Windows 11 file explorer hangs, open

I have encountered this problem on almost every upgrade from Win 10 to Win 11. I first encountered this on a VM I use as a test bed for investigating anomalous behaviors of Windows (of which I find many).. After much scouring of the web, the only workaround I've found is to disable the Windows Search service. The solution was to perform a clean install. This was acceptable on the VM.

But this is unacceptable if I want to keep my apps and data during an upgrade or depend on the service. because of the pending EOL of Win 10, I have now (reluctantly) performed on my main system. I was hoping at this late date, this would have been a permanent solution but that is, apparently is not the case.

Now I find this very recent post highlighting the issue. Other than submitting a comment to the "improvements" site, what can be done to beat up on the "powers that be" to get attention to this? How wide spread is it?

I have encountered this problem on almost every upgrade from Win 10 to Win 11. I first encountered this on a VM I use as a test bed for investigating anomalous behaviors of Windows (of which I find many).. After much scouring of the web, the only workaround I've found is to disable the Windows Search service. The solution was to perform a clean install. This was acceptable on the VM.

But this is unacceptable if I want to keep my apps and data during an upgrade or depend on the service. because of the pending EOL of Win 10, I have now (reluctantly) performed on my main system. I was hoping at this late date, this would have been a permanent solution but that is, apparently is not the case.

Now I find this very recent post highlighting the issue. Other than submitting a comment to the "improvements" site, what can be done to beat up on the "powers that be" to get attention to this? How wide spread is this? Is there something in my environment that makes me more prone to it?

Hey there! Ah, the good ol’ file explorer hang-ups—been there. It can feel like it’s taking a coffee break when you just need to get to your files 😅. But no worries, let’s see if we can get things flowing smoothly again.

Since the sfc /scannow didn’t work, here’s what you can try next:

1. Restart File Explorer:
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click, and hit Restart. This might give it the nudge it needs.
2. Clear File Explorer History:
   Open File Explorer Options (search for it in the Start Menu), under the General tab, click Clear under Privacy. This helps sometimes if it’s holding onto some funky data.
3. Update Windows:
   It could be a bug that a Windows update has fixed. Go to Settings > Windows Update and check if there’s an update waiting for you.
4. Try a Clean Boot:
   It might be a startup app causing the hang. Type msconfig in the Run dialog (Win + R), go to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, and then disable the rest. Restart your PC and see if the issue continues.

If none of that works, you might wanna try the nuclear option: resetting Windows Explorer’s settings or even running DISM to fix any deeper issues:

• DISM command: Open Command Prompt (Admin) and type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Let it run and see if that does the trick.

Hope one of these gets File Explorer back on track and out of its slumber! 🤞