Deleting a couple of files can take a couple of minutes

[cyberclops]

Not sure what is going on here. I have been using TC for quite a while and never noticed this before now ...

If run TC in NortonCommander emulation mode. Sometimes, if I highlight a file and press F8 to delete it the delete dialog box appears and nothing happens for 30 to 90 seconds (even the cancel and background buttons do not work. Eventually the file is deleted, and subsequent deletions do not take so long.

The only thing that I can think of that I have installed lately that might account for this is ClearCase which creates a virtual hard disk which maps to a source code repository. Neither pane of TC is open to the virtual disk when the delay happens. Any ideas? Delete from windows explorer or from the command line do not have any delay either.

[Hacker]

Perhaps take a look at what's happening using Filemon?

HTH
Roman

[ghisler(Author)]

2cyberclops
Sounds like your reacycle bin is filled with thousands of files - this can cause a major slowdown. Please note that external harddisks (USB, firewire) can also contain a recycled dir.

[cyberclops]

Thanks Christian! It had been a very long time since I had emptied my recycle bin . I did not try to determine how many items were in there. I emptied it (which took 3 minutes!!!) and the delay went away.

Just out of curiosity, why would the number/size of files in my recycle bin make a difference? It does not seem to adversely affect deleting files from windows explorer.

[ghisler(Author)]

Just out of curiosity, why would the number/size of files in my recycle bin make a difference? It does not seem to adversely affect deleting files from windows explorer.

I have no idea, sorry. It seems to be a bug of the function SHFileOperation, the only public function to delete to Recycle bin. Apparently Explorer uses some other undocumented function which doesn't have this problem.

[XPEHOPE3KA]

2ghisler(Author)

It seems to be a bug of the function SHFileOperation, the only public function to delete to Recycle bin. Apparently Explorer uses some other undocumented function which doesn't have this problem.

Does that mean that all other file managers will have such problems unless their developers found that undocumented function?

[Lefteous]

2ghisler(Author)
Explorer moves complete folders to the bin not all files in a folder. It can be as slow as in TC but in most cases this approach is faster.

[XPEHOPE3KA]

Explorer moves complete folders to the bin not all files in a folder. It can be as slow as in TC but in most cases this approach is faster.

I can even consider this behaviour as a bug, because it becomes inconvenient to restore a suddenly deleted folder.