Enhanced File Extraction Performance in Windows 11: Insights from the Latest Update
Today, we spotlight a recently released free application called CompactGUI, designed using Microsoft’s technology framework. This innovative app aims to significantly reduce disk usage on Windows 10 and 11 systems without notable performance degradation.
Performance Improvements in Recent Updates
Since our coverage in August 2023, Microsoft has gradually rolled out updates to enhance this feature. Notably, the April non-security preview update (C-release) identified as KB5055627 introduces a notable performance boost, particularly for extracting zipped files. According to the release notes:
Improved the performance of extracting zipped files, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
User Feedback and Performance Testing
A Reddit user, IridiumIO, conducted tests post-update and confirmed enhanced performance compared to earlier versions. However, there remains a sentiment of disappointment regarding the performance of File Explorer relative to other alternatives, such as 7Zip, especially when Windows Defender is enabled.
With Defender enabled, we can see a 10% improvement in extraction speed (from 333s to 303s), but that pales in comparison to the overall hit that Real-time Protection causes, with a 35% speed improvement just by turning it off.
Comparatively, Explorer’s performance during file extraction remains unsatisfactory compared to using 7Zip or PowerShell’s
Expand-Archive.
Concerns Regarding Legacy Technology
IridiumIO expressed frustration regarding the limitations of File Explorer, emphasizing that while improvements have been made, the underlying architecture still relies on outdated processing methods. While RAR and 7Z support have been added, they haven’t sufficiently modernized the functionality, leaving users with questions about the utility of the current system:
What annoys me is they’ve clearly done some work to speed it up, but can’t go the whole way and scrap the XP-era processing they’re still using under the hood.
They have a functional archive manager already on their system in PowerShell—sure, it’s not as good as 7Zip, but it’s miles ahead of Explorer’s implementation. Why not just use that?
Exploration of Root Performance Issues
Further investigation by the user revealed an intriguing observation: extracting files directly from the root of the C:/ drive resulted in an additional performance increase of approximately 10%.This raises potential concerns regarding File Explorer’s efficiency in analyzing the full path structure of each file during extraction processes. The user speculates:
I suspect (and hope I am wrong) that this is due to Explorer checking the entire path structure for each file as it is extracted, which leads to the extra slowdown. For deeper nested directories, the slowdown could be even more pronounced.
Future Updates and User Expectations
It’s worth noting that the user did mention the possibility of unrepresented improvements due to A/B testing. They conveyed:
Apparently, my update doesn’t actually include the improvements to archive extraction; the speed boost is supposed to be much more than what I experienced. Hopefully, this means when the fix rolls out correctly, results will be closer to at least PowerShell’s speed, if not 7Zip’s.
Conclusion: User Perspectives on Windows 11 Performance
The ongoing updates from Microsoft indicate progress, but user testimonials echo a sense of urgency for further enhancements. As Windows 11 users continue to experience performance inconsistencies, particularly with File Explorer, it remains crucial for Microsoft to address these concerns robustly. What are your thoughts on the performance improvements in Windows 11? Do you believe they are sufficient, or is there room for further development? Share your views below!
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