Startup Programs Run Twice (or not at all)

[Guest]

Very strange behavior. On one of my machines the startup programs run twice
(or not at all). I have 4 programs in my Startup menu, Microsoft Office,
Office Startup, and two other applications. (All behave the same as
described below.) Since the two applications display activity or results I
was able to notice that they are running twice. If I use MSCONFIG and look
at the Startup list, all the startup applications are listed twice. Once
with the Location Statup, once with the Location Common Startup. It gets
even stranger.

If I disable only the ones listed as Common Startup in MSCONFIG, none run!
They even disappear from the Startup menu itself. The ones listed as Common
Startup completely disappear from the MSCONFIG Startup list after the
re-boot. If I re-enable them, the Startup menu list is also "automatically"
re-enabled.

If I disable the ones listed as Statup, the Statup menu remains intact, but
when I re-boot, they again run twice and the MSCONFIG Startup list contains
both sets again.

What can I do to get only one set to run, and for the duplicate entries in
the MSCONFIG startup list to go away and stay away? I guess running twice is
not as bad as not running at all, but once would be sufficient, and preferred.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

From start/run, type:
%allusersprofile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
You probably have some unwanted icons in there.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. Good thought, however I just searched (including hidden and system
folders) and examined every startup folder on the machine again, and I only
find one with any shortcuts listed. Since the action always is all (twice
actually) or nothing, it appears the system is looking at the same folder,
but doing it from two places in the startup processing. I can live with it,
of course, but it is most puzzling. It also slows the boot process a bit
since one of the applications takes a little time to complete and it runs
twice.

 

[Guest]

I would take a look at that with this app.

AutoRuns for Windows v8.61:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/Autoruns.mspx

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Hi Al,

The shell folder data in your system is probably messed up. See:

Shortcuts in the Startup folders do not run at Windows startup:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/norunstartup.htm

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Thanks. Good thought, however I just searched (including hidden and system
folders) and examined every startup folder on the machine again, and I only
find one with any shortcuts listed. Since the action always is all (twice
actually) or nothing, it appears the system is looking at the same folder,
but doing it from two places in the startup processing. I can live with it,
of course, but it is most puzzling. It also slows the boot process a bit
since one of the applications takes a little time to complete and it runs
twice.

 

[Guest]

Nice application. It does leave me with the same puzzle, however. I have
included two excerpts from the process. All references to the processes in
question appear in only one folder. (Unfortunately, the text file does not
show the activated/de-activated status, but I can assure you that in the
first example they are all checked, in the second none are.) Note in the
first example that they are duplicated (all are checked). I de-selected one
copy of each and exited Autoruns. Then I re-ran Autoruns. Note that all
copies are still listed, but all are deactivated (none are checked).

Additional info: When de-activated from Autoruns all 6 items are gone if I
look at the Startup list with MSCONFIG. When I run Autoruns again, they are
still listed, all de-selected. If I select one of each and exit, then all
six re-appear in MSCONFIG and all six are selected in the next Autoruns.

Magic? Or have I somehow really confused Windows? By the way, the
Microsoft applications not shown in the excerpts behave identically.

W/duplicates:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
+ National Institute of Standards Time.lnk TCP/Daytime Client Program Natl.
Inst.of Stand.and Tech. c:\program file and driver downloads\nis time
service\nistime-32bit.exe
+ National Institute of Standards Time.lnk TCP/Daytime Client Program Natl.
Inst.of Stand.and Tech. c:\program file and driver downloads\nis time
service\nistime-32bit.exe
+ Office Startup.lnk c:\program files\microsoft office\office\osa.exe
+ Office Startup.lnk c:\program files\microsoft office\office\osa.exe
+ Windows XP Checks.lnk c:\program files - portable\my delphi
executables\windowsxpchecksproject.exe
+ Windows XP Checks.lnk c:\program files - portable\my delphi
executables\windowsxpchecksproject.exe

W/none:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
+ National Institute of Standards Time.lnk TCP/Daytime Client Program Natl.
Inst.of Stand.and Tech. c:\program file and driver downloads\nis time
service\nistime-32bit.exe
+ National Institute of Standards Time.lnk TCP/Daytime Client Program Natl.
Inst.of Stand.and Tech. c:\program file and driver downloads\nis time
service\nistime-32bit.exe
+ Office Startup.lnk c:\program files\microsoft office\office\osa.exe
+ Office Startup.lnk c:\program files\microsoft office\office\osa.exe
+ Windows XP Checks.lnk c:\program files - portable\my delphi
executables\windowsxpchecksproject.exe
+ Windows XP Checks.lnk c:\program files - portable\my delphi
executables\windowsxpchecksproject.exe

 

[Guest]

I take it there are no other ideas on this or no one else is having the same
problem. The problem persists. I get either double execution of my startup
programs or none no matter how I activate or deactivate them (as shortcuts in
the Startup menu, with the MSCONFIG, or with Autoruns). It is mainly a
nuisance, but one uses The Internet and one uses a data file and if things
fall just right the first copy of either of these will make the second copy
hang since the requested resource is busy.