Applications frequently not responding after a windows update

I've got a Dell Latitude 3490 running Windows 10 Pro, version 10.0.19043, build 19043


Last week there was a Windows update installed that has since made several programs take 30-40 seconds to respond when I give them the focus. During this time, I usually get the "not responding" error message on the title bar of the offending program. Sometimes there is no message, it just freezes. At least I think the update is the culprit. That's what I'm blaming, anyway.

This will impact a program when it is opened, when I am saving, and when I am switching between different windows within the same program. Like going back and forth between Excel spreadsheets. It also happens when I export or download anything from Chrome. Opening and viewing attachments in an Outlook email will also give me issues. It is also an issue when I right-click a file. I'll have to wait at least 30 seconds before the context menu appears. Adobe Acrobat Reader and Windows Media Player are also subject to freezing.

This freezing does not happen every time. It may go 5 minutes between each instance, but if I switch between several programs quickly it could happen sooner than usual. There are also times when I float between two programs for an extended period (maybe 20 minutes) and it never freezes. As soon as I switch to a different spreadsheet, it freezes.

I mentioned having issues within Chrome and Outlook but those programs as a whole seem to be immune. When I switch to Chrome it always responds.

The programs always un-freeze. I never have to restart my system or open Task Manager to force-quit something.

I've checked to see if programs like OneDrive or OneNote are running but they are not. I've always been vigilant about keeping those from running because I don't use them. At least not automatically. I've also checked MSCONFIG but no luck. I checked for any services that could be causing problems but I haven't gone into the weeds, so I may be missing something there.

Aside from this issue my computer has always ran extremely well. I don't have issues when I've got lots of programs running, even ones that could be resource hogs. I keep things updated and I don't put a lot of junk on here.

Even though this is happening on a laptop, I don't think it is unique to laptops so if this is in the wrong forum, let me know. The lack of traffic in this sub-forum makes me a little nervous :(

Having said all that, as I type this from home I don't seem to have any issues. I've got Chrome, Outlook, and two Excel spreadsheets open and when I switch between them, I only have a slight hesitation when I give Excel the focus. I just exported something from Chrome and it took 5 seconds, not the 30-45 it would take at work. Nothing has said "not responding." All of these aforementioned issues have been happening at work.

Maybe it's the "we're watching you" software your company uses to spy on you.

How much ram does the machine have?

It does sound like something is using up your resources. Are you connected to a lot of printers and or server shares etc?

Thanks for the reply Steve

Total RAM is 8.0 GB

I am hesitant to think it is from software the company is using to keep an eye on me. If it were, I would imagine it would have been a problem for a long time and it would be impacting other people.

The Windows update happened while I was on vacation, and the person filling-in for me who installed it was a manager. This manager got our IT guy to look at it but he couldn't fix it so he ordered a new laptop which will be here in a few weeks. I would imagine if they were watching me in that way, both of them would consider it an unintended, yet necessary consequence and they'd leave it be.

Our internal network does have a few printers on it but that is all we share. Our personal systems are not connected to one another directly. I'm sure there are other things at play but I don't keep up with it.

How it performs at home makes me think the issue is tied to the network. If I were to run task manager, which tab would give me the best info and what would I look for? What about performance monitor?

Can you temporarily disconnect from the company network to see if that makes a difference?

Check Event Viewer for any potential clues also.

To answer Fink's question, I am at home now and like I said earlier, things are running pretty normal. Being at home and not on the work VPN I imagine what I'm getting now is like being at work with WiFi off. At the office my laptop is set up on both the hard-wired network and the WiFi so I'd have to unplug and then turn WiFi off to test that.

jdc2000, I'll have to refresh myself with Event Viewer and get back with you. I haven't used it for a long time.

I'll look at this tomorrow from home but the real test will be on Monday as I have weekends off. My job is pretty busy and stressful right now so finding the time to post this at work is difficult.

Thanks!

When you're at work are the files you're opening stored on your computer or are they being accessed from your business network?

I should have added half an emoji to go with the Watching You software idea... But narrowing it down to just at the office is a good thing....

All of the files I am accessing are stored locally on my hard drive. None of them are ever coming from a shared or remote location.

Hey if they want to watch me at home they may be in for a treat :D

Small update:

Coming to you from the office right now.

I've had task manager and resource monitor open the past few hours and even though I see things going on, I don't really see a specific resource or program that I would consider a suspect. I've had problems all morning as usual.

One other program that seems to be immune is Notepad. It is never slow to open and it never stops responding. Giving a txt file a right-click can be just as slow as any other file getting a right-click though. Not sure if this is relevant but it is interesting.

I just remembered event viewer so I'll be looking at that next.

Slow right-click context menu issues can be due to shell extensions.

https://www.howtogeek.com/684164/how...file-explorer/

Thanks for that jdc. Fortunately none of our third-party apps have installed anything there so that area is pretty clean. I think I may have even cleaned out a few when I first got this laptop.

I spent some time in Event Viewer yesterday and didn't see any events with a time stamp close to when I had an issue. But then, EV looks like it's got tens of thousands of events categorized all sorts of ways. I could be in there a while.