HP file folder automatically opens on computer start-up

Question

Hi again, since I am trying to correct all the things that annoy me about this computer, I thought I would ask about this problem as well. As with the WDS-SL not respoknding issue, I have been having a problem for about 6 months or so with C:\Program Files\HP automatically opening upon computer start-up. I have tried disabling the HP start-up files checked within the system utility, but that does not work and only makes the system utility start the computer in safe mode because I have told it not to start in standard mode apparently by unchecking the boxes. I have heard that there is some problem with the address? of the HP registry key? and that this specific address? needs to be anclosed within quotes in order for the cimputer to understand that it is not supposed to execute the file upon start-up, but I am really a computer neophyte and i do not know what a registry key is where to find the HP one related to this problem and how to fix it without screwing up the rest of the computer. Any suggestion on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated, but they will need to be step by step detailed and undoable if they don't work.

Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

There are a number of different ways that "things" get started in Windows, many of which involve the Windows registry. The problem is that is possible to severely damage your Windows installation if you do the wrong thing when editing the registry.

The problem appears to be caused by an error in some HP software installations that causes Windows to fail to start a program that HP wanted to start but instead opens the Windows Explorer window.

If you print out the following and follow the steps carefully, you should be OK.

1. Create a System Restore point.
2. Click Start > Run then type "regedit" (without the quotes); Click OK
3. In the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor window, click the + next to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE"
4. Click the + next to "SOFTWARE" in the list that opened up under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
5. Scroll down until you get to "Microsoft" and click the + to the left of it
6. In the list under Microsoft, scroll down to "Windows" and click the + to the left of it
7. In the list under Windows, click the + to the left of "CurrentVersion"
8. In the list under CurrentVersion, scroll down to "Run" and click on it. The status bar at the bottom of the Registry Editor window should now read:

My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run 9. In the right-hand pane of the Registry Editor, you will see a number of entries. Each entry has a "Name", a "Type", and "Data".  Look at the Data column for entries that begin C:\Program Files\HP.

If you find such an entry and it does NOT have quotation marks at the beginning and end, then right-click on the "Name" for that entry and select "Modify".

In the "Edit String" box that opens, press the "Home" key and then type a doublequote (") then press the "End" key and type a doublequote ("). Click the OK button.

For example, if you find an entry in the Data column that looks like

   C:\Program Files\hp LaserJet 1000\fwdl.exe

you need to modify it to look like

   "C:\Program Files\hp LaserJet 1000\fwdl.exe "

Repeat for all entries in the "Data" column that begin with C:\Program Files\HP without quotes. 10. Close the Registry Editor 11. Reboot your computer and confirm that the window doesn't open

Sometimes, Windows is able to deal with spaces in the file name of a startup application ... but other times it isn't.

Answer 2

I know there are a number of posts regarding the problem on the internet, but they all assume I know what a registration key is, where to find it, how to back-up a registry etc. I do not know these things. If someone could explain the whole process of fixing this problem, it would be really helpful to those of us who are not computer literate.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 3

There are a number of posts regarding this in google, it envolves editing the registry, which you should backup first (make a copy)