Getting desperate with crashes

[chrisvs]

Now and then XYplorer crashes, i.e. the program becomes completely unresponsive. The task manager shows a continuous CPU usage of some 13% though. I cannot close the program in the normal way, but have to kill it through the task manager. I have the impression that the freeze happens some time after a copy operation. That operation seems to be completed ok.
I have associated pdf files with the preview handler of PDF-Exchange as was suggested here earlier.
On the forum I see several messages on this subject, but I get confused on what to do.
I love the impressive functionality of XYplorer, but this is a killer. Please, solve this bug.
In the meantime, can you give me and other users a number of safe settings that avoid the crashes.

Using version 22.30.0200

[admin]

There are only two known sources of intermittent crashes:

1) Previewing PDF files while Adobe is the associated PDF-viewer. Workaround: Use a non-Adobe PDF viewer (or exclude PDF from preview just to verify the theory; you can do this here: Configuration | Preview | Previewed Formats).

2) Faulty 3rd party shell extensions in the shell context menu. Workaround: Hide shell extensions from that menu by ticking "Configuration | General | Menus, Mouse, Usability | Context Menus | Hide shell extensions from shell context menu". If this helps you can later remove the culprit.

[chrisvs]

I already replaced the Adobe pdf previewer.
ShellExView shows 304 items on my computer, of which 45 are not from Microsoft. Which shell extension Types are suspect (to limit the search)?
My computer configuration is fairly standard, so I wonder wether the community has already a list of suspected shell extensions.
As a non-expert I do not know which items are essential on my PC and so shall not be disabled for testing.
Hunting for the culprit is difficult because the freeze is intermittent.

[admin]

So you can confirm that ticking "Configuration | General | Menus, Mouse, Usability | Context Menus | Hide shell extensions from shell context menu" stops the crashes?

[Horst]

I already replaced the Adobe pdf previewer.
ShellExView shows 304 items on my computer, of which 45 are not from Microsoft. Which shell extension Types are suspect (to limit the search)?
My computer configuration is fairly standard, so I wonder wether the community has already a list of suspected shell extensions.
As a non-expert I do not know which items are essential on my PC and so shall not be disabled for testing.
Hunting for the culprit is difficult because the freeze is intermittent.

None of the context menu extension are essential for the startup and normal usage of your PC.
So start with disabling large groups of the non-Microsift extensions and test XY.
When it runs without crashes start enabling the disabled entries one by one to find the culprint.

[chrisvs]

So you can confirm that ticking "Configuration | General | Menus, Mouse, Usability | Context Menus | Hide shell extensions from shell context menu" stops the crashes?

I did not experience any crashes after Hide shell extensions. The trouble with intermittent faults is that you are never sure. I will continue on this path.