >
> > And how long is that "very long time"?
> >
> >
> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
> >> (everything
> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
> >>
> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
> >
> >
> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?
> >
> >
> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
> >>
> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures
> >> to
> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply
> >> delete
> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
> >>
> >> Any ideas?
> >>
> >> Thank you!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
>
>

I do not have a thumbs.db file in my hidden files.

These are the hidden files that appear in the My Pictures folder:

AI_DPE2.DB1
AI_DPE2.DB2
ZbThumbnail.info

Is the absence of the thumbs.db file causing my problem? How do I recreate
it if it is a needed file?

Thank you!

Howard

"Bob Lucas" wrote:

> The OP has reported that his "My Photos" folder opens almost
> instantaneously in "detail" view - but takes a long time to open in
> "thumbnail" mode. That indicates that delays occur, when the computer
> creates icons or thumbnail images. These symptoms may be related to one
> (or more) of the following factors:
>
> Hardware issues (processor, HDD or graphics card)
> You are running Win XP with only 512 MB Ram, which is barely adequate.
> Excessive use of Virtual Memory, associated with the read/write speed of
> your HDD
>
> Running Windows XP with only 512 Mb RAM leads to increased dependence
> upon Virtual Memory (where the processor reads and writes data from and
> to temporary locations on the HDD). Consequently, the problems might be
> related to Virtual Memory settings and/or the read/write speed of the
> primary HDD.
>
> It always takes a while to create picture thumbnails, when there many
> large files in a folder. Consequently, folders will open more quickly,
> if files have been transferred to sub-folders.
>
> However, the OP reported that pictures open quickly from a folder on an
> external G drive - which suggests that the size of folder and the
> processor, graphics card and RAM might not be primary issues.
>
> He should also consider the following possibility. When the user
> configures a folder to display picture files in "thumbnail" mode,
> Windows will create a hidden system file named "thumbs.db". There might
> be a problem with this system file on the OP's computer. He could try
> the following workaround, to re-create the "thumbs.db" file.
>
> 1. Open the folder.
> 2. Click on Tools | Folder Options | View - and select "show hidden
> files and folders". Save your settings.
> 3. Switch to detail view.
> 4. Delete the "thumbs.db" file.
> 4. Close the folder
> 5. Re-open the folder and switch back to "thumbnail" view.
>
> If that doesn't help, he could try additional RAM. Windows XP runs much
> better with a minimum of 1 Gb RAM.
>
>
>
>
> "Mark F" <mark49607@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:7c8hf41pgujda1n0ch9dlic50b3n8e54al@4ax.com...
> > (Using top posting to conform with what was done previously in this
> > thread.)
> >
> > The original poster (OP) copied his "My Pictures", which I assume
> > is his My Documents\My Pictures
> > to another directory having the name "My Pictures" and the performance
> > problem went away.
> >
> > While the comments of gs@dontmail.telus are valid in general, they
> > don't address the OPs question or problem, which are:
> > Q can the OP simply delete the original My Pictures and rename
> > the copy (so it is in My Documents) ?
> > P why was the performance on the C drive slow?
> >
> > In answer for Q: I'm sure that there are some issues with Access
> > Control Lists (ACLs), so I would not just delete and rename, but
> > rather wait for further information from someone who can describe
> > how to do things correctly.
> >
> > As for P, I thought the OP said both the copy on G and the additional
> > copy that he made provided fast access, so the problem doesn't seem
> > to be with the C drive, but perhaps something messed up in the
> > My Documents/My Pictures. I suggest deleting all of the files
> > in the My Documents/My Pictures directory and then copying the
> > files back one of the other two copies that he has.
> > Perhaps this will make the problem go away. If the problem doesn't
> > go away than he can try deleting and recreating the file with the
> > proper ACL.
> >
> > However, my recommendation is not to store anything that you have
> > control over in anything that Windows knows about, since it has been
> > my experience that Windows loses the stuff in the places that it
> > knows about more often than I forget to backup my stuff but would
> > have been saved by some automatic backup that Windows did of the
> > stuff it knew about.
> >
> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:58 -0600, "msnews.microsoft.com"
> > <gs@dontMail.telus> wrote in part:
> >
> >> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon or
> >> preview mode?
> >> that may take a while
> >>
> >> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort of
> >> iconic
> >> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course fast
> >> graphics card helps.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder
> >> opens in
> >> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
> >> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40 different
> >> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as
> >> quickly.
> >> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
> >>
> >>
> >> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub folders
> >> not just
> >> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
> >> performance
> >> fast search/category
> >> easier backup and recovery if needed
> >>
> >> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store
> >> orginal as
> >> gif.
> >>
> >> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> >> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
> >> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> >> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you
> >> > have?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it
> >> >> took a
> >> >> VERY long time to open.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> >> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very
> >> >> long time
> >> >> to
> >> >> perform that activity, as well.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > And how long is that "very long time"?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
> >> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
> >> >> (everything
> >> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
> >> >>
> >> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's
> >> > so?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> >> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C
> >> >> drive.
> >> >>
> >> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my
> >> >> pictures
> >> >> to
> >> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I
> >> >> simply
> >> >> delete
> >> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
> >> >>
> >> >> Any ideas?
> >> >>
> >> >> Thank you!
> >> > --
> >> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> >> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >>
>
>
>

Try my Explorer Shell Fix tool. Download it here
http://pcbutts1.com/downloads/tools/tools.htm


--
Ignore any posts made by the Stalker Leythos, he's still in love with me.
He started stalking me after I spurned his advances towards me.
He said he would stop Stalking me If I stopped mentioning his name.
As you can see that does not work. He is a sick obsessive STALKER.





"Howard B" <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CE96EFB3-4B4C-446D-B6A5-6DB90C02CA11@microsoft.com...
>I have 3 GB of RAM, and no errors.
> A long time is more than a minute before it opens. I created a new folder
> Called My Pictures 1 and copied all subfolder from C:\My Documents\My
> Pictures into the new folder My Pictures 1. When I click on My Pictures
> 1,
> everything opens instantly!
>
> I've run AdAware and Webroot Spysweeper, and have McAfee.
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
>> <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> > I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
>>
>>
>> How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you have?
>>
>>
>> > Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive, it took
>> > a
>> > VERY long time to open.
>>
>>
>> How long is a "VERY long time"?
>>
>>
>> > Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
>> > the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very long
>> > time to
>> > perform that activity, as well.
>>
>>
>> And how long is that "very long time"?
>>
>>
>> > Rebooting the computer did not help.
>> > Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
>> > (everything
>> > is back up there) opened instantly.
>> >
>> > No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
>>
>>
>> How do you know? What software do you use to make you think that's so?
>>
>>
>> > Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
>> > All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C drive.
>> >
>> > So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my pictures
>> > to
>> > this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I simply
>> > delete
>> > the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
>> >
>> > Any ideas?
>> >
>> > Thank you!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>

On my computer, I use the "My Pictures" folder at the top of the tree.
I have created separate sub-folders, to provide easy access to all my
photos.

For instance, one of the sub-folders is named "2008-10 New England". I
have stored every photograph from my visit to New England in October
2008 in the "2008-10 New England" sub-folder. However, I do not store
any photographs in the "My Pictures" folder (at the top of the tree).

The "My Pictures" folder on my computer does contain a file named
ZbThumbnail.info - plus the names of all sub-folders. Then, each
sub-folder has its own thumbs.db file.

Windows XP professional (SP3) on my computer creates a separate
"thumbs.db" file in each folder that contains jpg, tif or similar
graphics files. My computer creates the "thumbs.db" file, as soon as I
select thumbnail images as the view option.

I have no other suggestions, if your compter behaves differently.
However, all computers will take longer to display the thumbnails, if a
single folder contains too many large graphics files.


"Howard B" <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B3F91E88-D159-49AD-8BE4-3919EF53FF53@microsoft.com...
>I do not have a thumbs.db file in my hidden files.
>
> These are the hidden files that appear in the My Pictures folder:
>
> AI_DPE2.DB1
> AI_DPE2.DB2
> ZbThumbnail.info
>
> Is the absence of the thumbs.db file causing my problem? How do I
> recreate
> it if it is a needed file?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Howard
>
> "Bob Lucas" wrote:
>
>> The OP has reported that his "My Photos" folder opens almost
>> instantaneously in "detail" view - but takes a long time to open in
>> "thumbnail" mode. That indicates that delays occur, when the computer
>> creates icons or thumbnail images. These symptoms may be related to
>> one
>> (or more) of the following factors:
>>
>> Hardware issues (processor, HDD or graphics card)
>> You are running Win XP with only 512 MB Ram, which is barely
>> adequate.
>> Excessive use of Virtual Memory, associated with the read/write speed
>> of
>> your HDD
>>
>> Running Windows XP with only 512 Mb RAM leads to increased dependence
>> upon Virtual Memory (where the processor reads and writes data from
>> and
>> to temporary locations on the HDD). Consequently, the problems might
>> be
>> related to Virtual Memory settings and/or the read/write speed of the
>> primary HDD.
>>
>> It always takes a while to create picture thumbnails, when there many
>> large files in a folder. Consequently, folders will open more
>> quickly,
>> if files have been transferred to sub-folders.
>>
>> However, the OP reported that pictures open quickly from a folder on
>> an
>> external G drive - which suggests that the size of folder and the
>> processor, graphics card and RAM might not be primary issues.
>>
>> He should also consider the following possibility. When the user
>> configures a folder to display picture files in "thumbnail" mode,
>> Windows will create a hidden system file named "thumbs.db". There
>> might
>> be a problem with this system file on the OP's computer. He could
>> try
>> the following workaround, to re-create the "thumbs.db" file.
>>
>> 1. Open the folder.
>> 2. Click on Tools | Folder Options | View - and select "show
>> hidden
>> files and folders". Save your settings.
>> 3. Switch to detail view.
>> 4. Delete the "thumbs.db" file.
>> 4. Close the folder
>> 5. Re-open the folder and switch back to "thumbnail" view.
>>
>> If that doesn't help, he could try additional RAM. Windows XP runs
>> much
>> better with a minimum of 1 Gb RAM.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Mark F" <mark49607@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:7c8hf41pgujda1n0ch9dlic50b3n8e54al@4ax.com...
>> > (Using top posting to conform with what was done previously in this
>> > thread.)
>> >
>> > The original poster (OP) copied his "My Pictures", which I assume
>> > is his My Documents\My Pictures
>> > to another directory having the name "My Pictures" and the
>> > performance
>> > problem went away.
>> >
>> > While the comments of gs@dontmail.telus are valid in general, they
>> > don't address the OPs question or problem, which are:
>> > Q can the OP simply delete the original My Pictures and rename
>> > the copy (so it is in My Documents) ?
>> > P why was the performance on the C drive slow?
>> >
>> > In answer for Q: I'm sure that there are some issues with Access
>> > Control Lists (ACLs), so I would not just delete and rename, but
>> > rather wait for further information from someone who can describe
>> > how to do things correctly.
>> >
>> > As for P, I thought the OP said both the copy on G and the
>> > additional
>> > copy that he made provided fast access, so the problem doesn't seem
>> > to be with the C drive, but perhaps something messed up in the
>> > My Documents/My Pictures. I suggest deleting all of the files
>> > in the My Documents/My Pictures directory and then copying the
>> > files back one of the other two copies that he has.
>> > Perhaps this will make the problem go away. If the problem doesn't
>> > go away than he can try deleting and recreating the file with the
>> > proper ACL.
>> >
>> > However, my recommendation is not to store anything that you have
>> > control over in anything that Windows knows about, since it has
>> > been
>> > my experience that Windows loses the stuff in the places that it
>> > knows about more often than I forget to backup my stuff but would
>> > have been saved by some automatic backup that Windows did of the
>> > stuff it knew about.
>> >
>> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:58 -0600, "msnews.microsoft.com"
>> > <gs@dontMail.telus> wrote in part:
>> >
>> >> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon
>> >> or
>> >> preview mode?
>> >> that may take a while
>> >>
>> >> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort
>> >> of
>> >> iconic
>> >> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course
>> >> fast
>> >> graphics card helps.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder
>> >> opens in
>> >> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
>> >> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40
>> >> different
>> >> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as
>> >> quickly.
>> >> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub
>> >> folders
>> >> not just
>> >> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
>> >> performance
>> >> fast search/category
>> >> easier backup and recovery if needed
>> >>
>> >> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store
>> >> orginal as
>> >> gif.
>> >>
>> >> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in
>> >> message
>> >> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
>> >> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
>> >> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you
>> >> > have?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive,
>> >> >> it
>> >> >> took a
>> >> >> VERY long time to open.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
>> >> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very
>> >> >> long time
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> perform that activity, as well.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > And how long is that "very long time"?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
>> >> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
>> >> >> (everything
>> >> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think
>> >> > that's
>> >> > so?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
>> >> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C
>> >> >> drive.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my
>> >> >> pictures
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I
>> >> >> simply
>> >> >> delete
>> >> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Any ideas?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Thank you!
>> >> > --
>> >> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> >> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>> >>
>>
>>
>>

Thanks for your post-- I've reread it, and I do have all of my pictures in
subfolders. It takes forever for My Pictures to open, and then a long time
to move forward or up a level.

As I indicated, I copied the entire contents of My Pictures into another
folder I created called My Pictures 1. The exact same file structure. It
opens instantly, and so do all the subfolders.

Still can't figure this out!

Other thoughts?

Howard

"Bob Lucas" wrote:

> On my computer, I use the "My Pictures" folder at the top of the tree.
> I have created separate sub-folders, to provide easy access to all my
> photos.
>
> For instance, one of the sub-folders is named "2008-10 New England". I
> have stored every photograph from my visit to New England in October
> 2008 in the "2008-10 New England" sub-folder. However, I do not store
> any photographs in the "My Pictures" folder (at the top of the tree).
>
> The "My Pictures" folder on my computer does contain a file named
> ZbThumbnail.info - plus the names of all sub-folders. Then, each
> sub-folder has its own thumbs.db file.
>
> Windows XP professional (SP3) on my computer creates a separate
> "thumbs.db" file in each folder that contains jpg, tif or similar
> graphics files. My computer creates the "thumbs.db" file, as soon as I
> select thumbnail images as the view option.
>
> I have no other suggestions, if your compter behaves differently.
> However, all computers will take longer to display the thumbnails, if a
> single folder contains too many large graphics files.
>
>
> "Howard B" <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:B3F91E88-D159-49AD-8BE4-3919EF53FF53@microsoft.com...
> >I do not have a thumbs.db file in my hidden files.
> >
> > These are the hidden files that appear in the My Pictures folder:
> >
> > AI_DPE2.DB1
> > AI_DPE2.DB2
> > ZbThumbnail.info
> >
> > Is the absence of the thumbs.db file causing my problem? How do I
> > recreate
> > it if it is a needed file?
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> > Howard
> >
> > "Bob Lucas" wrote:
> >
> >> The OP has reported that his "My Photos" folder opens almost
> >> instantaneously in "detail" view - but takes a long time to open in
> >> "thumbnail" mode. That indicates that delays occur, when the computer
> >> creates icons or thumbnail images. These symptoms may be related to
> >> one
> >> (or more) of the following factors:
> >>
> >> Hardware issues (processor, HDD or graphics card)
> >> You are running Win XP with only 512 MB Ram, which is barely
> >> adequate.
> >> Excessive use of Virtual Memory, associated with the read/write speed
> >> of
> >> your HDD
> >>
> >> Running Windows XP with only 512 Mb RAM leads to increased dependence
> >> upon Virtual Memory (where the processor reads and writes data from
> >> and
> >> to temporary locations on the HDD). Consequently, the problems might
> >> be
> >> related to Virtual Memory settings and/or the read/write speed of the
> >> primary HDD.
> >>
> >> It always takes a while to create picture thumbnails, when there many
> >> large files in a folder. Consequently, folders will open more
> >> quickly,
> >> if files have been transferred to sub-folders.
> >>
> >> However, the OP reported that pictures open quickly from a folder on
> >> an
> >> external G drive - which suggests that the size of folder and the
> >> processor, graphics card and RAM might not be primary issues.
> >>
> >> He should also consider the following possibility. When the user
> >> configures a folder to display picture files in "thumbnail" mode,
> >> Windows will create a hidden system file named "thumbs.db". There
> >> might
> >> be a problem with this system file on the OP's computer. He could
> >> try
> >> the following workaround, to re-create the "thumbs.db" file.
> >>
> >> 1. Open the folder.
> >> 2. Click on Tools | Folder Options | View - and select "show
> >> hidden
> >> files and folders". Save your settings.
> >> 3. Switch to detail view.
> >> 4. Delete the "thumbs.db" file.
> >> 4. Close the folder
> >> 5. Re-open the folder and switch back to "thumbnail" view.
> >>
> >> If that doesn't help, he could try additional RAM. Windows XP runs
> >> much
> >> better with a minimum of 1 Gb RAM.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> "Mark F" <mark49607@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >> news:7c8hf41pgujda1n0ch9dlic50b3n8e54al@4ax.com...
> >> > (Using top posting to conform with what was done previously in this
> >> > thread.)
> >> >
> >> > The original poster (OP) copied his "My Pictures", which I assume
> >> > is his My Documents\My Pictures
> >> > to another directory having the name "My Pictures" and the
> >> > performance
> >> > problem went away.
> >> >
> >> > While the comments of gs@dontmail.telus are valid in general, they
> >> > don't address the OPs question or problem, which are:
> >> > Q can the OP simply delete the original My Pictures and rename
> >> > the copy (so it is in My Documents) ?
> >> > P why was the performance on the C drive slow?
> >> >
> >> > In answer for Q: I'm sure that there are some issues with Access
> >> > Control Lists (ACLs), so I would not just delete and rename, but
> >> > rather wait for further information from someone who can describe
> >> > how to do things correctly.
> >> >
> >> > As for P, I thought the OP said both the copy on G and the
> >> > additional
> >> > copy that he made provided fast access, so the problem doesn't seem
> >> > to be with the C drive, but perhaps something messed up in the
> >> > My Documents/My Pictures. I suggest deleting all of the files
> >> > in the My Documents/My Pictures directory and then copying the
> >> > files back one of the other two copies that he has.
> >> > Perhaps this will make the problem go away. If the problem doesn't
> >> > go away than he can try deleting and recreating the file with the
> >> > proper ACL.
> >> >
> >> > However, my recommendation is not to store anything that you have
> >> > control over in anything that Windows knows about, since it has
> >> > been
> >> > my experience that Windows loses the stuff in the places that it
> >> > knows about more often than I forget to backup my stuff but would
> >> > have been saved by some automatic backup that Windows did of the
> >> > stuff it knew about.
> >> >
> >> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:58 -0600, "msnews.microsoft.com"
> >> > <gs@dontMail.telus> wrote in part:
> >> >
> >> >> are you opening the picture folder with windows explorerer as icon
> >> >> or
> >> >> preview mode?
> >> >> that may take a while
> >> >>
> >> >> or are you opening the folder with something that loads some sort
> >> >> of
> >> >> iconic
> >> >> preview representton on a panel? that take time also. of course
> >> >> fast
> >> >> graphics card helps.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> The celeron 2.ghz PC I am using has only 512MB Ram but the folder
> >> >> opens in
> >> >> detail list mode almost instaneously (fractions of a sec).
> >> >> Granted the folder has only a couple thousand picture in 40
> >> >> different
> >> >> folders but then the largest folder of 300 jpg file opens also as
> >> >> quickly.
> >> >> The total storage is only a couple GB so far
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> I believe in organizing the picture by folders and even sub
> >> >> folders
> >> >> not just
> >> >> throwing everything into a massive fodler for a couple of reasons:
> >> >> performance
> >> >> fast search/category
> >> >> easier backup and recovery if needed
> >> >>
> >> >> BTW most of my picture are of type jpg, some tif. I never store
> >> >> orginal as
> >> >> gif.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in
> >> >> message
> >> >> news:34tue4lrrn9hdon30nj6e9esedj2l4ct14@4ax.com...
> >> >> > On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:18:00 -0700, Howard B
> >> >> > <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> I have a Dell Dimension running Windows XP with enough RAM!
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > How much RAM do you consider to be "enough RAM"? How much do you
> >> >> > have?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> Today when I tried opening up My Photos folder from my C drive,
> >> >> >> it
> >> >> >> took a
> >> >> >> VERY long time to open.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > How long is a "VERY long time"?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> Once I opened a selected a folder within My Photos,
> >> >> >> the folder opened, but when I chose to go back, it took a very
> >> >> >> long time
> >> >> >> to
> >> >> >> perform that activity, as well.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > And how long is that "very long time"?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> Rebooting the computer did not help.
> >> >> >> Opening up the My Pictures folder from my external G hard drive
> >> >> >> (everything
> >> >> >> is back up there) opened instantly.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> No spyware, no malware, no viruses.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > How do you know? What software do you use to make you think
> >> >> > that's
> >> >> > so?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> Have defragmented. Rebooted, same issue.
> >> >> >> All other folders open instantly except for My Photos on my C
> >> >> >> drive.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> So I created a new folder called My Photos 1 and copied all my
> >> >> >> pictures
> >> >> >> to
> >> >> >> this folder. When I click on it, it opens instantly. Can I
> >> >> >> simply
> >> >> >> delete
> >> >> >> the My Photos folder, rename the folder I created to My Photos?
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Any ideas?
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> Thank you!
> >> >> > --
> >> >> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> >> >> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>

Canon's ZoomBrowser EX software creates the zbThumbnail.info files.
I assume that it is only being used on My Pictures, hence it may not
use another folder you created. (sorry, I don't have it installed)

What happens if you disable it? (or uninstall it)

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
http://dts-l.com/index.htm



On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:48:01 -0800, in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support, Howard B
<HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Thanks for your post-- I've reread it, and I do have all of my pictures in
>subfolders. It takes forever for My Pictures to open, and then a long time
>to move forward or up a level.
>
>As I indicated, I copied the entire contents of My Pictures into another
>folder I created called My Pictures 1. The exact same file structure. It
>opens instantly, and so do all the subfolders.
>
>Still can't figure this out!
>
>Other thoughts?
>
>Howard
>
>"Bob Lucas" wrote:
>
>> (snip)
>> The "My Pictures" folder on my computer does contain a file named
>> ZbThumbnail.info - plus the names of all sub-folders. Then, each
>> sub-folder has its own thumbs.db file.
>>
>>
>> "Howard B" <HowardB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:B3F91E88-D159-49AD-8BE4-3919EF53FF53@microsoft.com...
>> >I do not have a thumbs.db file in my hidden files.
>> >
>> > These are the hidden files that appear in the My Pictures folder:
>> >
>> > AI_DPE2.DB1
>> > AI_DPE2.DB2
>> > ZbThumbnail.info
(snip)