Desktop Folder Slow To Open

[SimonC]

I'm running Windows XP SP1 on an Athlon 3500+ with 1 GB of RAM.

Inside ALL my applications (such as Internet Explorer, Winamp, Word
etc.) when the folder I choose to Open (or Save To) is the Desktop, it
takes a few seconds to appear, while if I choose ANY other folder the
contents show instantly.

I've had WinXP installed about a week, and I remember that the Desktop
folder would open inside apps much quicker a few days ago - but I
can't remember what I added that might have caused the described
behaviour.

I have removed a bunch of apps I installed over the last few days, to
see if any of them were the culprits, but the slow Desktop folder
opening problem still remains.

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Thanks in advance, Simon.

 

[SimonC]

Found the solution...

What I was doing was including an (Internet) shortcut to an FTP site.

When removed, the Desktop folder opening delay went away.