Windows cannot find c:\windows\system32\DelFolders.exe message

When my machine starts I get this message:

"Windows cannot find C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Tools\Delfolders.exe. Make sure you
typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click
the Start button, and then click Search"

I have checked the startup folder, looked in msconfig under start up,
searched the registry, and looked at win.ini and system.ini and cannot find
any references to this file or the call to run it. I do not have a
Delfolders.exe file in the system32/tool directory- luckily.

I thought it might be a remnant of a virus, but i cant seem to figure out
where the call to run this program is coming from so that i could delete it.

A dejanews search shows this has happened to many people out there but I
have yet to find anyone who fixed it or reported the fix.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

--
x-no-archive: yes

Have you looked here:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce



==========================


"Jim Bennett" <jim1192@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:tsqdnRTp35cPSGmiRVn-sQ@comcast.com...
When my machine starts I get this message:

"Windows cannot find C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Tools\Delfolders.exe. Make
sure you
typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file,
click
the Start button, and then click Search"

I have checked the startup folder, looked in msconfig under start up,
searched the registry, and looked at win.ini and system.ini and cannot
find
any references to this file or the call to run it. I do not have a
Delfolders.exe file in the system32/tool directory- luckily.

I thought it might be a remnant of a virus, but i cant seem to figure
out
where the call to run this program is coming from so that i could
delete it.

A dejanews search shows this has happened to many people out there but
I
have yet to find anyone who fixed it or reported the fix.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

yep, checked \run and \runonce

it looks like windows messenger has something to do with this. i unchecked
it from starting in msconfig and the message is gone now, even though
messenger automatically re-adds itself after I uncheck it.


"sjae sja" <sjaejaeja@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uphu#6O0DHA.2928@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> --
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Have you looked here:
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
>
>
>
> ==========================
>
>
> "Jim Bennett" <jim1192@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:tsqdnRTp35cPSGmiRVn-sQ@comcast.com...
> When my machine starts I get this message:
>
> "Windows cannot find C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Tools\Delfolders.exe. Make
> sure you
> typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file,
> click
> the Start button, and then click Search"
>
> I have checked the startup folder, looked in msconfig under start up,
> searched the registry, and looked at win.ini and system.ini and cannot
> find
> any references to this file or the call to run it. I do not have a
> Delfolders.exe file in the system32/tool directory- luckily.
>
> I thought it might be a remnant of a virus, but i cant seem to figure
> out
> where the call to run this program is coming from so that i could
> delete it.
>
> A dejanews search shows this has happened to many people out there but
> I
> have yet to find anyone who fixed it or reported the fix.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>

I had the same problem with delfolders.exe.

This simple solution worked for me, if you downloaded the nvidia IDE drivers goto add/remove programs and delete it.

I no longer get the error and my comp is running great.

Recently had a client’s machine for work where one of the reported problems was a message which kept appearing at start up which read….



"Windows cannot find C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Tools\Delfolders.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search"



I could find no record of this in the start up entries in MSCONFIG etc and found that it was referenced from the registry key



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/RunOnce



Deleting this entry prevented the message from appearing at the next reboot but on subsequent restarts it was right back there again… I then searched the net for answers and it would appear lots of people had done so before me.. None of the posted messages in forums etc seemed to have any kind of definitive answer some referring to Nvidia graphics software and another to Windows Messenger neither of which applied to the system I was working on… I also tried using Norton Windoctor and other Registry Cleaners to remove the offending entry as suggested by other posts but with the same result. It just came right back after a couple of reboots.



On doing a more thorough search I noticed that there was an entry in the startup folder on the start menu called simply Reboot.exe. I had noted reference to this file elsewhere in my searches on the net but that was implying that the file was a virus and the file on this system was not being detected as a virus or malware at all. I decided to remove the entry to the recycle bin and on restarting the system there was no further display of the message. Thus deleting the file Reboot.exe from the startup folder had solved the problem.



Intent on finding the cause for this problem I continued looking at the system and waded through log files and driver disks etc which had been passed on with the system… after a while I have come to a conclusion that this problem is the result of an interrupted or glitched install of drivers or other software…

When the install routine runs it creates temporary folders to run the install from… It also adds a /tools folder to Windows/System32 folder and puts in a file called delfolders.exe which as it implies is to delete folders specified in the file to clean up after the installation which would include the /tools folder and delfolders.exe file. It also puts the file reboot.exe into the START/All Programs/startup folder. Reboot.exe when executed at reboot after the installation will access the Windows\system32\tools folder and execute delfolders.exe to perform the cleanup which would also include removing reboot.exe from the START/All Programs/startup folder but if there is a glitch then for some reason the reboot.exe is not removed and thus it tries to run delfolders.exe file every time the system starts…. Hence the message seen above.



A little more digging in relation to the system I have worked on has revealed that the problem was caused by a faulty install of the Motherboard drivers disk for the Elite Motherboard (K7S5A in this instance), the drivers are for IDE, AGP Graphics, Sound and LAN which have an automated installation routine. This may also be an issue with other Hardware drivers which may use a similar installation routine.



I do hope this throws light on this problem.. and helps anyone in the future who suffers similar problems.


Evna

I also have the same problem with my computer. Pls. help me fix this error message.

Milan

Milan,


Please read my post higher up this thread. i have now seen this problem three times in total and each time it has been an issue with the automated installation of drivers for motherboard resources. Also notably each time it has been related to Elite Motherboards. Does your PC seem to run ok otherwise? if so look in Start/All programs/Startup and if there is a file in there called reboot.exe, delete it and I believe your problem will cease.

If things do not seem to be running right Re Run the motherboard installation disc and driver installation and if the procedure completes properly it will remove this message.

Hope this help

Evna

I had an exact same problem with delFolders.exe when starting up , I followed the instruction of the other user and now it was fixed.This is what I did:
Start -> search-> (enter) reboot.exe. After a few second the file shows up and you just rightclick to delete it.Restart the computer.It will be gone.

EVNA,

Thank you for responding to my computer error regarding delfolders.exe. I followed your solution and i worked. Again, thank you and hope to get some help from you again in the future.

MILAN

To all computer experts,

I encountered another error in one of my computers in the office similar to the delfolders.exe problem that I posted earlier. Everytime I open the computer the following message appears on my computer screen "Windows cannot find "C:\WINDOWS\eksplorasi.exe". I wish somebody can help me solve this start-up error in my computer.

MILAN