Member Avatar for F083153WM

When I boot up the PC the windows explorer screen is always displayed with the System32 directory showing.
Any idea what I did to cause this, or how to stop it??

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Dani AI

Generated

Brief expert summary and next steps (builds on and ):

's Folder Options check was the right first move; since confirmed that setting is off, the next steps are to determine whether the folder is being launched by a startup item, a scheduled task, or a registry/autostart entry. was also right to point at a Winlogon-style cause — that area is one of several possible places something can hook Explorer at logon.

Triage (quick, ordered):

  • Boot to Safe Mode. If the folder does not open there, the cause is almost certainly a third‑party startup item or service.
  • Use msconfig (Start → Run → msconfig) for a selective/clean boot and binary-search the offending startup entry by enabling/disabling groups of items and rebooting.
  • Check the Start Menu Startup folders and Scheduled Tasks for any shortcuts or commands that launch Explorer.

Deep check and recommended tool:

  • Run Autoruns (Sysinternals) and inspect the Everything/Logon/Explorer/Winlogon tabs. Autoruns shows Run/RunOnce, Startup folders, Winlogon notifications and other autostart locations in one view so you can safely uncheck entries to test instead of deleting blindly. (learn.microsoft.com)

Registry and persistent-folder items (handle with care):

  • If the above doesn’t find the culprit, verify the Winlogon-related entries and Explorer’s “persist” keys for unexpected or duplicated values (restore defaults if you find something odd). Always export the affected registry key or create a System Restore point before editing. When possible, prefer disabling an entry in Autoruns or removing a shortcut rather than hand-editing registry values. For guidance on checking these startup areas and using a clean boot as a troubleshooting step, see Microsoft’s guidance and community answers. (learn.microsoft.com)

Safety and next moves:

  • Run a full, up‑to‑date anti‑malware scan (malware sometimes creates persistence that opens folders at logon). If isolation still fails, consider restoring from a known good backup or a repair/restore using XP recovery media.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for F083153WM

I am running windows XP

Member Avatar for DMR

The first thing to do would be to check your settings in Explorer's view options. Got to Tools menu and navigate to Folder Options->View->Advanced Settings. If the "restore previous folder window at logon" option is checked, uncheck it.

Member Avatar for F083153WM

I'll check it out when I get home, Thanks!!!!

Member Avatar for DMR

OK, let us know if it works or not.

Member Avatar for F083153WM

I checked and that is not turned on

Member Avatar for qt 3.14159

I found this answer in another forum when I was having the same problem:

Goto:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
The 'Userinit' string should read:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,
(including the comma at the end)
If "C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe," appears twice in a row, delete the repetition.

Member Avatar for F083153WM

I'll check it out and let you know, Thanks!!

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