Freezing when accessing network

[CactusPie]

I've been using XYplorer for over a week now and so far I love it, the amount of customization is just crazy. The one thing that bothers me is frequent freezing caused by network connection. Specifically two scenarios:

1. At work I have a mapped network drive that isn't always accessible. Every time I open or switch to "This PC" tab the entire program freezes for a few seconds while it's trying to access this drive. Switching away from this tab and switching back to it causes freezing again. This is especially bothersome, since I have "This PC" set as a default location for a new tab. Disconnecting these network drives fixes the problem.

2. Accessing the Network directory (by clicking it in the tree) also freezes the program, this time for about 10-15 seconds. I have to either wait until it's done trying to access the network or kill the XYplorer process and restart it.

It seems to me that handling network access asynchronously (if it's possible) would fix the issue. As a temporary workaround I just removed Network from the tree view and disconnected the network drive since for now I don't need it, but it's still pretty bothersome. Is there any chance this bug will be fixed in one of the future releases?

[admin]

If you don't need a logon dialog to access your servers you can speed it up by ticking this:
Configuration | General | Safety Belts, Network | Network | Assume that servers are available

[CactusPie]

After checking that checkbox, it still hangs for ~15 seconds, but only for the first time after opening the network. After that it works fine until I restart XYplorer. Is there really no way to make that process asynchronous? Even if it's processing something that takes a while, it shouldn't freeze the entire application.

[admin]

Point 2 should be better in the recent beta (v20.50.0111).

[JLoftus]

Running 20.50.0112, my network browsing suddenly got slooooowwwww also. I've tried ticking and clearing the various network optimization tweaks to no avail.

I just have one mapped drive, to my Synology box. The latest changes have made XY really painful to use I am going to have to revert a couple builds until this gets sorted.

EDIT: Just downgraded to 20.50.0111 and it's browsing nice and fast again. So for me, it looks like something in 0112 doesn't play nice with my network.

[admin]

Argh.

@JLoftus:

1) Do you regularly have unavailable network locations in your Tree, e.g. mapped drives?

2) Is startup slower as well?

[CactusPie]

1) At work I do - some drives are only available when I'm connected to the VPN, and I'm not always connected to the VPN. Though network tab opens slowly to me at home as well, and I don't have any mapped drives there.

2) Only if I had network tab opened when I closed XYplorer. Then the startup process takes about 15 seconds more since it's restoring last opened tabs - including network. The window doesn't appear at all, it seems like XYplorer isn't starting until it's done loading network.

I've tried version 20.50.0112 - the issue still persists.

[admin]

Just uploaded 20.50.0113.

Please run it, tick these options, close it, and run it again. Better?

• Configuration | General | Safety Belts, Network | Network | Pre-check availability of servers

• Configuration | General | Startup & Exit | No network browsing on startup

@JLoftus:
If you untick this you should be back at the old speed:

• Configuration | General | Safety Belts, Network | Network | Pre-check availability of servers

[CactusPie]

Checking on 20.50.0113. Ticking "No network browsing on startup" did fix XYplorer freezing on startup with network tab open, but it still freezes in all other cases. Now the mapped network drive is available and I can browse it, but it still freezes for a few seconds when opening "This PC" tab. Same with opening "Network" directory manually - still freezing.

I also tried both checking and unchecking "Fast network enumeration", "Assume that servers are available" and "Cache network servers". No change.
Here are my current settings:

http://cactuspie.com/snapshots/Jyp01E.png
http://cactuspie.com/snapshots/BQl3eT.png

[JLoftus]

Just uploaded 20.50.0113.

Please run it, tick these options, close it, and run it again. Better?

• Configuration | General | Safety Belts, Network | Network | Pre-check availability of servers

• Configuration | General | Startup & Exit | No network browsing on startup

@JLoftus:
If you untick this you should be back at the old speed:

• Configuration | General | Safety Belts, Network | Network | Pre-check availability of servers

Indeed! Also concur/confirm, just ticking "No network browsing on startup" did not help the long startup delay, but clearing "Pre-check availability of servers" resolved it. Now on 0113 I am starting and browsing quickly once again. Thanks Don!

[admin]

Indeed! Also concur/confirm, just ticking "No network browsing on startup" did not help the long startup delay, but clearing "Pre-check availability of servers" resolved it. Now on 0113 I am starting and browsing quickly once again. Thanks Don!

1) I just wonder why your system is so different from mine. Which Windows version is that?

2) How long does it take to return when you do this?

Code: Select all

text runret("net view");

[admin]

Checking on 20.50.0113. Ticking "No network browsing on startup" did fix XYplorer freezing on startup with network tab open, but it still freezes in all other cases. Now the mapped network drive is available and I can browse it, but it still freezes for a few seconds when opening "This PC" tab. Same with opening "Network" directory manually - still freezing.

1) Are their any other unavailable drives in that listing?
2) Which Windows version is that?

[JLoftus]

Win10 ver 1903.

NET VIEW returns:
System error 6118 has occurred.
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available

Googling this returns lots of suggestions about firewall, SMB v1, NETBIOS over TCP. I've not been able to figure this one out. I can ping devices in my /24, I can browse a given machine via \\server\share, and I can see results of a single enumeration, e.g. NET VIEW DISKSTATION returns the share detail for my Synology box.

[admin]

Does it return quickly with that error?

[JLoftus]

no, bypassing XY altogether, from an administrative command prompt, issuing a NET VIEW command (with no parameters) takes excatly (and consistently) 30 seconds before 6118 is returned.