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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

68 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2016-02-06T00:22:37+00:00

    Hi,

    OSA.exe is Microsoft Office startup assistant file. You can find out more about it

    in the Office forums here on the Community.

    Hope this helps.

    Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Experience : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2016-02-05T19:11:30+00:00

    First off, I'd like to say that never have I had the courage or made the time to contribute to a post such as this; however, I followed Mr. Brown's instructions to "expand" the columns in the task manager for different options (thanks for that by the way).  It was when I checked "command line prompt" that I thought something was out of whack, but I am no computer person...can hardly run my smart phone...so I thought I was "over analyzing" which I tend to do.

    But when I sorted through everything, hopefully one of two things will happen.  One, someone tells me that it's NORMAL and not a big deal OR Two, someone explains that this is NOT legitimate MS OFFICE stuff and should be disabled.  Either way, Iit turns out that I WAS right to notice it.  No other command line prompt has a quotation mark between the word PROGRAM and FILE.  This is a quotation mark "   

    This is exactly what is listed under the command line column

    "C:\Program" Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE -b -l

    All of the other programs don't have that little quotation, and all of the ones from Microsoft are labeled as such.  If it were truly related to Office, I am confident that it would say that.  When I right click, I only have the choice of enabling it (yea right) or seach online (which was fruitless, by the way).  The other startup programs give me the choice of opening the file location and looking at the properties.  Not this one.

    Again, stay at home mom not computer genius...remember that when I try to sound like I know what I mean when I say that it's not REGISTRY but FOLDER??  What the heck does that mean anyway? 

    And I may have totally messed up because I'm using WINDOWS 10.  Well, I tried.

    Lisa Marie

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-01-14T01:40:39+00:00

    I also have an HP, that program came to my attention. It's just some pre-installed useless program.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2016-01-12T15:21:57+00:00

    The Command Line toggle option showed in my version of this issue that the "Program" was in fact MalewareBytes. I trust this app and its publisher, so my curiosity was satiated. Thanks.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2016-01-11T01:01:01+00:00

    I have the Windows 10 free upgrade from my 7 Pro. What you describe is what I thot some sort of leftover from a program that was there (in this case Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Free). It started acting erratically so I reinstalled but it acted weird (kept turning itself off and wouldn't start up) so uninstalled. Now I have this but don't know if related. So I just now disabled it and am waiting. - esn

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments