Slow when reading large directory tree - but Safe mode better

Folks,

I posted about this before, but I didn't get a reply. However, I now

have more information from testing.

The problem is that when I read a large directory tree - either with a

program or a DIR command - Windows XP is a lot slower in normal mode

than in Safe mode. Thinking this might be due to running applications,

I tried disabling ZoneAlarm, disabling the Anti-virus, removing the

Google Desktop (which had indexing disabled), removing QuickTime, but

none of this made any difference. Trying Safe mode (either

command-prompt, standard, or with networking) made things a lot quicker

(6 seconds rather than 17 seconds).

Now I happen to try this on three different PCs, and on the 2.8GHz

Pentium 4 (3GB) the operation was really slow (45s), on the dual-core

AMD 4400+ the operation took 21s in normal operation, but only 16s in

Safe mode.

The directory tree I'm scanning is quite big:

Total Files Listed:

18508 File(s) 1,386,794,655 bytes

4238 Dir(s) 5,963,776,000 bytes free

but the operation /used/ to be really fast, so something has changed

within the last 10 days or so (perhaps the monthly patches), to bring

about the speed reduction. Incidentally, there are only 1423

directories. It seems that the DIR command counts the "." and ".."

directories as well. Could that account for a 3:1 speed difference?

The command file I'm using is:

del /s *.~bpl

del /s *.~ddp

del /s *.~df

del /s *.~dfm

del /s *.~dp

del /s *.~dpr

del /s *.~ds

del /s *.~dsk

del /s *.~inc

del /s *.~pas

del /s *.~pa

del /s *.~rc

del /s *.~Manifest

del /s *.~tlb

del /s *.dfm.~*~

del /s *.dpr.~*~

del /s *.dpk.~*~

del /s *.pas.~*~

dir /s *.~*

pause

and I'm timing the second run of the file, when any directory

information should have been cached, and the files addressed will have

been deleted. All directory trees are indetical, and on NTFS file

systems.

Although I'd love someone to say: "xx is the problem", I would

appreciate if anyone else could confirm a considerable difference

between Safe mode and Normal mode when scanning a large directory tree

like this.

I keep thinking it must be me, otherwise more people would have

reported problems, but seeing the issues on three PCs make me

uncertain. Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

David