Aug 02 2007

Windows image viewer slow

Published by pj at 11:52 pm under bugs

When your windows image viewer is really slow in showing the image (halts on ‘Generating preview’), make sure that there are no dead links in the same folder as you are currently viewing the file in. Broken links to network drives for example cause slowdown of the image viewer. This usually occurs on the desktop, which contains shortcuts to programs or games that might no longer be installed on your computer.

Moving the images to a seperate directory solves the problem.

Other tags:

  • slow windows image viewer
  • performance problem windows image viewer
  • Picture taking forever to open

13 responses so far

13 Responses to “Windows image viewer slow”

  1. # koyamaon 11 Jul 2008 at 2:32 am

    YOU’RE GENIUS… THANK YOU!!!!!

    This had been driving me nuts for several months. I would be receiving images via skype or messenger. and when I tried to open them with “Windows Picture and Fax Viewer” it could take 30 seconds regardless of size of image.

    Following your advice I moved all my Desktop icons into a separate folder. Then, to my delight, Widows Picture and Fax Viewer was all of a sudden lightning fast like in the old days. So then I started moving Desktop icons back again one by one until I found a broken Samba network connection shortcut. Now it’s deleted and gone, and my system is back to normal again.

    I would never have guessed that that was the problem You’re a hero!!!

  2. # virdogon 04 Sep 2008 at 5:46 pm

    Thanks, so simple yet so right!

  3. # zoroon 07 Oct 2008 at 1:26 am

    Maybe these solution also works:
    - Delete “thumbs.db” file in the folder
    - If no change, restart Windoze.

    HTH:)

  4. # Alexon 29 Oct 2008 at 12:31 am

    Thank you very much!!! :)

  5. # funkotronon 13 Nov 2008 at 12:53 am

    Sweet. I would have never guessed that.

  6. # Gon 25 Mar 2009 at 6:27 am

    I love you.

  7. # digitalageon 31 Mar 2009 at 7:24 am

    Or, if you are like me and have links for network shares that are not available all the time (let’s say, a virtual machine), better make a folder on desktop and move the shortcuts there. This way you keep your broken links while they are not affecting your work opening files from desktop. ‘Though it’s not the smartest thing to save or keep files on desktop. But that’s another story…

  8. # scotton 02 May 2009 at 8:36 pm

    Amazing answers, but the real question is why does the previewer chase network links at all? It’s just opening a .jpg file. What does that require any other file/network access?

  9. # AngeTheDudeon 13 Sep 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Thanks for this! I was so pissed at my image viewer being so goddamned slow. You’ve saved me some time and frustration!

  10. # floznon 22 Sep 2009 at 12:17 am

    a dead link on my desktop to an already deleted game was causing this exact problem and i would have NEVER expected this to be the cause for those immensely long loading times… omg, thanks for this post!!!

  11. # Rasarimaon 01 Apr 2010 at 6:19 pm

    ok….very very very happy about your tip

    keep the good work man!

    i´m in debt =)

    tks

  12. # Jonoon 31 May 2010 at 5:45 am

    Thanks for this – I had a caller on the line trying to figure this out as his whole PC was freezing up for 2-5min every time he tried to open an image from his Desktop. Deleted a dead shortcut and it’s back to normal. Great work!

  13. # sboobekilion 30 Dec 2010 at 3:19 am

    Man… you hit the nail on the head.

    For anyone that might not understand what to do, go to your desktop and move every single folder, file, and shortcut that you DON’T use to a folder on your C: drive somewhere (where you’ll remember). Get it all off your desktop, only leave what you have to have and make sure anything you do leave is working, i.e. if you double click it, it takes you to whatever its suppose to.

    By doing this, suddenly you’ll find your image viewer is flawlessly working!!! Such a simple thing hangs up a program? I don’t know why.

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