Can't access Startup items folder from Run window in Windows-7

5

I experienced this issue today:

  • I could open the Start Menu folder by following this workflow: click the Start button -> right clicking "All Programs" and then select "Open All Users".
  • However, when I opened the Run window, typed in it "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" and pressed ENTER, the computer presented the UAC prompt asking if I wanted to open the Airdroid application installed on my computer!!

Since this was unusual, I uninstalled Airdroid and ever since, when I paste "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" and hit enter in the Run window, it doesn't do anything...it simply returns me to Run window again.

I thought this may be a work of some trojan. However a Full System Scan using Microsoft Security Essentials did not return any security hazard. Just to confirm, my MSE updates itself daily and I ran it with all updates installed till date.

So, my question is why is this happening? Why doesn't the Run window open the Start Menu folder?

ComputerUser

Posted 2016-04-16T17:22:48.560

Reputation: 119

1Isn't startup here? C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup Also, Why don't you try opening it manually? – Don't Root here plz... – 2016-04-16T17:25:23.817

1What happens if you navigate to that path with Explorer? Does anything unusual happen if you use a command prompt? – Ben N – 2016-04-16T17:33:55.947

@BenN I can navigate to the path with Explorer as well as Command Prompt – ComputerUser – 2016-04-17T08:12:40.883

@Private Thanks for pointing out the typing error. I have suitably edited the question's first bullet. As to why I can't open it manually, could you please elaborate a little by what you mean by "opening it manually"...are you asking me to open it through Windows Explorer? I mean...I haven't automated anything in this workflow so pretty much everything is manual here in whatever I'm doing... – ComputerUser – 2016-04-17T08:19:27.613

No problem...Is there more than one user? Also, can you try opening another folder using run? – Don't Root here plz... – 2016-04-17T08:29:07.250

@beck2ham Try enclosing the path in quotes when you enter it into the Run window. Does that work? – Vinayak – 2016-04-17T11:37:31.877

@Private I tried 10 other folders, including "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows" and "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft" which are like parent folders to the "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" folder that I am trying to access. And all of them opened from the Run window. – ComputerUser – 2016-04-18T05:39:30.670

@Vinayak Yeah...that was among the first things I tried and I can confirm that using quotes doesn't change the result. Instead of opening the "Start Menu" folder, it only re-shows the Run windows!! – ComputerUser – 2016-04-18T05:40:51.270

Answers

0

I had a similar problem after installing AirDroid. It hijacked my Open All Users command by overwriting the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu.lnk shortcut with one that points to C:\Program Files (x86)\AirDroid\Launcher.exe.

Uninstalling the software doesn't correct the issue; it just makes the command stop working altogether (since the shoftcut target no longer exists).

You need to repair the shortcut manually by pointing it back to the correct location, which should be: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

I emailed the AirDroid developers identifying the issue and chastising them on this. To date, I haven't heard back.

If you're confused about how to fix, perhaps this will help:

enter image description here

rkagerer

Posted 2016-04-16T17:22:48.560

Reputation: 248

Asked: 2016-04-16T17:22:48.560

Viewed: 262 times

Active: 2017-04-12T23:32:34.443