Slow on opening directories

[stevepuri]

When opening up directories 3 or more levels deep my computer takes a while (about 4 seconds) to display the contents, and it takes even longer with deeper directory structures; I have directory structures that go 8 or more levels deep!. Why is does it take so long to display the contents?

Machine specification:
* Pentium 166 MHz
* 48MB RAM
* 200MB out of 2GB left
* Win 98 (problem did not happen using Win95)

Thanks,
Steve.

 

[rtshort]

If you are saying you have a 2GB HD with 200MB free, it slowing you down a lot. Once a HD gets over half full, it tends to slow down. With only 200MB left, when it picks up information from the HD, uses it, and goes to put it back on the HD, it has a hard time finding free space to put it back. Try cleaning off things or programs you don't use a lot. Also the MIN specs for Win 98 I think is a 133P and 486 for Win 95. Even though you have a 166P it will run slower than Win 95 did. Not much more I know to tell ya. Every day above ground is a GOOD DAY!!!

 

[swayda]

Hi. What you are asking is a bit complicated, but I'll try to make it coherent and maybe even relevant :^)
Windows 4.x uses the FAT file system. When you format a disk a block of information is laid down right past the boot record called the File Allocation Table. Each allocation unit of your disk is represented by a four digit hexadecimal number. The FAT iteslf is 8 bytes wide. When you create a file it's starting number. A four byte hex number, is written in the left four byte are. Its ending location in the right. If that file is larger than a single allocation unit the right four bytes are the address of the next allocation unit assigned to that file etc. When that file is in a directory, the directory itself, which is nothing but a file, contains the name, date, time, attributes AND the starting number in the FAT. None of this is in memory. It's all real time disk reads. When you open a direcory the directory file is loaded and so is EVERY single file record in that directory. The deeper you go, the more disk reads are necessary.
However, that doesn't answer your implied quesion. Why in Windows 4.1 and not 4.0? Never having worked with 4.1 it's a question I'd like to know the answe to also. Let me ask you this. Are you referring to folders on the desktop? If do I've found that fragmentation of the system.dat file can cause this. Defrag, which I'll assume you've run, doesn't touch these files. Go to a command prompt and type the following;
scandisk /fragment system.dat
Note the retrun msg. Do the same for user.dat.
Let me know. Don Swayser
swayser@optonline.net

 

[stevepuri]

Yes, I have done defrag which takes ages.
I have deep directory structures in:

c:\windows\desktopc:\my documents\ - 8+ levels

I did "scandisk /fragment system.dat" and got this message:
"c:\windows\system.dat contains 21 noncontiguous blocks."

I did "scandisk /fragment user.dat" and got this message:
"c:\windows\user.dat contains 8 noncontiguous blocks."

Still slow!
Steve.

 

[swayda]

The fragmentation of your registry files is a large part of the problem. There is a way to defragment these files but I'm very hesitant to put it out on the net. It's completely undocumented anywhere that I know of. I'd gladly e-mail the instructions to you, but WILL NOT assume any responsibity for the results. I've done it often and it only caused one small problem once. Think about it, if you want to try it e-mail me your e-mail address. Don Swayser
swayser@optonline.net