Thumbnail Images Take an Extremely Long Time to Load in File Explorer

When accessing a folder containing images and selecting the Large Icons view, I encounter significant delays in loading the thumbnails. For instance, in a folder comprising 77 jpeg images, most of which are smaller than 300K, it takes up to three minutes to display all the thumbnails. Once loaded, I assume these thumbnails are stored in the thumbs.db file within the folder, resulting in quicker access during subsequent openings.

Previously, when using Windows 7 Pro before upgrading to Windows 11, loading thumbnails in a folder of similar size would take two to three seconds at most. Hence, I suspect that the slow loading issue is specific to Windows 11.

I attempted to use WinThumbsPreloader to address this issue; however, it seems ineffective for files stored on external hard drives like mine. Even if it were functional, it wouldn't be a viable solution given the nature of my work involving commercial Photoshop projects with numerous client folders containing almost 10,000 images. I am seeking a solution to ensure that thumbnails load as efficiently in Windows 11 as they did in Windows 7.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions to improve the speed of thumbnail loading in Windows 11?