Forum Discussion
File Explorer ignoring UNBLOCKED file status with 24H2
FILE EXPLORER IGNORING UNBLOCKED FILE STATUS AFTER DOWNLOAD AND UNBLOCK
I updated to Win 11 23H2 --> 24H2 some days ago.
Yesterday I used Mark Russinovich tool "Streams" to manually remove from CMD prompt the "file comes from another computer..." warning, e.g.:
Today I noticed I have a problem with Zone.Identifier ADS files: File Explorer is extremely slow to update file status "unblocked" after I unblock it, and still reports the file is coming from another PC. When I try to unblock it again, I get this error ("can't find file". I suppose it is correct since Zone.Identifier ADS files should have been removed:
The problem remains: File Explorer is ignoring the unblocked file status. Even after 5 mins the file is still "coming from another PC..." (???) when I choose Properties. Sometimes randomly, after a while, when I check again the unblocked status it is finally acknowledged by File Explorer.
dir /r on the previously unblocked files from File Explorer shows the SmartScreen:$DATA is still there... Zone.Identifier:$DATA is gone instead. Which is OK I guess.
Quick test: download a file from Edge with SmartScreen enabled, then with right-mouse-button select Properties and unblock the file. Now re-open Properties for that file...
Reproducible also from Safe Mode (!).
Is it a new File Explorer bug in 24H2?
C:\Windows\Explorer.exe 6.2.26100.2454
Edge Browser 131.0.2903.99
Windows 11 24H2 26100.2605
Can't see other reports about this bug on the net...
24 Replies
It sounds like you're encountering a potential bug in Windows 11 24H2 with File Explorer not properly updating the "unblocked" status of files after unblocking them. The issue might be related to how Zone.Identifier ADS and SmartScreen data are handled, even after the file is marked as "unblocked." Since the issue persists in Safe Mode, it could indeed be a bug in the latest update.
You could try:
- Clearing the SmartScreen cache via Windows Security settings.
- Manually deleting Zone.Identifier ADS using PowerShell (Get-Item "path_to_file" | Remove-Item -Stream Zone.Identifier).
- Rebooting after unblocking to see if it resolves the issue.
If the problem persists, keeping an eye on Windows updates for a fix or reporting the issue to Microsoft might be necessary.
