TC slow browsing on optical media.

[byblo]

you can also monitor with tools like "File Monitor" from sysinternal (microsoft actually)

[AnneAardvark]

I just tried 7.0rc4, still the same.
I think the only way to fix this problem (I still can't believe nobody else has had this problem, maybe nobody else has large directory structures on DVDs), is to have TC not reload the folder contents each time you enter a sub folder and exit again. It looks to me like TC checks each folder before displaying it for what ever reason, maybe checks its still there, has icon, etc. whatever it does it does it slowly. Like I've said before, no other directory utility has this problem, they are always instantly displayed and I have tried quite a few (trying to find one as good as TC).

[StickyNomad]

I just checked a DVD stuffed with > 300 folders in its root with approx. 10.000 files overall. The structure I burned didn't have many of levels, the most files were in folders under the root of the disc.

I couldn't observe noticeable delays when browsing through the DVD (on my Athlon 1400) with TC.

When I go down the tree on that DVD and then back, it takes about 1/4 a sec until all folders are shown and I have to move the scrollbar quite fast until I notice a little sluggishness in the scrolling. Even during those little delays, TC still reacts and doesn't give me the hourglass for a split second.

Tried on XPSP2, Show all icons + EXE/LNK activated. So I have unfortunately no clue what could be the reason for your issue.

[AnneAardvark]

Dang gammit!
Like I said its been a problem for a long time.
I suspose I'll just have to give up on it for the moment.

I'll try the new versions of TC in hope that the way it access the drives changes and the problem gets fixed magically - I'm up to 7.0rc4. Meanwhile I'll just have to use something else.

Thanx for the attempted help anyhow, if you can't duplicate the fault then it can't be fixed, simple as that. (I too am a programmer)

[StickyNomad]

Hm, maybe you can install TC on another PC and check the affected DVD/CDs on that machine?

Did you try to start TC with a fresh INI file and see if the problem persists?

Code: Select all

C:\totalcmd\totalcmd.exe /i=nonexistinginifile.ini

[petermad]

2StickyNomad

Did you try to start TC with a fresh INI file

See: http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=120724#120724

[StickyNomad]

2petermad

[Lefteous]

2AnneAardvark
But why don't you provide a filesystem activity log as already suggested?

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/processmonitor.mspx

[AnneAardvark]

I'm back!
I have just reinstalled my computer (XP), its fresh and fast.
I just installed the latest release of TC (7.0rc5).
Its still too slow to use when browsing DVDs with lots of folders.
This is definitly a problem unique to TC, I have just tried yet another directory utility and it is lightning fast on the same DVDs. There just has to be something different about the way TC accesses the structure on DVD each and every time the source path changes.

No the trial app is not as good as TC, thats why I'm being persistant, I want to use Total Commander, wahhhh!

[StickyNomad]

2AnneAardvark

Did you try to monitor system activity when TC accesses the slow medium like Lefteous and byblo suggested? This could help finding the problem if it's software-related.

[AnneAardvark]

One final post from me (probably).
There is no sense going through the hastle of system activity when the problem has been present for such a long time through numerous complete system installs.

Somebody is missing something, its large directories containing large numbers of sub-directories (not files, files are fine), it slows down to a crawl as it access each directory and displays its icon, you can watch each directory being drawn.

Anyhow enough is enough, seems the problem is too hard both for you and for me. I continue to search for a worthy replacement to TC and I thing I have at last found one, so I won't be needing TC anymore.

If a new version of TC is released, I will test it but unless the way directory access is changed then its unlikely the problem will be fixed. I would suspect more people have the same problem but do not use large DVD backups to notice it (or they don't care or can't be bothered reporting it). This problem is only present with TC, ALL other directory utilities I tried (on the same DVD) are fine.

[Lefteous]

2AnneAardvark

There is no sense going through the hastle of system activity when the problem has been present for such a long time through numerous complete system installs.

That's just not true - please take the time and create a log when reading a large backup dvd.

[StickyNomad]

2AnneAardvark

In case you're still in here, this thread brought me to a vague idea:
perhaps you could try this option (if you didn't already):

Configuration > Options > Refresh >
'No refresh for these drives:'

perhaps entering the drive letter of your DVD-drive in this field can help?

[AnneAardvark]

I thought I would check back and see if any thing has changed and voila, an answer. I reinstalled TC just to test the refresh idea, no go, still the same, it was a good idea none the less, it just didn't work. One thing I did notice though, if any panel is set to the CD drive then ALL operations are delayed, even changing the settings, I just get the wait cursor for a few seconds when I press apply and again when I close the setup, the drive access led does not light indicating its not accessing the drive directly (maybe through system cache but not drive cache). If I move the panel to another drive then everything is fast again.
I'm not totally satisfied with my current directory utility, I have to use two different utilities as one doesn't do all the things I require.

Oh well, back to waiting and hoping, one day the whole core structure of TC may change and it will work fine.

[AnneAardvark]

After all this time......I'm BACK!!!
I never did find a worthy competitor to TC.
Today I changed my OS to Vista.
One of the first programs I tried was TC.
Guess what?
No more speed problems accessing the same DVD on the same drive.
The whole folder contents loads in under a second (probably under 1/2 a second).
So what ever caused the problem was to do with XP, not just one version of XP either as I tried a few.

ALL I have to do now is set it all up again how I like it, but thats what makes TC so good isn't it?

The actual problem will probably never be known, a combination of XP and my hardware?.. Who knows? Who cares? (as long as I stick with Vista)