Slow to open when device offline

[therube]

AllDup is Slow to open when a device (a folder) in the Folder list is offline.
More so when there are many such offline devices.

(On my slow computer), AllDup takes about 2 seconds to open.
With a single offline device, it takes about 10 seconds.
With multiple offline it may take 36 seconds or more.

During that time, there is no indication that AllDup has done anything.
(The AllDupPortable.exe process has started, but there is no window, no nothing.)

That is enough time for me to say, huh?
To look at Process Explorer, to see that AllDupPortable.exe is there, but that there is no associated Window.


XP (presently)
My NAS is off (presently)
NAS folders are using UNC paths, so like, \\NAS\offshore\hidefromIRS
(My network is presently in a state of KAOS, but I don't think that is the issue here, necessarily.)


Thinking you can try to duplicate this by pasting a dummy path, like above, \\NAS\offshore\hidefromIRS (only your hairdresser knows for sure) , into the Folder list dialog.

Copy, \\NAS\offshore\hidefromIRS, to clipboard
AllDup -> Source Folders -> (context-menu) Paste folders from clipboard
(wait...)

Result:

Folder shows up.

Quit AllDup
Restart AllDup

Result:

AllDup is slow to start up, slow before it displays its' window.

[therube]

Hmm... on a faster computer now, (not networked) Win7, following my steps above, can't really say I'm seeing an issue.

When I paste the path in, there is a momentary delay before it "checkmarks" itself.
But it appears that opening speed is not affected, or at least not in a noticeable way.


(On my slow XP, definitely noticeable.
I should probably disconnect from the network & test there again.)

[Administrator]

AllDup just waits for a response from windows when accessing network ressources.
every windows version reacts different when trying to access a offline network ressource.
each windows version have different internal time-outs when waiting for a response from a network ressource.
i guess there are some registry tweaks to change the time-out delay...

[therube]

Same issue, slightly different bend...
(Man, I wish I had remembered that I posted this thread before spending a lot of time trying to diagnose what was going on...)

Slow to open when you have yet to access a particular network resource.

So my drive/folder list has stuff like:

Code: Select all

C:\TMP
\\NAS\BACKUP\
\\Neil\c\My Documents\_ME
\\Sherry\c\
...

Used to be, all the shares were "open". Open to all. You want it, go get it, it's yours.
Now, the shares are "protected". So on first access to the share, you need to enter a un/pw.

In the normal course of things, I'd been to \\Neil\ & to \\NAS\, & so "authorized" myself with them.
Haven't had the need to access \\Sherry\.
(I'll get back to that, in a bit.)

Anyhow, all (in general, & overall) is working fine.

I go to open AllDup.
And... nothing. (Or at least I [initially] thought it was nothing.)
Click the .exe again. Still nothing.
But I see it is "running" - as a process. No window.
Kill it. Try again. Same result.
Kill it. Try again. Same result.

I have a second instance of AllDup, that I run from a C: prompt (by way of a batch file).
DUP.bat.
Fires up in an instant, runs its scan, returns it's results.

So what is different between the two... ?

So it turns out, it is that fact that \\Sherry\c\ happened to be sitting in the drive/folder list of the one instance of AllDup.
Had it not had been there, or had I (remembered this thread) & (pro-actively) reached out & touched Sherry, it would not have been an issue.

As it was, I'd forgotten about this, & Sherry is cold towards me, so I hadn't touched her, so this issue reared it's head, again.

(Next time, I'll remember, maybe .)


So because a particular resource is listed in the drive/folder list, seems AllDup, during it's startup, actually goes out & "pings" it.
And... & not sure what happens at that point, but it waits, till things timeout, before (eventually) showing a UI, yet even then gives no indication that it saw a problem.

Had it said, hey dummy, \\Sherry\ is on the list, but she's doesn't want to talk to you, so do something about it!, or if it presented me with the network login prompt, then I could have said, oh, & taken care of things.


Maybe skip the "ping" on startup (?) & only have it actually attempt to reach the resource only once an actual action is effected that requires it?

[Administrator]

We will add and show a small splash screen with the next update while initializing the application.
The splash window will show the current source folder that is internally processed.
This will give you the information about the folder that slows down the app loading time.

[therube]

(At least by 4.4.40.)

So I fire up AllDup & I'm see this little dialog box pop up & guess what, I then see \\XYZ\abc & with that, I then knew why it was slow in loading.

Thank you .