C Program which could cause certain applications to not function correctly.

originally posted by: drewlander
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

C

ROGRA~1 ( c colon backslash progra tilde 1) is what we used to call an 8.3 or SFN back in the day. While your problem is not perfectly clear to me I can guarantee you should not rename your program files directory. Most likely your PATH environment variable has a problem, and an app is bitching about it.

CROGRA~1 ( c colon backslash progra tilde 1) ages me badly lol

a reply to: Jason79

Yes, I think it is simply a badly coded program that has created the C: Program directory. A directory, such named, in the root of the file system will cause the startup error.

I'm more worried that the folder itself won't open.

@DTOM

- Has any new program or app been installed recently? Or have any existing programs had major updates?

- Please try right clicking the folder and choosing to open in a new window. What happens?

- If you get the same "choose program..." menu, do you see a Windows Explorer option?

- Do you run your computer with a single administrator account?

This type of problem is frustrating to diagnose and fix without getting my hands on the PC. There are so many variables that can cause such problems. It's hard to explain because when I diagnose a faulty computer, visually, it's easier to identify the "anomaly" amongst the "known/normal".

ETA: A report of the running processes would be useful to see what's going on.

Here's a tutorial on how to extract the information... www.thewindowsclub.com...

If you have admin privileges then go directly to a command prompt by pressing Windows key + "R". In the dialogue box that opens, type:

tasklist /FO CSV>C:tasklist
For an Excel list

Or

tasklist/SVC>C:tasklist.txt
For a simple text file:

The file will be created automatically in the C: root.

Do this just after you reboot the computer and without launching other programs.

a reply to: Gothmog
He told me that since the last monthly updates, the risk reads and writes at 100% for several minutes.
Every day.

Thanks for all the info.
This looks like something that will take us some time to do.
So.
Saturday morning project.
Will update as we try solutions.

a reply to: Jason79

Yes, your post and mine did cause me ti miss this last night.

That is exactly the warning box he is getting on startup!
Much thanks for duplicating it

originally posted by: Gothmog
Run Malwarebytes in Safe Mode .
Then boot to normal mode .
Admin command prompt :
Chkdsk c: /f
No to force a dismount , yes to check disk on restart

sfc /scannow

We actually did scannow a month or so ago because there were issues with a windows update.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Here's an additional check you can do to see if there may be some unknown program that is running automatically in the background from startup. This won't resolve the Program error you get because the directory is already present, but it may be helpful to identify what may have caused it.

As you have CCleaner, have you tried using the Startup tool? It is used to stop programs running from startup.

Open CCleaner and go to Tools --> Startup. Have a look through the list. Even if you can't identify all the programs and processes, you can always do a search for each and find out what they are. At the very least, it can help you disable any program that you don't use often, speeding up your startup time and recovering some performance.

Otherwise, Windows 10 has a built in startup manager. Click on Start --> Settings --> Apps, look to the left there should be a Startup option. Select it to see what starts automatically with Windows and you can choose to disable whatever you don't need.

a reply to: Encia22

Thanks!
We'll look into that later today



OK.
Just did the Tools search in CCleaner. It is a Webroot file....

"C : Program* -ul"

originally posted by: Gothmog

Do you have Wise Registry Cleaner from before ?

No.
But there is a registry cleaner attached to CCleaner.


When you got to C: Drive
There is a file called Program ----- modified on 5-2-22 And 5,514KB in size

And FTR, the Program Files opens properly today.

originally posted by: Gothmog
Actually , try this first :
Windows 10 Clean Boot
If no message , it is a program causing the problem

This sounds more than a little complicated.
Is there an easier way to see if there is a program issue?

BTW!
My husband just remember the other day shutting down the computer it ran out of juice and crashed. Could that cause issues with corrupt files.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe

originally posted by: Gothmog
Actually , try this first :
Windows 10 Clean Boot
If no message , it is a program causing the problem

This sounds more than a little complicated.

Is there an easier way to see if there is a program issue?

Not that I am consciously aware of .
Do you have Wise Registry Cleaner from before ?

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
BTW!
My husband just remember the other day shutting down the computer it ran out of juice and crashed. Could that cause issues with corrupt files.

Yep .
Number 1 cause on the list

Chkdsk c: /f
That may clear .
Checkdisk is not only for hardware.
It repairs bad blocks .
Blocks are the OS's way of storing data on the HDD and the opposite of bad sectors (hardware errors)

a reply to: Gothmog

Thanks for saying that, I'm glad he remembered doing that.

See the new info above. It is part of Webroot on Startup, and a file on the C Drive.
Can we just delete it.

a reply to: Gothmog

We'll try that in the morning, thanks so very much!!!!

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Gothmog

Thanks for saying that, I'm glad he remembered doing that.

See the new info above. It is part of Webroot on Startup, and a file on the C Drive.
Can we just delete it.

It SHOULD be safe to delete as long as there are the standard Program Files , Program Files (x86) , and ProgramData (hidden) folders on the drive.
And they can be accessed .
Make sure first .
If you do try to delete :
1) Get a message the program in use by another program : Unlocker (program / registry tweak)
2) You have to run as administer and cannot delete even after clicking OK : Take Ownership (program / registry tweak)

Be careful .
I am only putting suggestions out there.

Myself , I would run chkdsk C: /f (after learning the part about the unexpected shutdown) .

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Gothmog

We'll try that in the morning, thanks so very much!!!!

I now believe I had run into this same issue many years ago (possibly with Windows 8 ?) .
It sounds familiar .

a reply to: Gothmog
I'll play it safe with chkdsk.

BTW, can we disable it in startup...should chkdsk not fix it?

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Gothmog
I'll play it safe with chkdsk.

BTW, can we disable it in startup...should chkdsk not fix it?

You can try and see what happens .
May be a quick , cheap fix .

a reply to: Gothmog

We'll see what happens in the morning after we run chkdsk.
Fingers and toes crossed......and many, many thanks for both of us

BTW, why run chkdsk instead of scannow?

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Gothmog

We'll see what happens in the morning after we run chkdsk.
Fingers and toes crossed......and many, many thanks for both of us

BTW, why run chkdsk instead of scannow?

SFC /Scannow is exactly what it says "System File Checker" .
Doesn't care at all of anything outside of system files based on current OS and level .

ETA : It may be a choice as the folder is named "Program"