ArcGIS 10.4 now won't load large feature class

[DarrenWiens2]

Throughout the years, I have made many, many maps based on the same map template (spanning version 10.0 to, now, 10.4.1). The template includes several base mapping layers, like an imagery WMS, roads, pipelines, wellsites, land parcels, etc. At some point last week, ArcMap decided it would no longer load the roads layer. It's quite a large feature class by my standards although I doubt it's considered "big data" (285MB), but it used to load no problem. Now, it starts to load and soon after goes "not responding". I made a map using this template on November 1, with no problem. Now, I can't successfully open it.

Here are some things I've tried:

- brand new mxd, won't load feature class (goes "not responding")

- other machines also can't load the feature class

- deleted Normal.mxt

- restarted computer

- this happens with fresh download and archived version , which used to work

As far as I know, I haven't installed any Windows updates since November 1. Also, I upgraded to Windows 10/ArcGIS 10.4.1 a couple of months with no major issues.

Is there any sort of cache I should clear or setting in ArcMap that might cause a problem rendering a large feature class?

If anyone's interested, the feature class I'm trying to load can be found here:

Digital Road Atlas (DRA) - Master Partially-Attributed Roads - Datasets - Data Catalogue 

[DanPatterson_Retired]

last update was 2016-10-19, is that the latest version you downloaded?

You might want to flag the contact to see if there are any others reporting similar issues

[DarrenWiens2]

Yes, that is the latest version I downloaded, but I don't think it's necessarily specific to that file. For example, I could load the old file last week but now cannot (I haven't edited or otherwise touched that file). I downloaded the new file as a check for whether the old file might have become corrupt somehow, but unless both the old and new file are corrupt in the same way, I don't think that's it.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

stumped, the only thing I can find on caches are which I am sure you have looked at

Managing your local display cache—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop 

About ArcGIS caches—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop 

[JayantaPoddar]

Is it one of the templates that comes with ArcGIS installation?

If yes, then you may try to rename the folder containing the templates, and repair the installation.

Although, I am able to open the Road FC in a blank MXD (Takes about 5 sec. to load | ArcMap 10.3.1/Win 7).

[DarrenWiens2]

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Dan and Jayanta. As far as I can tell, the problem had to do with a setting in the virus scanner, which was set to cache files locally to avoid a separate but related problem where the virus scanner locks up open map documents so I can't save them (this is all done by IT, so I don't quite understand it). We've reversed that setting, so I'll just have to deal with the virus scanner locking up my MXDs on occasion (convenient!).