Try these in order for Windows 10, since restarting Windows Explorer already did not help:
- Restart the PC again and let pending updates finish
- Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates.
- Install anything available, then restart.
- Check Windows Search service status
- Open Services.msc.
- Find Windows Search.
- Confirm it is:
- Status: Running
- Startup Type: Automatic (Delayed Start)
- If indexing is paused, restarting the Windows Search service can help.
- Run a malware scan
- Go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Windows Security.
- Select Virus & threat protection.
- Under Current threats, select Quick scan.
- The device may restart if needed.
- Free up disk space
- Open Disk Cleanup from the taskbar search.
- Select the drive and choose files to remove.
- Make sure nothing important is in the Recycle Bin before emptying it.
- Low disk space can slow Search and the taskbar.
- Optimize performance settings
- Open Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
- On Advanced, under Performance, select Settings > Advanced.
- Make sure Adjust for best performance of is set to Programs.
- Under Virtual memory, select Change and confirm Automatically manage paging file sizes for all drives is selected.
- Select OK, Apply, then restart.
- Run the System Maintenance troubleshooter
- Open Control Panel.
- Set View by to Large icons or Small icons.
- Select Troubleshooting > View all > System Maintenance.
- Select Next > Try troubleshooting as an administrator and review the results.
- Check disk errors
- Open This PC.
- Right-click the system drive, select Properties > Tools.
- Under Error checking, select Check.
- This can take several minutes and may require a restart.
- Run Automatic Repair
- Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
- Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
- Then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
- Sign in if prompted.
- This can repair registry corruption. The PC may restart during the process.
- If the problem started right after changing settings, use Windows Recovery options carefully
- Recovery steps can cause data loss depending on the option used.
- Back up important files first before using broader recovery options.
If the PC is also freezing, crashing, or behaving unexpectedly, start with the least disruptive recovery option and move to the next only if needed.
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