Auto check program not found

Ohhhk, this is a fun one.

The error starts early in the boot process while the Session Manager process (smss.exe) is busy getting the system up and running. Smss.exe is critical to loading the paging file, initializing the registry and loading kernel components. But, before it does any of that it looks to a registry key called BootExecute. At that location it launches any applications listed. Session Manager then looks to the Windows system32 folder for particular executables it has been instructed to launch. By default there is only one program listed here - autochk.exe, the boot-time version of chkdsk, which will run if there are any file system inconsistency flags detected (i.e. volume dirty bit is set).

If you uninstall a legitimate program that has written into this BootExecute registry you may see this message. The uninstall will typically delete the executable from the system32 program, but not edit the registry. In most cases, the registry change is only a temporary one. For example: if you set Diskeeper to run a Bootime defrag "on next reboot" but uninstall it before the reboot, you can create the same issue. Once the Diskeeper Bootime defrag completes, it removes this string from the registry. Other applications are likely to behave similarly. It is also possible that a program, during install, writes data into this key, but then does not remove it on uninstall.

Another possibility is if you have run an anti-malware program that has removed the referenced executable from the system32 folder, but not changed the BootExecute registry to remove the "pointer" to that file. In that case you will also see this message.

If you do get this error and want to clean it up, here's what you need to do:

Look in the registry at:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" and remove the string [the name referenced in the message on system startup] from the BootExecute value.

Under normal circumstances only the following would be present:

autocheck autochk *

This is what it might look like with added values:

autocheck autochk * autocheck stera

You can change the value back to the default (as shown in the first example above), but understand that it may possibly impact a legitimate program listed here.

Stera.exe is part of an adware program that pretends to be an anti-adware program!

As always, you need to be very careful editing the registry. If you see anything else listed here other than the executable named in the error message, look at named file's properties in the system32 folder or do a web search on it. A legitimate vendor can advise you on what to do to avoid potential conflict.

For Diskeeper it would look like:
autocheck autochk * autocheck AUTONTFS E: PAGE=KEEP DIRS=NONE MFT=MIN

(where E: represents the drive letter on which to run the bootime).

You can also reset it back to the default (autocheck autochk *) without issue. That is the safest bet with Diskeeper. You'll simply need to go back into Diskeeper and reset the Bootime job.

Let us know how you went

  Combat Wombat,
First I want to say Super Thank You for your help in this matter, as I feel you are the only one to have the knowledge and
expertise to take on the problem. Just the time it took you to put the reply together was a thing in itself, for I knew that in just the time it took me to read it.

I had worked in the registry many times back in the 90's, knew very well it is not a place to make goofs. In that time period of 12-14 years I must be honest that I forgot how to get in to the "registry".

Now to get to the heart of the problem, first I went to Diskeeper and every thing looked in place. Then I went to Session Manager to the BootExecute, of where you said that under normal circumstances, be autocheck aotochk * . Well it had the following, autocheck "autocheck autochk *" , from there I took out the first autochek word, and then removed the quotation marks and save on exiting. I then hit restart, and after the xp-Pro start up window, a Windows screen came up right off and did a checkdics on drive C:, Then removed a number of orphan files , rewrote a sector for boot up, for which this all took 4-5 minutes, then it rebooted, and after the XP-Pro screen, it booted direct up to my password and straight into the desktop, for the first time in months. Combat Wombat, you did one terrific job, for before I put my problem on Tom's Hardware, I was in touch with Microsoft's head techs at $99. for 60 minutes "did not have to pay", for they could not resolve the problem, and one of the techs led me to a url, of where they are having the same problem as I in Window's 7! Microsoft wrote me a e-mail and apologized for not being able to resolve the matter, ash me to try again.

Combat Wombat, I know it is impossible to make direct contact with you, but have a very special place that I would like to have you stay free for 3-4 nights, for which very few people get the chance.
Again a very big Thank You,
Presview

Best answer selected by Presview.

Any time bud,

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