Stop Windows Explorer Logging Sub-folders

Paramedic

Experts, how do I stop Win Explorer from logging sub-directories? For example, let's say a parent directory exists called, "Alphabet." Alphabet has 26 folders beneath it, A, B, C, D... Each sub-directory has 100,000 photos. Currently, if I want to check the "M" directory, Windows Explorer will log each and every folder beneath Alphabet, regardless of the need to only peruse the M folder. Obviously, logging the other 25 folders takes a long time, so it is time consuming and unnecessary. How do I stop this behavior?

I have HDD indexing turned off. I sometimes use a third party file manager, like Explorer XP or Commander, which solves the issue, but sometimes I still want to use Windows Explorer for a specific task.

The computer uses Windows XP, SP3.

Paramedic

Thrax

"Logging?"

Paramedic

Thrax wrote:

"Logging?"

By "logging" I define as listing, viewing, analyzing, defining, searching, or enumerating the files contained within the folder.

For my issue, although each folder does not "open," the folders still have their contents searched, which is unnecessary, since I only need to view the contents of the "M" directory.

Did I use the wrong term?

Paramedic

Thrax

Folders don't have their contents searched unless you use UI configuration that asks Windows to display thumbnails on the folder icons. Otherwise Windows Explorer will not work to enumerate the contents of files or folders beyond the current directory level.

Paramedic

I use "Details" for all folders, but it still searches the folders.

Thrax

How can you be certain?

I'm tellin' ya that Explorer doesn't care about any of the files or folders contained in A-Z. All it does is enumerate the A-Z folders when accessing the alphabet directory.

Paramedic

Thrax,

I believe you're on to something. I may be misunderstanding your definitions. As I now understand you to be saying, Windows will always search or "enumerate" the files within sub-folders, regardless of whether I actually click on them or not, despite not using thumbnails. I just used Explorer XP and it seems to be enumerating the files also. I guess I will have to live with it. So, if I click on the "M" folder, A-L and N-Z also get searched even if all the other folders are not clicked on by me. I was hoping to stop this, but apparently it is not possible. I was trying to stop the disk thrashing and the long wait for folders to have files enumerated.

Thanks for helping.

Paramedic

Thrax

I'm still not convinced we're totally on the same page with the terms we're both using, so I'll reexplain to see if we are.

Say you have your alphabet folder. Inside the alphabet folder is one folder for A, B, C, D and so on. Inside each letter folder is a smattering of files, whatever they might be.

If you click on the alphabet master folder, folders A/B/C/D/etc. will be listed, but Windows will not work to do anything with the files contained inside a/b/c/d. Windows will only work to display, access or index the contents of the folders inside each letter if you access a particular folder.

Does that make more sense?

Paramedic

Thrax,

I just tried Explorer XP on a different drive and it did NOT try to search/enumerate the files within all the other folders. It only searched and listed (using details) the directory upon which I clicked. By the way Explorer XP is a third party application.

Is it possible it has something to do with the boot/C:/operating system drive?

Paramedic

Paramedic

Yes!!!!!!, as long as I do not click on the "M" folder, the behavior you describe at 12:50pm is exactly correct. If I click on Alphabet and only Alphabet, then the other folders are not searched. However, once I go one step further and click on the "M" folder, then the behavior changes and ALL folders (A-Z) are searched.

Good job clearing up that misunderstanding!

Paramedic

Paramedic

Another way to state the same situation - once I "expand" the parent Alphabet folder by changing the "+" to a "-" to expand it, then all the sub-folders get searched, even if I have not clicked on any SPECIFIC sub-folder within the parent folder.

Paramedic

Thrax

Now, you're saying this is only in the third-party program you're using? It might be a mechanic of the program to do that, as I know for a fact that doing the +/- switch as you described does not produce that behavior on Windows Explorer.

Paramedic

Almost...I added the twist about Explorer XP not intending to confuse things, which I probably did, but should not have done. So, for further clarity, let's only apply the discussion to Windows and the default Windows Explorer. I apologize for creating some confusion.

I honestly, but emphatically, state that the issue I described is occurring on my computer. It is so weird that I went to MicroCenter in person to ask how the "experts" at the store would change Win Explorer from automatically searching folders that one did not click on to see. They saw the behavior on their computers too, but were unable to stop it or find any setting to change the behavior.

Trust me, it is frustrating.

Paramedic