Resolved 64-bit Win7 Pro no longer opens Windows Explorer on startup

I've been using 64-bit Win7 Pro SP1 for a little over three years. I work primarily from the Start Menu and from within Windows Explorer, so I've always had Explorer open on startup, as seen in the first screenshot, using the switches /n, /e and, until the last couple of days, there's never been a problem.

Now, the switches no longer work. If I remove them, Explorer opens as shown in the second screenshot. I can accomplish what I want from the keyboard using Winkey + e, but I'd prefer to have Explorer open by itself. I have shortcuts on the Desktop and in the Start Menu that incorporate the switches, but they no longer work either.

I have a five day old Acronis backup of the C: drive which was created before the problem began. I just installed it, hoping that it would solve the problem, but no joy.

EDIT: I should have added that my system is completely clean of malware, spyware, and viruses.

Any ideas?

 

Hi Jim, have you had any MS updates or new software lately? Neil.

 

Hi Neil,

No new software except the upgrade to MBAM, and the only MS updates are the regular updates to Security Essentials, which never have been a problem in the past. FWIW, the problem began before the MBAM upgrade.

 

Try this:

1. Move your current explorer shortcut from your Startup folder into your Recycle Bin.
   
   
2. Click the Start orb, click Computer, then get that window adjusted just the way you like it -- Details view with Percent Full added, as well as getting the size of the window adjusted -- then while holding down the [Ctrl] key, click the red [X] in the top right corner to close that window.
   
   
3. Click the Start orb, paste (or type) in the following line:
   
   
   explorer.exe %allusersprofile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup​
   
   press the [Enter] key, then resize that window so that it doesn't fill the entire screen. (Move it over to the right a bit).
   
   
4. Click the Start orb, right-click Computer and drag it into the botton right pane of that resized window, release the right mouse button and then select (left-click} Create Shortcut here.
   
   
5. Reboot and see that fixed it. (Works here on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit)

 

Hi Doc,

Thanks for the input. I played around with your suggestions, but wasn't able to achieve the desired result.

I have a very customized setup, because I hate the way Win7 looks and behaves out of the box, so I use the Classic Shell with a lot of additional tweaks. As a result, my Startup folder is in a different location (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\STARTUP). There's a shortcut to Explorer in it but, when I pasted the path to it into the Start > Run window, it opened Explorer as shown in the second screenshot in my OP.

I finally have Explorer opening the way I want it to from all shortcuts, but it took a lot of experimenting. I THINK the way I did it was to right click on the JSS DESKTOP line in Explorer and create shortcuts to it in the Start Menu and on the Desktop. The end result is that the properties for all shortcuts to Windows Explorer show JSS DESKTOP ghosted in the Target window. Not normal behavior, I'm thinking, but it seems to work.

I'll mark the thread as resolved.

 

Makes sense, since your "JSS DESKTOP" is normally named "Computer ".