Disabling Auto Startup

[dowder46]

dowder46 @Guest last edited by

@davehawley Interesting question. I hadn't though of that, so I tested it just now, closing and re-opening Opera without rebooting the computer. And the answer is yes, it opens, in that case, correctly. So it only does this weird thing when I reboot the computer.

[A Former User]

A Former User @dowder46 last edited by

@dowder46
Hmmm, OK.
I assume that if Chrome is your default browser, that if you click on a link in an e-mail say, it's Chrome that opens and displays the site.
Just as an experiment, temporarily make Opera your default browser, which you can do in the settings.
Do links then open correctly in Opera instead of Chrome?
Then put Chrome back to being the default browser and make sure it's now opening links again as before, and see if Opera's behaviour has changed at all.

[dowder46]

dowder46 last edited by

Made the change you suggested. Link opened in Opera. Made Chrome the default again. Rebooted computer. Same thing.

[A Former User]

A Former User @dowder46 last edited by

@dowder46
So apart from Opera running automatically in a very strange configuration when the computer starts up, everything seems to be working as it should do.
This may seem a bit drastic, but what I would next try is backing up the Opera profile folder somewhere (look in "About Opera" to see where it is) and then uninstalling Opera completely.
Then reinstall it from the standalone installer, but this time set the installation folder to a different place from the default offered.
See if the new installation runs by itself as well.
If whatever is running it is using an absolute path to launcher.exe or opera.exe this should stop it happening.
The new version should keep the same profile as long as you didn't delete it during the uninstall, but in case it did delete it you will still have your backup to fall back on.

[dowder46]

dowder46 @Guest last edited by

@davehawley Yikes. Thanks, Dave. I'll try that once I summon the nerve...

[burnout426]

burnout426 Volunteer last edited by

You could close down Opera, rename any opera.exe files you have and launcher.exe to something else. Then, restart your computer and see if you get any "application/file not found" dialogs on startup or something like that. If so, there's a small chance that it will reveal what program/thing is trying to launch Opera.

You could also delete the Opera program files folder, download the Opera installer, launch it, click "options" and set the install path to "C:\Program Files\Opera Moved" for example and install. Opera should use the same profile as before, but if the issue goes away, whatever was trying to load Opera was targeted the old Opera directory specifically.

What version of Windows? 64-bit or 32-bit? If Win8 or newer, do you sign into the computer with a Microsoft account or do you just use a local account and a normal username/password?

[A Former User]

A Former User @burnout426 last edited by A Former User

@burnout426 said in Disabling Auto Startup:

You could also delete the Opera program files folder, download the Opera installer, launch it, click "options" and set the install path to "C:\Program Files\Opera Moved" for example and install. Opera should use the same profile as before, but if the issue goes away, whatever was trying to load Opera was targeted the old Opera directory specifically.

Which is virtually the same thing as I suggested!
We now know that Opera is being specifically targetted, not the default browser, so this should be a good way of seeing if the default path to the Opera executables is being specifically targetted by something.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

I have been experiencing the same issue with Opera opening automatically each time I start Windows. It starts each time with three blank Speed Dial tabs opened.

I can add, that when this first started, I ran a Google search to see if anyone else was experiencing a similar issue. I initially didn't find any recent messages, but the consensus of what I did read pointed toward possible malware. While scans showed nothing abnormal, to be sure I restored my C: drive from a backup from about 30 days prior. Once the restore was complete, Windows started without Opera opening automatically. However, once I opened Opera, I received a message that it was updated to the latest version and since that time it launches automatically each time I start Windows.

So, I believe whatever is causing the problem is related to the latest Opera update.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

Have you tried to redefine default programs on Windows settings/control panel?

[A Former User]

A Former User @Guest last edited by

@nsdash9 said in Disabling Auto Startup:

I have been experiencing the same issue with Opera opening automatically each time I start Windows. It starts each time with three blank Speed Dial tabs opened.

I can add, that when this first started, I ran a Google search to see if anyone else was experiencing a similar issue. I initially didn't find any recent messages, but the consensus of what I did read pointed toward possible malware. While scans showed nothing abnormal, to be sure I restored my C: drive from a backup from about 30 days prior. Once the restore was complete, Windows started without Opera opening automatically. However, once I opened Opera, I received a message that it was updated to the latest version and since that time it launches automatically each time I start Windows.

So, I believe whatever is causing the problem is related to the latest Opera update.

Yes, now you say that, it does start to look that way, but obviously not everyone is suffering the problem, so there must be other factors in play as well.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

If you have an auto-starting program that, for whatever reason, calls a protocol type for which Opera is defined as default, then Opera will be launched as well in order to satisfy that request. It may be that updating Opera alters that default protocol list in some way on your system, such that now Opera appears instead of whatever else was previously defined there.

[A Former User]

A Former User @Guest last edited by A Former User

If its not because of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update..

and you checked these registry settings..

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Then check these too.. even tho registry may be
blank.. thats because on reboot the malware deletes itself.. so it will be blank..

but go to Safemode and recheck registry again

the tricky malware commands will be exposed..

if the malware is running this way.. be worth a look..if not no harm done..

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

[zalex108]

zalex108 last edited by

You can try marking another Browser as the Default browser and check what happens.

Maybe appears more info about the problem's responsible.

"You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you". · Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

[A Former User]

A Former User @zalex108 last edited by A Former User

@zalex108
dowder46 already tried that a few days ago at my suggestion.
The outcome was that Opera still ran automatically, so whatever's causing it is running Opera specifically, not the default browser on the system.

[zalex108]

zalex108 @Guest last edited by

@davehawley

Oh!
Thanks for clarifying!

--

Then...
we may ask for an Autoruns screenshoot.

"You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you". · Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

[zalex108]

zalex108 @Guest last edited by zalex108

@pandorave said in Disabling Auto Startup:

@zalex108 said in Disabling Auto Startup:

Reset/Format

Sorry, I don't understand
What are you suggesting to do?

I mean that since you restored the drive and the file came from the image made, or the VPN install, you would need to check it at the very firs time on the next format/restore / VPN install.

"You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you". · Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

[dowder46]

dowder46 @leocg last edited by

@leocg yes

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @dowder46 last edited by

@dowder46 What about a startup log to see what is being launched?

[A Former User]

A Former User @leocg last edited by A Former User

One thing that may be worth trying, which I don't think has been yet, would be to temporarily rename the Opera launcher file, launcher.exe, to something else, say launcher.e~e.
Then reboot the system and see if Opera still starts, and if it doesn't see if any error messages come up that the file can't be found, both on screen and in the system logs.
If Opera still starts, it must be the opera.exe file that's being run, so repeat the exercise with that.

[bbildman]

bbildman last edited by bbildman

This won't solve the REASON this is happening, but if you set "launcher.exe" in your Opera folder to "run this program as an administrator," Windows usually cannot run a program on its own at startup that needs administrator rights. And do the same for Opera.exe in the 51.0.2830.26 folder (in your Opera folder)