Windows explorer keeps freezing on a brand new PC
Windows explorer keeps freezing on a brand new PC
Hey guys,
I recently purchased this brand new pre-built PC from BestBuy, and it functions well overall. It operates smoothly across all areas except when I log out for more than 5-10 minutes—then the Windows Explorer (taskbar) becomes unresponsive. If I try to use it afterward, the whole system freezes briefly before restarting back to normal. After a month of use, the issue has become increasingly bothersome. Whenever I log off and come back, I have to restart Explorer, and occasionally my PC freezes completely, crashing some applications. I’ve checked online for solutions but haven’t found anyone else experiencing the same problem. If you can help, it would be a huge relief. Thanks.
NOTE: All drivers should be current. I also installed a secondary SSD, though that was a few weeks after the issue started.
Specs:
OS: Win 11 Home
Case: CyberPowerPC AMETHYST CURVE 360V
CPU: Intel Core i9-14900F
Memory: 32GB DDR5
GPU: GeForce RTX 5070 12GB
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe
Cooler: ARGB Air Cool
Other: uilt-in WiFi + BT; ARGB Case Lighting
Reach out to BestBuy and insist on getting customer support. Because they provided the prebuilt unit, they must offer assistance.
If you prefer handling everything yourself, the first step should be setting up the OS drive and performing a fresh Windows installation. Since it's unclear what bloatware or malware came with the OS, this could be why your PC is slowing down.
After completing the clean Windows setup and still facing issues, examine the internal components for faults.
The power supply unit (PSU) is usually the first component to check, as it’s often omitted in prebuilt systems.
Feel free to provide the PSU’s make, model, or part number here so I can assess its condition. However, swapping it would void your warranty unless you’re certain about it.
The person above did what you just wrote, and you shouldn't void the warranty by doing anything on your own! Let's make BestBuy earn it!
This resembles background Windows search indexing activity. On a fresh PC, all content must be indexed, which demands time and consumes resources. Indexing occurs only after the system has been idle for some period – this signals its nature. Search indexing speeds up queries but functionality remains intact without it; performance drops noticeably. You can turn off Windows search indexing by following these steps (administrator privileges required).
Type "services.msc" into the Run dialog, open the Services window.
Navigate to Windows Search, right-click and choose Properties.
Click Stop on the service, then set Startup Type to Disabled.
Check if this resolves the idle freezing issue. Keep in mind that slower processors and mechanical HDDs increase indexing overhead.
To re-enable, repeat the process but switch Startup Type back to Automatic and press Start.
This brings to mind BitLocker too, because it's activated by default during the installation of Windows 11, which consumes a significant portion of SSD read/write speeds and uses a lot of CPU resources.
However, I'm convinced it leans more toward indexing.