RE: File called "program" listed as a file under my startup applications in Windows 8

Question

In Settings -> Startup, listed under Startup Apps, I found an app that was simply called "Program." I opened the Task Manager and navigated to the Startup tab. Right-clicking "Program" showed the option to disable, but the "open file location" and "properties" options were greyed out.

I was able to find a question thread on this site titled "File called "program" listed as a file under my startup applications in Windows 8", and learned that a number of other users have had the same issue. Responders to the thread were able to explain how to find the culprit file (if it exists) and remove it, but were not able to tie it to a specific program - in fact the culprit app was found to be different for each user with the issue, and none of them were caused by an app called "Program." The thread was locked before the issue was fully explained.

For those seeking closure, I think I have found the answer. It is not caused by any specific program or programs; it is caused by a typo in the command line that is used to run the app at startup. In my case it was Surfshark (as pictured below), but it could be anything. Specifically, it could be anything found in the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" directories. If the double quotes around the file location are omitted or incorrectly placed (as pictured below), then Windows will attempt to open a file called "C:\Program" instead of the actual intended app. This is why the file appears as "Program" in the startup apps list. Of course there is no actual file or folder called "C:\Program," so the command does nothing; this is also why there are no properties, file location, publisher etc. available to display. Because it does nothing, it is harmless, but it can be disabled so that the command is not run at startup. If you don't like seeing it on the list, or if you want to fix it etc., the command can be deleted or edited through the registry.

Answer 1

Thank you for this information! Exactly what I was looking for. FYI - under Command Line, mine was listed as Teams Installer.