Delay in creating new file from desktop

As long as I am doing some tweaking tonight (check my post on desktop icons)-I have another annoyance which I have had for some time. Very simply, when I right click-say the desktop, and select 'new' from the menu to say, create a new folder, there is a delay before the expanded menu appears. Initially, it can be as much as 4-5 seconds, but is less after doing it several times in succession. This is a P111 500 machine with 512 ram. No other noticable resource problems for what it does. Is this a cache problem of some kind?

Milt

 

May just be in need of a good disk cleanup. Dump temps, TIF's, cookies, clean out applog folder, scandisk and defrag. Do you have and use a registry cleaner? I use and like RegSeeker.

 

Hi again on this thread Dave!
I routinely do all those tune ups, especially just before I create a disk image. I restore a disk image, make changes I need to make, and then make another. I may work for sometime before anymore changes, but I always go back to the last image before making changes, so junk doesn't get past down. Then I do the tune-ups befroe making the image. Sooo, after re-installing any image, it is essentially as if I had installed Windows that day and added all the software. (actually have not done so for several years).
Then only thing I was not familiar with was TIF's (as in image files, or what?). Also, never have done any thing with applog, but checked and it was empy.
No, the system is pretty clean in terms of excess, although I have been thinking of a good registry cleaner. Is the one you recommended pretty safe? I have, in the past, since I do not like to install the full set of Norton Utilities for resource reasons, run the WinDr. from the CD. Doesn't that do essesntially the same thing?
You just go to the desktop, right click and select 'new', and it can be up to 5 seconds before the next menu opens. Selecting any of the optinos, new folder, etc., is instant, ounce the menu expands. Its just this annoying waiting for the initial 'new' menu to expand. Any other menu items of this list do not do this. I will say it is instantaneous on a system with Win98 fresly installed, or my XP machines. Is there anything in caching that can effect this?

Milt

 

This problem could be caused by a lot of entries in the C:\Windows\ShellNew folder. You may see some in the folder that do not show up at all when the New Context Menu appears, as these do not have a program associated with them. These would have the generic windows icon.
BTW, TIF = Temporary Internet Files
Regseeker works very good, a bit too good at times. I wouldn't allow it to remove extra file types, uninstall entries pertaining to IE.
I would let it remove invalid ActiveX/Com entries, CLSID's, Type Libraries, MRU lists, or anything related to a program no longer installed.

 

Thats in interesting option. But, the shell new folder strangely has much fewer entries than are actually in the the New Context Menu? There are 24 programs available in the menu-all of one still on the system. There are 16 in the shell new folder. Several of these that are MSOffice related, are duplicates, or varaitions, such as Excel, Excel4, Excel9, and Winword, Winword1, and Winword2. Is this because of different VS. of Office being installed at one time or another? Other programs, such as a recently installed version of Studio8, is in the drop down menu, but not the windows folder?

Milt

 

Any file extension listed under HKey_Classes_Root in the registry, that has the SubKey named "ShellNew" will appear in the New Context Menu. This is the reason why you have more appear than is in the ShellNew folder.
You stated you have 24 items, this could cause a delay. If you want to remove some of the file types that are listed in the New Context Menu, go to each file extension, and rename the "ShellNew" subkey to "-ShellNew "
Example before:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\ShellNew
Example after:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\-ShellNew
This way you do not need to delete, disables it from appearing in the New Context Menu, and retains the Value "Filename" and it's Value Data that is in the right pane of Regedit.
Simple rename "-ShellNew" back to "ShellNew" for the file extension, and it is back.

 

Yup,
That took care of it. I just opened a shortcut to each of the programs in the 'New' Menu, on the desktop, then put them in a folder on the desktop so I could do a properties on them if I did not know the file ext for the program. I then opened the folder side by side with the registry and changed all the shellnew entries but about 4 basic Office ones. It opens pretty fast now.

Thanks Mark

BTW, the old Win98 default breifcase was in the menu-do you know the extension for it? Also, there is a reference to a new Corel Media Folder (for Corel Draw programs), which I do not know how to remove.

I also downloaded the RegSeeker program and ran it. I selected all but file types. Have you had problems with this program being to aggressive? It found about 600 items....

Milt

 

BFC is the file extension for Briefcase. Corel uses a few extensions, CDR CDT CDX. There is a good list of extension here
Yes, RegSeeker is real aggressive. I have had it identify an entry for Works as being an error, then the spell checker wouldn't work. It was easy to fix as it was in the backups that Regseeker creates.
With it finding 600 entries, that really wouldn't be unusual if a cleaner was never used.
After removing that many entries, I would suggest a Restart in Dos Mode, and do these two commands. They will compact and rebuild the registry, taking out a lot of empty space in the process.
scanreg /opt
scanreg /fix

 

registry cleaners

I have been doing a search on RegCleaners. There is RegSeeker, (recommended here), RegCleaner-also found here,
Registry Mechanic ($$-recommended on Cnet), a product called MyPC-RegCleaner (the same as above?), then as I mentioned, I have all the Norton Utilites 03 and 04 on disc. I wish to use a cleaner that is effective, yet user friendly, and does not require too much manual specificity in order to prevent messing a program, or the system.
I used a product years ago simply called RegClean-don't know what ever happened t it. Lots of freeware available-some low cost. Why is RegSeeker used much on this board?

Would appreciate a little more feedback on the subject. I want to clean today, make a new image, and not find out later it messed stuff up.

Milt

 

Because it was recommended by a knowledgeable and respected member of this board, tested and liked by many more and then recommended repeatedly by satisfied users. I have used it on 95, 98 1st and 2nd, ME and XP, deleting everything it found and never have had a problem. Can't say you won't, but if used properly, is a safe tool. Look thru the first few scans before deleting. Things can be excluded.

RegClean is still available for download.