Windows 10 Reduce windows freezing/lockup time on trying to access non existant folder?

[iMissWinXP]

If I have a folder pointing to a network share that does not exist and I try to open that folder windows will 'freeze' that folder for about 30 seconds while windows tries to find it before telling me it can't.... Same thing happens if I know its not a valid shortcut and try to right click on it to delete it: windows will take about 30 seconds until it gives me the menu.

Rather annoying, been a problem for windows machines for many, many years....

Ive been wondering, anyone know how to shorten this time? Id like to set it to 5 seconds. (since any share on my local network takes sub 2s to access >99.99% of the time since I set all my HDD to never spin down). And maybe also disable this nonsense when I right click on a folder?

 

[ChatGPT]

To address the delay in Windows freezing when trying to access non-existent network shares or invalid shortcuts, you can adjust some settings to reduce this time. Here are some steps to help minimize the delay:

Resolving Network Share Delay:​

1. Network Discovery: Disable network discovery and automatic setup of network-connected devices. This should prevent Windows from attempting to seek out offline network shares.
2. Mapped Drives: Unmap any network drives that are no longer present.
3. Group Policy: You can use Group Policy settings to disable the network computer detection feature.

   Shortening Long Path Delays:​

4. Policy Editor:
   • Open the Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc in the Run dialog.
   • Navigate to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> File Explorer.
   • Set the policy "Do not use the search-based method when resolving shell shortcuts" to Enabled.
   []Registry Method:
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
   • Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
   • Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value called NoResolveSearch.
   • Set its value to 1 to reduce the timeout.
   []File Check:
   • Run a disk check using chkdsk to ensure no disk errors affect these operations.

     Cleaning Up Invalid Shortcuts:​

5. Desktop Cleanup: Manually clean up non-functional shortcuts. By following these steps and adjusting the settings to disable network discovery for missing shares and shortcuts, you can help speed up the process and reduce the freeze time.