Weird symptom on file delete since upgrade to v4.x

[johngalt]

Hi, Nikos,

Long time- I've just recently upgraded to v4.x latest, with the new key, and I am getting some odd behavior that I've never seen before.

If I select a file to delete normally, (to Recycle Bin) the file disappears. However, if I select the method to permanently delete a file (which I do in most cases), after confirming in the popup dialog, the actual X2 window appears to disappear and then reappear just slowly enough that it is noticeable.

I looked around but only saw one other thread regarding a possible bug with the 4.x version of X2, and it was not related to this, as far as I can tell.

Is this reproducible by you in any manner?

FWIW:

Windows 10 Insider Preview build 17650 (Skip Ahead [pre-RS5])
X2 v 4.0.0.1 ULT x64 (Licensed to me, single seat)

My machine has gotten so old that at this point it is not really capable for me to run VMs on it anymore, (original 1st generation Core i7 965 EE CPU / 12 GB RAM), and the only other machine I have available is also running hte same build of Windows 10 Insider Preview, so if it is directly OS related I cannot confirm by testing myself.

[nikos]

I don't see any problem with robust delete on my win10. If the deletion is small, the progress window flashes for an instant, but the main xplorer2 window stays put

[johngalt]

Well, my issue is two fold - it seems that the file deletion progress window is flashing up there some times, and it is full screen, but other times you don't actually see it, just see the main Xplorer² window 'minimize' and then 're-maximize' (for lack of a better term - I suppose restore back would be better) without actually seeing the file deletion progress window.

I've installed CamStudio and will attempt to take some videos of he occurrences and see if I can get them uploaded where you can view them, afte rI also uninstall and clean install Xplorer² And see if the problem persists.

[nikos]

next time you use delete, tick the option "keep the progress window open" and see what happens. If the window has somehow grown full screen, you can resize it to a normal size

[johngalt]

Ahhh, thanks for that trick. I figured out what is the issue.

Windows 10 has recently introduced a new feature that makes it easier for having multiple windows of apps in one 'set' container, called (inadequately, but it's M$, so...) Sets.

First, some reading:

https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-sets-thoughts

(One of many articles about Sets - Just the first one that Google gave me)

See this screen shot where I have X² open and have used the "+" mark after that X² tab at the top to open a new instance of Microsoft Edge alongside X² in the same 'container'.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C9QCPX7bDn66BiV59

What is happening is that when the robust secure delete throws up the dialog box for the progress window, it is 'integrated' with the Xplorer² window, and shows up as a second tab for the main X² window.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TeXZFZ3x1OFwWMpf2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2z9ouGRy4Z7i1gfM6

So, the workflow opens the dialog, which then gets integrated into the container, and shows at the same size as the container is already displaying. Which, for me, is almost always having X² running full screen on one of my monitors.

So, the progress window dialog opens briefly full screen, and for slightly longer operations I am just able to see a hint of it. But for extremely fast operations, it appears and before the desktop WDM can render it, the progress window closes, at which point the WDM renders ... the absence of the progress window dialog, and then the container catches up again and restores the only remaining tab in the container, that being X².

Fortunately, It's gotten a lot more robust than simply being an Alpha-level feature that is included in the new next-generation Insider Preview builds - there is a method to disable particular apps from having sets associated, as well as a method to disable Sets completely if you want.

Using this fine tutorial from the 10F(orums) site, I was able to disable X² from the Sets workflow, and everything is back to normal.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/107 ... ml#option1

At the bottom is also a link to the other method, which can disable sets completely.

Since Sets is going to be a feature in regular Windows very soon (Although not in the impending Windows 10 update that is supposed to be released tomorrow).

In performing all of this testing, it is interesting to note that robust copy and robust move progress window dialogs did not exhibit the same behavior - only the secure delete progress window was caught by the Sets feature.

Thanks again for the hint that got e on track to what was happening.

[johngalt]

Nikos,

Ever since enabling that setting under Secure Delete "Keep progress window open after the end of the deletion", whenever I close X² the next time I open, that setting is always enabled for secure delete, even if I disable it during a secure delete. It remains disabled until the next time X² is closed and then opened again, at which point it is enabled.

Any ideas, or should I simply uninstall, clear all settings from the registry as best as I can and cleanly reinstall?

[nikos]

when you shift+del next time, untick the option to "keep window open" from the main dialog (not the progress dialog). It should then be remembered

[johngalt]

Uh, that is what I am unticking, and that is what comes back ticked the next time I open X²

[nikos]

do you save settings on exit? Try ACTIONS > SAVE SETTINGS NOW menu

[johngalt]

Yeah, I have save settings on exit enabled - I think that is how it remembered it the first time. But ever since then it stays on regardless.

I even tried manually saving the settings as you suggested - no go. It's still enabled on next startup of X².

[nikos]

so once you disable it, the progress window does NOT stay open (as long as you don't quit the program), but next time you restart xplorer2 it goes back to "keep window open" mode?

sorry I cannot reproduce that. Are you using a lot window layouts or save settings in INI files perhaps?

[johngalt]

I did have more than one layout (2 to be exact) but everything was saved using registry.

However, earlier this week I cleanly installed Windows 10 x64 April (2018) Update. I've also cleanly installed Xplorer² (with no settings import or anything like that at all). I've set everything up manually as I had it before, but April Update does not have Sets, so until I get back on the Insider Previw, I cannot make that one change that allows Sets to be disabled from activating for X².

Still, though, I'll see if I can get the setting to not stay enabled for the progress window dialog.

[johngalt]

OK, Nikos,

Something is really, really weird here.

Completely new install of Windows 10 April (2018) Update, followed by a completely clean install of Xplorer².

I manually set everything up, using only the default layout, and making adjustments in both the advanced settings and regular settings. All those settings were saved. I then made a change in regular options panel, to disable the setting (under Window tab) Highlight primary sort column because it is interfering with my additional color coding setup - using both the default for encrypted files plus one that changes the background color to black, text color to yellow, for all +S +H files.

Now, every time I close X² and then open it, both the setting to highlight primary sort column and the color coding revert (the highlight is re-enabled and the color coding is not enabled).

I did not copy anything over at all regarding the settings, this is a completely clean install, and I have tried manually pressing the Save settings now from Actions dropdown menu - no go. Every time I close X² the settings revert to what I set them the first time I had run X² after entering my license.

What are my next steps to troubleshooting this?

[nikos]

you are still saving settings to registry right? It could be that you're using custom folder settings? See here for a few ideas
www.zabkat.com/blog/settings-headaches.htm

[johngalt]

Yup, still using registry.

A couple of those do not apply to me, but I'll give the other suggestions a shot - particularly the create a new folder one - I do use customized folder views, and for the several bookmarked folders / folder pairs that I use on a regular basis.

Maybe this will finally fix it