Windows cannot find ??


  1. Posts : 449
    Windows 7 Home Premium
       #1

    Windows cannot find ??


    I keep getting this on every startup. Don't know what to do about it. Any ideas? See attached pic.Windows cannot find ??-pop-up-startup.jpg
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 4,776
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #2

    Check what is configured to run on startup using AutoRuns or similar.

    Or just use msconfig

    Start> Run then type msconfig

    See if you can identify any startup item that could be the cause by looking at the startup tab.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 449
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for the response. I disabled everything via msconfig and disabled a few things in autoruns that were yellow. I will need to read up on Autoruns on how to decipher the output. I still have the original issue.

    I did notice that when I sign in as user I get the popup. When I sign in as Administrator I do not get the pop up.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 6,330
    Multi-Boot W7_Pro_x64 W8.1_Pro_x64 W10_Pro_x64 +Linux_VMs +Chromium_VM
       #4

    Here is a tutorial that should help you find the process that issued the message:
    Error Message - Where Does it Come From

    You need MS Process Explorer for this, available here:
    https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/...rocessexplorer
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 708
    Windows 7 x64
       #5

    When Windows is booting up, it will check on all the icons on the desktop to verify whether it is valid or not.

    Hence, something may unknowingly deleted that file indicate by one of the icon on the desktop.

    The more icons on the desktop, it also added more time to boot, until the system hand to you.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 4,776
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #6

    True but broken desktop shortcuts alone should not produce that message.

    RE: Autoruns yellow items. Autoruns cannot parse (read) all entries and it's best to leave those alone unless you know that they are items that you need to disable. Additionally before worrying about any "file not found" entries you really need to set hidden/ super-hidden files to be shown in Explorer then navigate to those entries to confirm that they really don't exist.

    You could also run Autoruns like this - right click the executalle and choose "run as administator" then wait for the scan to complete.

    Then choose File> Save > Save as text file or optionally save as .arn file. You can attach and upload the text file or zip and upload the ,arn file. Either way the contents show the same results.

    If you have Ccleaner installed check startup entries (Ccleaner > Tools > Startup) and also check the scheduled tasks tab (tick advanced) and look for scheduled tasks created for programs that have been removed or are no longer configured to launch on boot. Examples might include scheduled update checks for certain third party software.

    It's also possible to run a boot trace using ProcessMonitor but the log is likely to be huge.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 449
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Well sports fans, its official. I followed the video David posted and found it. It was a shortcut to command prompt. Once I found it (highlighted in blue), I right clicked and selected properties. On the imaged tab I selected explore to the right of Auto Start Location and it brought up the shortcut. I deleted the short cut and all is well in the land of Oz.

    Thanks everyone for helping me with this. Special thanks to David and Callender. I learn more from ya'll than I do at the Tech College I attend.

    Windows cannot find ??-process-explorer.jpg
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 6,330
    Multi-Boot W7_Pro_x64 W8.1_Pro_x64 W10_Pro_x64 +Linux_VMs +Chromium_VM
       #8

    You're welcome and glad you got it fixed !
    Thanks for posting back with how you solved it :)
      My Computer


 

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