unwanted/unknown program

Question

A program called "unload" showed up and is asking for a disc which not only do I not have but have no clue what it is. I can't get rid of the program requests. I have used the cancel button and the "X" button and have restarted and shut down my PC but it just keeps showing up.

Answer 1

"You can also start Task Manager when you have the popup from "unload" to see what programs/processes are running to try and identify where "unload" comes from."

I just had the poster's issue, after re-enabling IIS snap-in in the Windows Component options."

Quit the window, inserted my XP Professional SP2 CD, no help.

Task Manager with CPU usage as filter, showed EEventManager.exe and sysocmgr.exe reappearing.

sysocmgr.exe is the Windows Component Manager of course.

EEventManager.exe is the Epson scanner Event Manager. 

That one Epson process is loaded at startup, the CPU filter indicates it was in use off and on as the "upload" popup appeared and was canceled.

Quitting that one process in Task Manager allowed the Windows changes to finish.

Answer 2

First make sure the computer is virus/malware-free:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

If the computer is clean, then check your Startup:

Start>Run>msconfig [enter]

This brings up the System Configuration Utility. Look on the Startup tab and find the probable culprit. Uncheck the box next to its name, Apply and OK out. You don't need to restart immediately, but the next time you do you'll get a dialog saying you've used the Utility. Just tick the box that says in effect, "don't bother me about this again".

Important - Do not use the System Configuration Utility to stop processes. Instead, use Start>Run>services.msc [enter]and do not stop any services unless you really, really know what you're doing.

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

The free Autoruns program is very useful for managing your Startup -http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx

You can also start Task Manager when you have the popup from "unload" to see what programs/processes are running to try and identify where "unload" comes from.

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MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!