Unwanted Explorer window appears at every login after installing SyncToy

[Philip Herlihy]

The window is showing C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ and the Synctoy folder is
visible in the right-hand pane. Uninstalling SyncToy stopped it happening,
and reinstalling brought it back. Is this some artefact of a dodgy MS
Installer package perhaps? Rather annoying, and doesn't give confidence in
SyncToy.

 

[Joe_P]

Very annoying behavior. Posted previously, but only reply was to edit
a Norton Systemworks(? or possibly A/V) registry entry, with no
suggestion which it might be. Other post reported editing all such did
not help. We could use some help here.

Joe_P

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I've been wondering if it's a problem with the MS Installer package - you
sometimes see a window showing either the relevant Program Files folder (as
in this case) or (more often) the start menu folder. But this usually
doesn't reappear on the next boot.

I've tried using AutoRuns (www.sysinternals.com) and msconfig to find what's
causing this window to appear, but I've drawn a blank.

--
####################
## PH, London
####################

Very annoying behavior. Posted previously, but only reply was to edit
a Norton Systemworks(? or possibly A/V) registry entry, with no
suggestion which it might be. Other post reported editing all such did
not help. We could use some help here.

Joe_P

 

[Guest]

Solution is very simple. There is invalid value in your registry regarding
start up programs.
Go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\

look for startup paths that are not in double quotes "":
for example:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\....
should be replaced to:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\..."

The reason is that synctoy creates folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ and
when windows tries to resolve Path C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\... then
it would open C:\Program Files\Microsoft in exprorer.
So we should not blame synctoy - just other software that is not putting
they paths with spaces in double quotes.

I've been wondering if it's a problem with the MS Installer package - you
sometimes see a window showing either the relevant Program Files folder (as
in this case) or (more often) the start menu folder. But this usually
doesn't reappear on the next boot.

I've tried using AutoRuns (www.sysinternals.com) and msconfig to find what's
causing this window to appear, but I've drawn a blank.

 

[Joe_P]

Thank you, alYsa, for explaining the solution, which is not entirely as
simmple (to a dunce like me) as it appears to you. After rereading your
answer twice, I finally "got it", and it works!

Firstly, I have a problem with the term "double quotes", shown as "".
There are places in Computing where one is forced to use double quotes,
"", at the beginning and end of a line, and places where one just uses
"quotes", at the beginning and end of a line, shown as "...", and that
is what you are getting at here.

Secondly, it doesn't jump right out at me that you are not really
referring to ALL the lines in the startup paths (most of which on my PC
do not have quotes), but to just those paths that start with:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft ...
(of which I had only one without quotes, and which when quotes were
added eliminated the problem).

So thanks for the answer, and please understand no criticism is
intended by this reply, posted for the benefit of others of a certain
age and "slowness" like myself.

Joe_P

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Yes, that fixed it, thanks!

I went into the keys you mentioned, and commented any path containing a
space, and the window no longer appears.

Odd that installing and uninstalling SyncToy made the problem appear and
disappear, but it seems likely that SyncToy is not to blame.

 

[Guest]

Thank you AlYsa!

Solution is very simple. There is invalid value in your registry regarding
start up programs.
Go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\

look for startup paths that are not in double quotes "":
for example:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\....
should be replaced to:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\..."

The reason is that synctoy creates folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ and
when windows tries to resolve Path C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\... then
it would open C:\Program Files\Microsoft in exprorer.
So we should not blame synctoy - just other software that is not putting
they paths with spaces in double quotes.

 

[Guest]

Thank you also alYsa, I had the same problem, took me ages but it fixed it
and I learnt something too, like where to find the registry! never been there
before.