Why Does My Computer Always Try to Open the File on Startup?
There are times when it seems like your Windows computer has a mind of its own – launch programs, windows, browser tabs, or whatever without your direct input. There is always a reason for this activity. Your system hasn’tbecome sane . However, figuring out what’s causing this chaos is always fun. And that’s exactly what we’ll be dealing with in the Tech 911 Q&A this week.
Referring to the image above, Lifehacker reader Abidemi writes:
My 911 was showing this error when I tried to login on my new PC. I’m confused.
What the hell is “3.26.zip” and why is your computer trying to open it?
I will tell you about several possible options that may be causing the problem you are experiencing. First, and most importantly, there might be some kind of malware on your system that tries to perform actions behind your back. This “3.26.zip” file that your system is trying to open seems terribly suspicious, which makes me think it might be the source of the problem you are experiencing.
You should grab a useful anti-malware tool (like the free Malwarebytes utility ), scan your system, and get some relief when it fixes any problems on your computer. While you are doing this, also run a full scan of Windows Defender .
It’s a bit strange that this cryptic file on your desktop that your system is trying to open clearly has something to do with the 911.re proxy service, which is commonly used to hide your IP address on the network. If you don’t know what this means, and you haven’t signed up or tried to install any proxy service on your system, I would get nervous.
It might be time to back up your data and reinstall Windows 10 from scratch, just to make sure there is nothing on your computer that an anti-malware or virus protection program cannot detect. However, start them first. And if you are not satisfied with the results, the new disk format and installation will give you the best chance to get rid of anything that might bother you.
If I’m wrong and you completely know what “3.26.zip” is and you’re just wondering why WinRAR keeps starting when you boot your system, I’m guessing a strange thing is happening in the Windows 10 startup sequence. it causes it. And you can check it out by visiting one of two places: Startup (by typing start after clicking the Start button and selecting this result) or Windows 10 Task Manager > Startup.
And of course, there is always the good old startup folder: C: \ Users \ [your username] \ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Start Menu \ Programs \ Startup
In this case, I suspect that you probably have something in one of these places that triggers WinRAR to launch – possibly the result of a strange installation or any other short digital chaos that triggers a useful utility whenever you start your system. …
If you can’t find anything, you can always try uninstalling WinRAR, delete that .ZIP file from your desktop, and see if something else unusual happens when you start your computer. If not, great! Consider switching to a different extraction tool like 7zip in the future.
And if your PC is running any other applications that you don’t recognize, quickly search the Internet to see if you should disable them. If any of them turn out to be obvious malware, then here’s the answer.
But the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that your system is infected, depending on the behavior occurring and the name / content of this .ZIP file on your desktop. In addition to Malwarebytes utility and Windows Defender, you might also consider using a tool like Avast antivirus to run a boot scan of your system – a feature that Malwarebytes doesn’t do if I’m right. You can also try enabling the Malwarebytes rootkit scanner in its settings. It should be all the firepower you will need to fight any malware you encounter, but as I said, there is always a neutralize and reinstall approach.