Mr N

My biggest bugbear is the fact that the Windows Exploder, erm I mean Windows Explorer will hang for what appears to be no reason. The integrated nature of Windows Explorer means that if one hangs then it blocks other Windows Explorers from loading. Pressing the windows key and E to load a new instance of Explorer works but you don’t actually get an Explorer window. They all get loaded in but they can’t open their gui until the current blockage has timed out.

I mean who decided that 30 seconds was a good time out value for a home computer that sits on a local network. No one connects to windows shares over the internet, SMB is just too chatty for that. Even back in the modem days when Windows XP came along no one used to do it.

So as well as 30-second-timeout-man I’d also like to thank block-everything-while-we’re-waiting man.

This blog will join a list of other blogs which I have written to help with Switching off Windows XP “features”.

Right, on with the post. This is another Windows-Explorer-hangs-for-no-reason problem. This one is caused by the Advanced Text Services which is a service that comes with Microsoft Office and provides an alternative user text input processor (TIP) and is responsible for the Microsoft Office language bar. Ctfmon.exe monitors the active windows and provides text input service support for speech recognition, handwriting recognition, keyboard, translation, and other alternative user input technologies. So the majority of people using Microsoft Office will never need to use it.

So here are some simple instructions to switch off “Advanced Text Services” (ctfmon.exe) which causes Windows Explorer to hang (particularly when used with IE7) [Serves you right for not using Firefox!]

1. Open the Control Panel (in “classic view").
2. Open Regional and Language Options.
3. Click the Languages tab.
4. Click the Details button.
5. Click the Advanced tab.
6. Make sure that Turn off advanced text services is checked
7. Click ok, until all the windows are closed.

AnalogDuck has quite a comprehensive list of ways that Windows Explorer will try to scupper you. For a list with solutions checkout his Explorer Hangs page.