I randomly experience a problem with File Explorer. My Win 10 computer will suddenly freeze....I can still see whatever was on my screen, but the mouse becomes inoperable. If I invoke Task Manager, I see the message that File Explorer is 'not responding'. If I then select Restart Task (File Explorer), all is well.......I am returned to my desktop, and the mouse works fine.

This seems to happen regardless of what I'm doing. I can be retrieving email, opening a website, starting Media Player, etc. There seems to be no set pattern or any particular activity that causes the freeze. And I may go a week without a freeze, or have it happen a couple of times within a day.

Any ideas on the cause(s) and resolution? Thanks in advance

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Are you able to bring up Task Manager using Ctl/Alt/Del? It would be nice to see if it is memory or disk usage that's holding things up. Is there perhaps a Windows Defender or Malwarebytes scan going on?

Hardware is another possibility if it is truly random - it may not be though (random).

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Patty, yes I can bring up Task Manager using Ctl/Alt/Del, and then I can click on Task Manager with my previously-inoperable mouse. I didn't notice a scan going on, but I will check that next time.

How do I tell if it might be memory or disk usage?

And it could be a hardware problem. I have so much hardware hanging off my computer that it might simply need an occasional rest, lol.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

There is a link at the lower left corner of Task Manager that says "More Details." Make sure you have clicked that. (It becomes "fewer details" after you do.) When you are in the detailed view, you will see columns for CPU, Memory, Disk and Network. Above each column title you will see a percentage. My machine tends to "hang" when disk activity is at 99 or 100%. I've seen machines where CPU will go to 100% or memory will.

If you click on a column heading, the task manager will sort by that column. It could be ascending or descending. If you are the wrong way to, just click on the column heading again and it will reverse ascending/descending. (Same as almost all Windows programs.) Once you sort by the column you want, you will see the processes that are using the most disk attention, for instance, or the most CPU cycles, or the most memory - whichever you have it sorted on.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Patty, I typically have Task Manager in the 'More Details' mode. I just don't know how to interpret the data that I'm seeing......especially for the Background Processes (I have 80 of those). Right now my computer is running just fine. I have 7 Apps going......my CPU bounces between 4% & 10 %, my Memory is 35%, and my Disk is 0%.

What I will need to do is take note of the values next time my computer hangs.....then maybe you can help me sort through that.

Thanks for your response.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

You're welcome, Bb.

_________________
Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock