Why is Notepad++ so slow when dealing with files stored on a network share?

Question

Recently Notepad++ seems to be very slow when dealing with files that are located on a network share.

I am editing small files (e.g. web.config) and it is slow to:

• Initially open a file on a network share.
• Switch tabs back to a file on a network share.
• Switch back to notepad++ after using another application.

My guess is when switching tabs back to a network file it tries to check if someone else has modified the file (I could live with turning this off and it could check on save).

I am on a "fast" local network and have only noticed this problem recently.

My local PC is Windows 7 Enterprise and the servers are Windows Server 2003 and 2008.

Answer 1

I ran into this exact issue. After asking around and doing some experimentation it seems to be related to Notepad++'s "File Status Auto-Detection" routines. I noticed that the more files from network shares that I had open the slower the UI would be to respond when receiving focus. I resolved this by disabling "File Status Auto-Detection". Perhaps not an optimal solution for all environments. Now I just wish there were a one button or keyboard shortcut option to check to see if the file has been changed since it was opened.