Preview, Textedit still loading slow in 10.7.4

Question

Ever since installing Lion, Preview and TextEdit take up to 20 seconds to show content. The app's menu appears almost immediately, for the content to show up (even small files like 50 kb) up to you can do a lot of other things while waiting. System: 8GB memory, 500 GB standard hardfile, now Lion 10.7.4 - still the same problem. Doesn't happen always: After the first item has been show using Preview, the following files opened appear immediately. After working with other apps extensively, then going back to preview - the same problem. To note: the quickLook function in finder does not have this problem!
I have seen this problem reported many times since 10.7.2 with a number of suggested fixes: disable iCloud, reinstall System etc. All of this has been done, no change. What has not been done: reformatting the drive, reinstalling everything from scratch. Not very willing to do this, because it reminds too much of days and days spent doing just that in old Windows times.
I have also seen other users mentioning they have no such problem. In my surrounding (about 4 Macbooks running Lion), this problem can be repeated on each machine - so far haven't seen one Lion installation working without this trouble. Seems to be a performance problem accessing the file system: When saving a file under a new name, it can also take many seconds for the file dialog to show up.
This is getting more and more disturbing: There is no 'official' reaction from Apple to see anywhere, the problem has remained through 3 updates now, and repeated 20 second delays for such a simple feature are no serious bases for working with an operating system.
thank you!

Answer 1

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem(s)?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in Mac OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The Guest login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled under Mac OS X 10.7 or later, you can’t boot in safe mode.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.