What is the Program program showing up in Windows 8 Task Manager Startup tab?

Anonymous
2013-01-08T19:16:06+00:00

I just purchased a new HP desktop.  Windows 8 is installed.  I've had it for about three weeks.  I haven't installed much so far...printer drivers, Acrobat Reader, Google Chrome, VLC Media Player, Open Office, and Quicken 2012 are all I can think of.

About two weeks ago I noticed that in the Startup tab of Task Manager there is an application listed named "Program."  The publisher column is blank.  The Status column shows "Enabled."  The Startup impact column shows "Not measured."  When I right click on the listing I have the options to "Disable" and "Search online"; the "Properties" and "Open file location" options are grayed out.  So, I disabled the "Program" program.  Since then I've not noticed any lack of functionality, but Norton Internet Security did crash once; otherwise I seem to have a stable system and everything seems to work.

Still, I want to know what this "Program" program is.  I've searched my system to the best of my ability using all utilities that came installed.  I've also searched the Registry using regedit; nothing.  Finally, today, I downloaded Sysinternals' (a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation) Autoruns.  Nothing again.

I'd appreciate any help to track this down.  What is it?  And, if I don't need it how can I get rid of it?  Thanks!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-01-14T22:59:12+00:00

    I know this question has been up for quite some time but I figured out a way to fix it, I had the same problem and it took me a bit to find the error. The problem being that there was a program named "Program" in the startup tab of my task manager and the "open file location" and "properties" options were grayed out.

    The problem is that there was probably a program that you installed and then deleted but the installer left some values in the registry.

    Search your computer for regedit and open up the following path:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

    After you click on Run a list of programs will be in the right window. These programs should all be within your startup tab in task manager, find the program that no longer exists on your computer (in my case it was Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro), right click and select delete. This should remove "Program" from your startup tab.

     Make sure not to delete anything other than the program you know no longer exists, if you're not sure then either google the programs one by one to check what they are or search for them on your computer to see if they are still there.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-09-15T16:43:06+00:00

    Hi,

    Glad to have helped. Sounds like you did some very good troubleshooting!

    (If a reply was the solution please mark it as the "Answer" or if it was helpful

    please mark it as "Found this helpful - Me Too". Those help others find the

    proper solutions.)

    Moving everyday, going further on,

    Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right!

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-09-15T06:25:15+00:00

    I have come to believe after running Autoruns and Process explorer that Program on startup applications is a failed registry wipe from a uninstalled program. I had failed command lines for DivX upon searching for my Program on all process and command line searches.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-08-11T15:48:17+00:00

    I have the same problem. After I right click the columns header and check Command line, I seed the "c:\Program" Files (x86)\DivX\DivX Media Server\DivXMediaServer.exe. The quotation mark here is not contained at end of command but immadiatelly after Program! And according to this I think the name of item is Program and Open file location menu item is disabled because in root of  the c:  does not exists Program.exe, Program.bat, Program.com,...

    But "c:\Program Files (x86)\DivX\DivX Media Server\DivXMediaServer.exe" also does not exists...

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-08-11T12:55:11+00:00

    I have the same problem, but if I show command line of this "Program", the command line is "c:\Program" Files (x86)\DivX\DivX Media Server\DivXMediaServer.exe.

    Note: The quotation mark is not mistake, only "c:\Program" is included between quotation mark, rest of string is not. Other items in Startup list contains quotation marks on on start and at on end of command line!

    Stefan Babos

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