What happened to my start screen?

[Sean Moylan]

For the last 10 days when windows 10 starts up it now automatically opens File Explorer. I can't seem to get it to just open the normal desktop. Any ideas about how to cure this? Thanks.

 

[Trouble]

it now automatically opens File Explorer

Do you mean that it loads File Explorer in addition to your desktop and that closing file explorer reveals your desktop as normal, or.....
Do you mean that it loads File Explorer instead of your desktop and that closing file explorer leaves nothing on your screen???

 

[Sean Moylan]

It's the former. File Explorer opens first, then when I close it the Desktop is there. Only started to happen recently and I can't see how to fix it.

 

[Trouble]

Right click the Taskbar and choose Task Manager, select the Start Up tab and see if there is any mention of File Explorer there. If so, right click it and choose disable.
Additionally, you might want to look at Task Scheduler and see if there is a reference to File Explorer there.
Start Button -> All Apps -> Windows Administrative Tools -> Task Scheduler -> Task Scheduler Library
AND
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp it may be listed there
OR
C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup it could also be there

 

[Sean Moylan]

Thanks,
I discovered the problem was caused by malware. Ran HitmanPro and the File Explorer on start-up problem went away. Have a great Xmas in the Hoosier state. Here in the Blue Mountains (Australia) we are expecting a heatwave summer and hoping we don't get bushfires.

 

[Trouble]

Thanks for letting us know.
Appreciate the follow-up.
Wildfires and Christmas, I'd have never put those two together.