XNView slow to start first time

[wOlrik]

I've had this problem for maybe a couple of months, could be more or less, I wasn't keeping track. XnView is slow to start first time I double click an image. After showing that image and then closing XNView, the next image shows almost immediately. However, if I don't view an image for some time, then next time XNView is slow to start again. I use Total Commander as my file manager, though that has never been an issue. My AV/Firewall is Comodo, which I initially suspected, but now I am not so sure. Not much to go on, I know, but any suggestions? I moved to XNView from IrfanView because I found it faster, but at the moment it is far from being fast.

Latest XNView, Win 7 Pro x86 SP1

[xnview]

Do you have lot of files in this folder?

[wOlrik]

I just tried it in a folder with only 5 files and it still took 5 seconds to open. These are all small jpg's. I closed XNView and double clicked another file and it now opens instantly.

Another thing I have noticed, when I haven't viewed any images for some time during the day, XNView is once again slow to open, then is fine again. It's difficult to know how long it takes for it to become slow again. It seems to me to be some sort of caching somewhere, but I have no idea how or why that could happen, unless it is something to do with prefetch. But I am guessing.

[xnview]

Do you have a big database? Do you have delay by clicking on same file?

[wOlrik]

No databases of any size, and it can happen with any jpg no matter where it is on my drives, but you've given me food for thought...

Nope, it wasn't that. One of my drives spins down after a certain idle time, but a batch file keeps it awake so it isn't that either. Plus, as I just said, it happens with files on other drives.

If I start XNView from the exe, rather than double clicking an image, it seems to be OK

As soon as I get time, I'll restore an image of Windows and see if it still happens with a fresh install.

[xnview]

Only jpeg? not a network drive? could you try without option/View>Read ahead?

[wOlrik]

I restored a fresh Windows image and it still happened, so I installed v1.80.3 and it worked without the delay.

I restored todays image and installed v1.80.3 and it's still OK. I checked between the two version and read ahead is set in the latest version but not in v1.80.3 so you might be onto something. I'll remove the old version and reinstall the latest and try it again as soon as I get home. Got to dash off out now.

[wOlrik]

That setting wasn't it I'm afraid. It seems to be just happening in the latest version and not in 1.80.3
I'll try a couple more older versions.

edit: I ended up deleting the contents of the XNView folder and unarchiving a fresh ZIP download into the folder, set it to keep the ini file in its own folder, and everything is fine again. It even works with the ini from my original installation, so it looks like the cause is going to remain a mystery.

Sorry for the bother, and thanks for a great program.