Like its predecessors, Windows 10 may experience a number of issues during startup and Windows 10 “how do you want to open this file” on startup is a prime example. Usually, the message is triggered by one of the startup items so you should take a look at them. Furthermore, depending on the situation, feel free to perform a clean boot, apply changes to the Registry and so on. Continue reading to learn the way to dismiss the message for good and enjoy your Windows 10 PC to the fullest.
What Might Have Gone Wrong
Well, all sorts of messages could pop up on Windows 10 but regarding Windows 10 “how do you want to open this file” on startup, you should consider these suspects:
- Startup items
- Third-party applications
A Few Fixes
Disable Startup Items
- Step 1: Right-click an empty space on the taskbar and pick Task Manager.
- Step 2: Go to the Startup tab, right-click each of the non-essential items and pick Disable
- Step 3: Restart your computer then see how things turn out.
Note: It’s possible to disable startup apps via Settings as well: press Windows + I to open Settings, select Apps and choose Startup. Next, locate non-essential items apps then toggle off their switches.
Perform A Clean Boot
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type msconfig and press Enter to open System Configuration.
- Step 2: Go to Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox and hit Disable all.
- Step 3: Go to the Startup tab, hit Open Task Manager and disable everything in sight.
- Step 4: Close Task Manager then select Apply and choose OK in System Configuration.
- Step 5: Restart your computer.
In the case that the message vanishes following the clean boot, you could conclude that one of the third-party applications is at fault. To be thorough, you should uninstall non-essential apps on your computer, especially those that you installed recently. After you finish, you could change back to normal startup:
- Step 1: Open System Configuration then tick the Normal Startup circle
- Step 2: Select Apply, choose OK and restart your computer once prompted.
- Step 3: Witness the result.
Change The Windows Registry
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type Regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
- Step 2: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- Step 3: Look to the left, right-click each of the files set to run automatically and pick Delete.
- Step 4: Restart your computer.
Getting Windows To Open Files Automatically On Startup: Guidelines
Via Startup Folder
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type shell:startup and hit Enter to open the Startup folder.
- Step 2: Copy files you want to be opened upon startup.
- Step 3: Paste copied files into the Startup folder.
Via Task Scheduler
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type task scheduler and hit Enter.
- Step 2: Right-click Task Scheduler Library, pick New folder, name the folder as you see fit and hit OK.
- Step 3: Expand Task Scheduler Library, right-click the folder you just created and pick Create task.
- Step 4: Enter the name of the task in the Name section and select Run when logged on.
- Step 5: Go to Triggers tab, choose At start up for Begin the task and hit OK. Next, go to Actions tab and make sure that Start a program is selected in the Action section. Proceed to pick the program you want to open the file by clicking Browse below Program/script. Last but not least, copy the path of the file, paste it into Add arguments and hit OK to save your changes.
Does Having Many Startup Items Slow Down My Computer?
Having essential programs/files running on startup is beneficial if you want to make use of such programs/files soon after starting your device. That being said, having many startup items would increase the time it takes for your computer to boot. Hence, it’s wise to ensure that only essential programs/files get to run on startup.
