One specific folder indicates "not responding" when trying to open

Question

First of all, please forgive me when trying to explain my problem, as I'm not a computer whiz by any stretch...

I have Windows 8.1, no recent changes to my laptop, and I'm trying to open a folder that I regularly open several times a day. In fact, my problem started after already opening/using this folder several times today. When I double-click to open it, the file opens with the blue-circle icon indicating the request is being processed, but nothing happens after several minutes. I try closing it to re-try, and that's when I see "not responding" on the top of the file box.

The specific folder I'm trying to open is a sub-folder in my Music folder. All other folders within the Music folders can be opened with no problem. The specific folder only contains jpeg files. Even though I can't open the sub-folder in question, using File Explorer I can still open other folders within this specific sub-folder that I now can't open.

This has happened in the past, with this and other specific folders, on a one-time basis (in other words: it's nothing that happens regularly - maybe a few times a year). Usually, I just restart my laptop and I'm then able to open the folder. However, this time that's not working. I've tried resetting defaults in the Libraries folder, re-naming the specific folder I'm trying to open and even copied the folder to desktop - all to no avail.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Again, please keep in mind that I'm not a computer whiz when providing solutions. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hello,

Apology for delayed response.

• Do you get any error message/ error code while opening the folder?

I would suggest you to follow the methods given below and check if that helps.

Method 1: Perform Clean Boot.

Placing your system in Clean Boot state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. Check this issue in clean boot state.

Refer: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

---

Note: After clean boot troubleshooting step, follow the section "How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot" in the provided link to return your computer to Normal startup mode.

 If issue still persists try method 2.

Method 2: Disable security software temporarily

Disable security software temporarily and check if the issue persists.

Disclaimer: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you should not disable your antivirus software. If you do have to temporarily disable it to install other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you are connected to the Internet or a network during the time your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance with Windows.

Answer 2

Thank you for the quick response. However, none of those issues pertain to my problem.

I do not get an "access denied".

It is not encrypted.

I am the sole user of my laptop, so "permission" is not an issue.

User profile is not corrupted.

The file is not corrupted. (I can now access it through File Explorer's Libraries folder, but still not through my Music folder. Again, it is only one sub-folder in the Music folder that cannot be accessed through normal opening.)

So, to review, I cannot open the sub-folder directly through My Documents-Music-, but it can be opened through File Explorer-Libraries-Music-.

Any other suggestions?

Answer 3

Hello,

I realize that you are facing issues while opening a subfolder in your music folder. I would suggest you to refer the section ‘Issue 2: I cannot access, change, save, or delete files and folders’ in the following article and see if it helps.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2623670

I hope this information helps.

Please do let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thanks and Regards

Sarandeep S - Microsoft Support.