System32 Folder Opens When Logging into Windows NT

ID: Q170086

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you log in to Windows NT 4.0, a Windows NT Explorer window may open displaying the contents of the System32 folder.


CAUSE

This behavior can occur if a null, incomplete, or damaged entry exists in the registry.


RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

Use Registry Editor to view the following two Windows NT registry keys: 


   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Verify that all the values in these keys do not contain any incorrect, incomplete, or null entries (such as "").


MORE INFORMATION

An incorrect entry in the following registry value has been confirmed to cause the behavior described above: 


   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

      Value: ActiveMovie File Extensions
      Value Type: REG_SZ
      Value Data: ActMovie.exe /Check

If the value data for this entry is null or appears in Registry Editor as quotation marks, you may experience the problem described above. To correct the problem, change the value data to match the entry above or delete the ActiveMovie File Extensions value.

The Reminder value with "" next to it in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run registry key is also known to cause this behavior. Deleting the Remainder value resolves the behavior.

If you are uncertain whether an entry is incorrect or incomplete, you may want to delete all entries other than the default Windows NT entry. The following entry to run the System Tray is the only required Windows NT default entry: 

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

      Value: SystemTray
      Value Type: REG_SZ
      Value Data: SysTray.exe

For additional information on this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q177510 System32 Folder Opens When Windows Starts

Additional query words: service pack sp3 blank login start startup automatic automatically 


Keywords          : kbenv kbui ntregistry NTSrvWkst ntui 
Version           : winnt:4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: February 25, 1999