How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

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Jerry
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How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

[Using 23.60.0100]

I may have asked this before, but have to ask it again, because this is a continually excruciating problem I have with over 2 dozen attached drives, most of which go to sleep when after a timeout of inactivity.

On popup menus with paths - such as Favorite Folders, Recent File Operations, Recent Locations - I often have to wait a frustratingly long time for the menu to appear if any of the drives on the menu are currently asleep. The more drives asleep, the longer the wait. Can this be prevented somehow? I do not care care at all about seeing the active icons reflecting the paths' availability. If I have to suffer any delay, I just want to experience it with the specific path I select.

I know I can workaround this by using a multi-line script containing the favorite folder paths, but that's not a solution for the Recent Locations and File Operations.

The feature of seeing updated icons in these menus really needs to be optional, if it's not already.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

What is the Type of those drives? (Type column in This PC)

Jerry
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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

admin wrote: 20 Nov 2022 11:47 What is the Type of those drives? (Type column in This PC)
The Type is "Local Disk" for all of them, whether they are attached directly to a computer port or via a powered hub.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

That's good. I think I can do something about the problem (which annoys me as well). Takes some more tests...

You don't happen to know how to put a drive to sleep actively? It's tiring to wait for that to happen...

Jerry
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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

admin wrote: 20 Nov 2022 13:27 That's good. I think I can do something about the problem (which annoys me as well). Takes some more tests...
You don't happen to know how to put a drive to sleep actively? It's tiring to wait for that to happen...
Oh, wunderbar! I look forward to your remedy. No, I'm not aware of how to forcibly sleep a drive; I assume it's a timer in the electronics of each drive.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by highend »

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

I noted that even if the drive sleeps, the Windows file cache will keep parts of it alive. So I also need a way to reset that cache.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

Currently, even if the drive sleeps AND the Windows file cache is emptied, I have a hard time getting those delays. Now when I want them they don't come. :? :evil: Do you have a tip for a menu content that will surely cause lag?

Jerry
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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

The menus where I have the problem all just contain paths. Some of the paths in the Favorite Folders menu use the volume name instead of the drive letter, but the Favorite Files and Recent Locations menus all have regular paths.

Would it be possible to have an option that displays these menus without dynamically updating the icons for each path to show their availability? That would be sufficient for my purposes if it would make the menus popup fast every time.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

I suspect the icons too, but I need proof. Still waiting for a bloody delay...

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

The next beta will show generic icons in the Recent Locations button menu. Let me know if it makes a difference.

Jerry
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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

admin wrote: 20 Nov 2022 20:46 The next beta will show generic icons in the Recent Locations button menu. Let me know if it makes a difference.
Will do.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

v23.70.0344 is up.

Jerry
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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by Jerry »

Ok, I've been using v23.70.0344 a bit and the change you made seems to be working for Recent Locations, Favorite Folders and Favorite Files. The menus are always popping up without delay even when I know there's a sleeping drive because when I select a path to one of them, I can hear the drive starting up, plus there's a delay in seeing the folder in the List.
Running on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit quad-core ASUS G752-VY notebook with 64 GB RAM, over 26 external USB3 drives attached via multiple powered hubs with letters and mount points, totaling 120+ TB.

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Re: How to Avoid Delays in Popup Menus with External Drive Paths for Asleep Drives?

Post by admin »

Cool. I decided to go for this in all those menus. They also open much faster now.

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