Using a local account on Windows 8.1 can slow down the File Explorer.
Using a local account on Windows 8.1 can slow down the File Explorer.
I'm having this weird issue with my desktop where the file explorer becomes very slow if I use my local account instead of Microsoft account. The problem is somewhat hard to explain but I try my best: - The problem occurs only on computers which have multiple hard drives - Thumbnails do not show for approx 30 sec in my secondary hard drives after reboot or logging out and logging in - Files can still be accessed in this 30 sec period (so the hard drives are not turned off), only the thumbnails do not show correctly - Metro interface might not show up when Win-button is pressed in that 30 sec period. After the delay, Metro starts working normally - If the computer is not used for hours but is left on, file explorer might become unresponsive and it needs to be refreshed all the time - This problem occured after Win 8.1 update and was not an issue with original Win 8 - Reinstalling Windows won't fix the issue - This is a problem even without any extra software or hardware installed - All drivers are the latest version - The problem occurs on my desktop (which has multiple drives) and one of my laptops which has SSD for OS and mechanical HDD for other stuff. Same exact problem occurs for both PC's so it's not a hardware issue. My other PC's which has only single drive don't have this issue. - Logging in with Microsoft account mysteriously fixes all the problems
It seems like this situation hasn't been widely discussed before, and there doesn't appear to be a clear explanation for it. I've attempted to reinstall everything, yet the issue persists. My thought is that the ISO file might be damaged, which could explain the problems after updating to Windows 8.1—it's not the most probable explanation.
The image shows some folder icons displaying issues. When searching for files in those folders, the thumbnails fail to appear correctly. After about 30 seconds, everything appears normal again—only after a reboot or logout does it work properly. The problem only occurs when logging out or rebooting. Using a Microsoft account avoids the issue entirely. There seems to be no straightforward reason behind this behavior. Reinstalling Windows and skipping other updates still triggers the problem.