Huh, interesting behavior you're seeing there. I just played around with the virtual desktops feature, then force-killed explorer (the 'root' process), and then used File->New Task, typed 'explorer' in the box, and hit enter. It all came back no issue, other than closing the couple of file explorer windows I had open.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but 'force kill explorer -> start a new explorer task' has been my go-to Windows fix for most things for the last 20 years or so, and has worked without a hitch in every case for me (except for a handful of times on Vista, but uh, Vista...). :) Perhaps I've just been lucky? Maybe the other 'explorer.exe' processes running in your case were masking the issue -- IIRC, explorer does the 'root' check on startup -- if no other instances of explorer.exe are running, it assumes complete control. I can't remember the exact blog post I read about this, but I think it was from Raymond Chen, who's been on the Windows internals team forever. But hey, you've got a fix that works for you, so at this point I'm just nerd sniping myself. Thanks for the puzzle and the tip! :) Jake On Sun, Aug 11, 2024 at 9:16 PM Thomas Passin <tbp100...@gmail.com> wrote: > Even if you can open a new instance of Windows Explorer, you have to open > it in a special way for it to take over the desktop function. Otherwise it > will just show you the usual list of files. The one time I managed to kill > the root instance, I couldn't find a key combination that did anything. I > forget how I eventually shut down; it was too long ago. I might have just > held the power button down long enough. > > I think this virtual desktops feature is one of Win 10's better ones. In > addition to <Windows Key>-<Tab>, you can move between adjacent desktops > with <Windows Key> - <Ctrl> - <right-or-left arrow>, and this doesn't > suffer from a lag. Before this will work, you need to create another > virtual desktop, which you can do with the <Windows Key> - <Tab> combo. On > the display you will see a "+" sign labeled by "New Desktop". That's how > you create new ones. I don't know if once created they can be removed. > > On Sunday, August 11, 2024 at 7:50:36 PM UTC-4 gates...@gmail.com wrote: > >> Interesting find. >> >> IIRC the Ctrl+Alt+Del menu is part of the Kernel, and interrupts >> everything else happening on a Windows box. If you manage to completely >> nuke Explorer, you should pretty much always be able to three-finger-salute >> into a Task Manager and go File->New Task and fire off a new ‘explorer.exe’ >> to un-bork yourself. If the Task Manager is not working, then something is >> seriously wrong :) >> >> I break Windows quite often, but I don’t use virtual desktops. I >> honestly didn’t even know Windows 10 had that feature :) >> >> Jake >> >> On Aug 11, 2024, at 5:32 PM, Thomas Passin <tbp1...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> This isn't about Leo but I can't be the only one affected by this >> problem, which can be very annoying. >> >> >> I use many virtual desktops in my daily computing. Usually I have at >> least four, and sometimes up to six. For example, my browser and email >> client are in one. Leo and associated folders, command windows, etc., are >> in another, and so on. >> >> The problem is in switching from one to another. <Windows key>-<Tab> >> brings up a special view of all the desktops where you can choose one. In >> this view you can also move an application from one desktop to another. >> Over time, switching to this overview gets slower and slower until it >> becomes intolerable. I've searched the internet without success. The only >> cure I knew before today was to log off and log back in. >> >> Here's what turns out to be happening. The desktop on your screen, the >> thing that has a background and the file icons, is a special view created >> by one particular root instance of Windows Explorer. It starts to use more >> and more memory over time for reasons unknown to me. When its "Working >> Set" of memory gets too large, that's when opening the desktop overview >> gets slow. >> >> You can see this and take care of the problem with the Task Manager >> program. Look in the "Processes" tab and find all the instances of Windows >> Explorer, normally near the bottom in a display sorted alphabetically. How >> will you know the right instance? Most of the Window Explorer instances >> will show 3 or 4 MB of memory, while one will show over 100 MB. That's the >> one. I've seen it get up nearly to 300 MB. That's when you get the big >> lags. Mine is now 145 MB and there isn't a lag in showing the desktop >> overview. But mine has been slowly climbing all afternoon. >> >> Don't kill this process or you won't be able to communicate with the >> computer (I learned that the hard way). There is a button in the lower >> right of the Task Manager that usually reads "End Task". You will notice >> that when you select a Windows Explorer task that label changes to >> "Restart". That's what you want to do. Click on it. >> >> The desktop behind your application windows will go blank for a second or >> so, then rebuild itself. And your virtual desktop overview will be >> responsive again. >> >> I don't know if Windows 11 has the same problem since I've never been >> around a Windows 11 computer. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "leo-editor" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to leo-editor+...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/leo-editor/161c017e-a230-4a4b-b374-b8f463bba525n%40googlegroups.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/leo-editor/161c017e-a230-4a4b-b374-b8f463bba525n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "leo-editor" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to leo-editor+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/leo-editor/edb143e5-4b41-416b-8080-f83ee009943dn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/leo-editor/edb143e5-4b41-416b-8080-f83ee009943dn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "leo-editor" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to leo-editor+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/leo-editor/CAJ1i%2BSbY4aEU_GfGUmyK734KjwOoYOaq4WgsXW%2B15ekoQJ4x-g%40mail.gmail.com.
