I need help stopping a black command window from appearing when I sign into my laptop.

Terry Alarcon 20 Reputation points
2026-08-26T20:04:42.1566667+00:00

Issue

When I log in, a black window appears showing the path C:\Windows\System32. It looks like a command prompt or startup pop-up, and I would like to prevent it from opening automatically.

What I’ve Tried

Ran a quick security scan.

Ran a full security scan.

Ran an offline security scan.

All scans completed without finding any virus threats.

Looked through folders for unfamilar files, deleted a few.

Question

How can I stop this pop-up window from appearing each time I sign in?

 

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
0 comments No comments

Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

2026-08-26T20:04:57.6166667+00:00

A black C:\Windows\System32 command window at sign-in is commonly caused by a startup item or scheduled task launching Command Prompt.

A practical way to isolate it is a clean boot:

  1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
  2. In System Configuration, open the Services tab.
  3. Select Hide all Microsoft services.
  4. Select Disable all.
  5. Open the Startup tab and select Open Task Manager.
  6. Disable each startup item.
  7. Restart the laptop.

If the pop-up stops after restart, one of the disabled startup items or non-Microsoft services is causing it. Re-enable items in small groups until the black window returns to identify the exact program.

If the pop-up still appears, check for a scheduled task or startup entry that points to an unwanted command:

  1. Download Autoruns.
  2. Run Autoruns64.exe as administrator.
  3. Let the scan finish.
  4. Review startup entries and scheduled tasks for anything suspicious or anything that launches Command Prompt from an unexpected path.
  5. Disable or remove the matching entry.

If the issue is tied to a specific file or folder name shown in the window, use Autoruns Quick Filter to search for that name and remove the matching entry.


References:

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.

2 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
  1. Terry Alarcon 20 Reputation points
    2026-08-26T22:31:47.0066667+00:00

    I followed the steps above and successfully resolved the issue. I believe the problem was caused by a loop that was created when I tried to add a program to the taskbar during startup. After removing the program from the startup lise, the black screen no longer appeared.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments

  2. EmilyS726 265.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-26T20:39:40.5833333+00:00

    Does this happen every single upon every single Windows start up? If it is once in a while, it can be completely normal for some Windows scheduled tasks.

    If it is every time, it requires some further review.

    Can you hold down Ctrl+Alt+Del and then launch Task Manager, then go to the Startup tab, sort by status columbus so all enabled ones are on the top. Then share a screenshot of htis list.

    Next, hold down Win+R keys, type in

    shell:startup
    

    Press Enter. It should launch a folder. I need a screenshot to see what's in this folder.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.