You experience significant delays when you use network shortcuts on a computer that is running Windows XP SP2

When you use network shortcuts to try to browse the contents of a folder on a remote computer, you experience significant delays on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:

• You click a shortcut in the folders pane in Windows Explorer that contains a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) name.
• The UNC name references the folder that you want to browse.
• You are connected to the remote computer over a slow network link.

Additionally, you may experience a delay in program responses when you use the Open, Save, or Save As commands to access a file that is stored on another computer on the network. This performance problem occurs if a UNC name references the file. This delay may be from 10 seconds through one minute. In some cases, Windows Explorer stops responding.

This problem occurs because the SHELL32! CShellLink::_ResolveLinkInfo() function is not optimized in Shell32.dll.

To work around this problem, map a network drive on the local computer to the remote computer. Browse the network drive on the remote computer instead of using a UNC network shortcut on the local computer. To map a network drive, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.
3. In the Map Network Drive dialog box, select a drive letter in the Drive list.
4. Click Browse, and then select a network share that will appear in the Folder box.
5. Click Reconnect at logon.
6. Click Finish.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

You must be running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to install this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: