C:\Program Files\Microsoft folder keep popping up on startup

[Kevin.]

Every time I start up Windows XP on my laptop, I get a window with the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft pop up. I looked around on msconfig, etc, but can't seem to find the source of what's making it pop up.

Anyone have any suggestion? Thanks in advance.

[pasty2k2]

Probably pretty obvious... but did you check your Startup folder in your start menu?

[Kevin.]

  pasty2k2 said:

Probably pretty obvious... but did you check your Startup folder in your start menu?

I checked it, but the only things that are listed are Bluetooth, Windows Search, and EZ VHS Converter.

Edit: I fixed the problem by uninstalling Choice Guard that came with Windows Live Essentials Wave 3.

Edited February 20, 2009 by Kevin.

[RoboOx]

I have experienced the same problem. There wasn't much talk about this problem on the web so I thought I would share my experience to help others.

Problem: Upon logging on to windows XP Professional SP3 32bit, the folder "C:\Program Files\Microsoft" is automatically opened every time.

This happened after an installation of the Windows Live collection software via Microsoft Update. When looking inside the folder it does indeed contain windows live associated files.

To cut a very long story short, I could not find any direct link to this folder in any of the start-up lists. So, I went through disabling one start-up item after another to try and find the offending program.

I found that it was a single registry key in "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run". The key was titled 'Point32' and ran "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Hardware\Point32.exe" (or something similar). I did notice that it wasn't wrapped in quotation marks. This key starts the Microsoft mouse program. I found that disabling this from running stopped the folder appearing. It's strange I know, but I can only assume windows was only reading the key up to the 'Microsoft' part and opening that folder instead of the mouse program.

FIX: I fixed it by uninstalling the Microsoft mouse system and making sure the registry key was removed. I then went to the Microsoft website and downloaded the current version of the Microsoft mouse software (IntelliMouse v6.31) and installed that. This has installed the mouse software to "C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint" and put the key labelled 'IntelliPoint' running "C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint\ipoint.exe" (this time in quotation marks" in the "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" section.

The problem is now fixed.

I can only assume that I had an older version of the mouse software installed that used a registry entry without quotation marks.

It wasn't until afterwards of course that I thought that simply putting quotations marks around the original start-up key may have fixed the problem.

I hope this helps others.