Open/Save dialog freezes in applications

[General Domel]

I suffer the following problem since I have upgraded to Windows 10:

In several third-party applications, the standard "file open/save dialog" freezes when called. The app would entirely cease to respond and does not return to normal conditions even after 10 minutes of waiting. This affects for example the save-dialog in Firefox and Chrome (but not in Microsoft Edge), the "Attach file" dialog in LibreOffice or the "Add file" dialog in Nitro-PDF.

Observations:
- There is no entry in the event manager.
- It is possible to launch the File Explorer from Windows, and it operates normally.
- Reboot does not solve the problem.
- sfc /scannow claims everything is perfect.
- CCleaner does not remove the problem.
- There is no malware/virus found, removing the anti-malware app does not solve the problem.
- System Restore is undesirable because the problem exists from the moment of upgrading to Windows 10.

Since various apps by different producers are affected, I fancy that the problem is with the File Explorer, i. e. inherent to Windows 10.

Any suggestions?

 

[Trouble]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Since various apps by different producers are affected, I fancy that the problem is with the File Explorer

but not in Microsoft Edge

Nor would I suspect in Internet Explorer.

It is possible to launch the File Explorer from Windows, and it operates normally

So that wouldn't be my assumption at all.
Since the issue is with third party applications all of which you've mentioned with the possible exception of NitroPDF support plugins, addons, extensions from multiple sources, I think my finger pointing might start there.

As the problem has been present

from the moment of upgrading to Windows 10

AND it is not unusual after such an upgrade to find it necessary to repair or even reinstall some previously installed programs (even Microsoft programs, like Office), I think I would pick one, maybe Libre Office, since I have it installed on Windows 10 and know that it works. Download the latest version, uninstall it from your computer and then install your download and see if that might address the issue.
At least, that's where I would start.
That's not to say that your initial assumption is completely wrong, but.....
IF I could open native Windows 10 programs, like Notepad, Wordpad, Paint, etc., and create a new file and make a File -> Save and or a File ->Save As, call successfully, then personally, I wouldn't be looking at File Explorer as the culprit.

 

[General Domel]

Just noticed that Thunderbird is suffering the same problem when you try to save a file attachment.

Yet the qualities of these faults are so markedly diversified that their evident common denominator is an attempt to open the File Explorer dialog. Not any attempt - I can normally open and save files in LibreOffice, it is only the "Attach file" function that crashes. Ditto for NitroPDF. Yet the faults, once detected, can be safely reproduced. Online available recommendations like changing settings in File Explorer did not remedy anything.

I suspect that some kind of hook must be the common problem behind all these faults. It should be possible to restore this somehow! I would hate spending hours on reinstalling all the software that seems to be affected. We are upgrading with the objective in mind NOT to reinstall the whole bunch, aren't we?

 

[Trouble]

We are upgrading with the objective in mind NOT to reinstall the whole bunch, aren't we?

Some people perhaps.
Personally, I upgraded in order to get it for "free", after which I promptly performed a wipe and clean install. As is my practice. I've never really had long term good luck with any upgrade, not to say that other's mileage might not vary. Just my personal preference. At least, that way, I don't have an upgrade in place to blame every little thing that goes wrong on.

 

[General Domel]

Right - I have reinstalled Dragon and Firefox, as you suggested. Unfortunately, the problem remains the same: Both applications still freeze as soon as I open a file dialog. Any more suggestions?

 

[Trouble]

Any more suggestions?

No.... I'm sorry, I don't.
My only possible suggestion would have been to run the native System File Checker (sfc /scannow) but since you've already reported to have done that and it has returned a positive result.....
I'm not sure where to go from here.
Perhaps someone else might have a possible suggestion or two, if you can put up with the problem for a while.

As individual applications have their own APIs for calling the Save dialog box and default "Save in" locations as well as possibly other features, functions, addins, etc. which may be linked to there general overall behavior....
As I mentioned above, IF you are not experiencing the same problem with Microsoft / Windows native applications (ie. Notepad, Wordpad, Paint, etc.) then I would not suspect File Explorer and would look more towards the individual applications that are exhibiting the issue, and their (likely proprietary) configuration files / settings.
Firefox for example has "about:config", an exhaustive list of the minutiae that it uses to go about its' business and is unique to individual Firefox profiles

 

[General Domel]

I think it is definite now that the File Explorer of Windows 10 is the culprit.

You see, it happens even with new apps. I installed the Opera browser that has never been on my system before, and the same result occurs: You try to open the File Upload dialog - and the whole thing freezes, as it does with Firefox and Dragon. Deleting and reinstalling hasn't helped, either, nor did running Sfc /scannow another time detect any error. I only notice that Microsoft Edge is gone, I cannot open it any more, nor Internet Explorer. So now I am left without any operable browser.
Nice. Thank you very much, Microsoft. When you will guys pass Programming 101 at last?

Any ideas what to do to get a USABLE File Explorer?

 

[Trouble]

Clean Boot the computer and see if the problem persists
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/929135
Boot the computer into Safe Mode, further test with Safe Mode with Networking and see if the problem persists.
https://www.windows10forums.com/articles/safe-mode.3/
Create a new users as a member of the local administrators group (not a standard user) and using that account to log on to the computer.... see if the problem persists.

 

[Norton]

I'm currently using Firefox. "Save As" works fine. May it's worth revisiting your browser options. Click on the hamburger (3 Hztl Lines) top right click on settings. Go through all of the option indexes and double check your settings. I recommend that you check make Firefox my default browser.

 

[General Domel]

Yes, "Save as" works fine with me, too. Troubles start when you want to launch the File Open dialog from within the software, say, to upload a file to an online server. The dialog will never open, whether in Firefox or in Chrome or even in software installed after the Windows 10 update, like Opera. The problem is independent of the browser, and it occurs with other software, too.

Clean Boot has not helped solving the problem. I notice, however, that SOMETIMES, when I cancel the frozen app and relaunch it, the File Dialog would open the second time and perform normally from then on for the rest of the day. The problem is back, however, as soon as Windows has been relaunched after hibernation or shutdown.

I also notice in the Task manager a very odd behaviour of the conhost.exe: It opens and closes, opens and closes, opens and closes ... once per second. I am suspicious that this may be related to the File Open problem.

 

[Norton]

Conhost.exe is a legitimate file.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4996/what-is-conhost.exe-and-why-is-it-running/

 

[General Domel]

*Sigh* I know that. But is this behaviour displayed legitimate? Or is this the reason why the File Open dialog freezes in 8 out of 10 apps?

 

[General Domel]

Dropping in to communicate that this problem is still NOT SOLVED - on the contrary. I have installed a second Administrator account, and there, the problem is even worse than with the first one. On that second account, almost every programme freezes as soon as it is supposed to open Windows 10's "Safe File As" explorer dialog. The crash is perfectibly reproducible any time a programme is started. Only programmes that apply their own "Save As" routines (such as LibreOffice) would work flawlessly, hence, it is evident that Windows 10 is the culprit. I have hoped for months that some update would finally solve this tremendous bullshit, but to no avail.

Windows 10 is definitely the worst and most useless OS I have ever seen. And Microsoft seems utterly incapable of dealing with such elementary a problem as loading or saving data.

I think I still have a Windows XP installation medium somewhere in a drawer. Better use that than this catastrophe they call W10.

(Why I set up another Administrator in the first place? Because W10 installed some stupid update that destroyed the Settings routine irremediably. With the original Administrator account, I cannot even set my monitor back to native resolution any more, nor would the recovery option work, and many other settings have gone crazy - including the user maintenance, BTW. Lots of people complain about this W10 bug - and Microsoft's only answer is: Install another user. Thank you very much, Microsoft!)

 

[Winter]

Dropping in to communicate that this problem is still NOT SOLVED - on the contrary. I have installed a second Administrator account, and there, the problem is even worse than with the first one. On that second account, almost every programme freezes as soon as it is supposed to open Windows 10's "Safe File As" explorer dialog. The crash is perfectibly reproducible any time a programme is started. Only programmes that apply their own "Save As" routines (such as LibreOffice) would work flawlessly, hence, it is evident that Windows 10 is the culprit. I have hoped for months that some update would finally solve this tremendous bullshit, but to no avail.

Windows 10 is definitely the worst and most useless OS I have ever seen. And Microsoft seems utterly incapable of dealing with such elementary a problem as loading or saving data.

I think I still have a Windows XP installation medium somewhere in a drawer. Better use that than this catastrophe they call W10.

(Why I set up another Administrator in the first place? Because W10 installed some stupid update that destroyed the Settings routine irremediably. With the original Administrator account, I cannot even set my monitor back to native resolution any more, nor would the recovery option work, and many other settings have gone crazy - including the user maintenance, BTW. Lots of people complain about this W10 bug - and Microsoft's only answer is: Install another user. Thank you very much, Microsoft!)

Hi there:
The problem is not specific to WIN 10
I am having the same problem, but it started in WIN7.
I upgraded to WIN 10 to get rid of it. That did not help.

Check out this link for a trouble shooting path.

http://superuser.com/questions/278503/open-save-as-causing-programs-to-crash-on-windows-7

I am trying that now. I will report back if I have any luck.

-Andrew


P.S.
The trick with the Win 7 folks failed. I am checking services. ...

I checked in msconfig for services running. I hid all the microsoft services. That left me with very few. I ignored my McAfee services and focused on the others. I found four I thought suspect
AdaptiveSleepService
Adobe Acrobat Update Service
WlanWpsSvc
and
WPSService
Shut them all down. No change. That did not fix it. One more (in my mind I seem to remember this cropping up after a failed Abobe update of some kind.)
Am shutting down
Adobe Flash Player Update service

That failed. I am at a loss as well. Unless it is some wierd McAfee effect or a Microsoft service.

 

[General Domel]

I am not using any McAfee products, so we can safely rule out that. It all falls back on Microsoft.

Oh, BTW, I would really like to upload an avatar image, but I can't. Bill Gates FREEEEEEEZES any browser as soon as I click the upload button, too.

God, how much I hate Windows 10.