Whenever I open a lister on a certain folder, a particular Windows application immediately starts its installer. This does not happen with the Windows File Explorer -- just with DOpus.
Until recently, the app was always the disc burner, and I assumed the vendor had left a bug in the registry. But now it's Adobe Reader, and it happens in a different folder (Programs, in the Start menu). I've looked at "desktop.ini" in this folder, but it doesn't seem to have anything unusual in it.
This has been happening for some time, from Win 7 through Win 10, and over at least two years of updates of DOpus.
If anyone has any idea how to fix this, I'd be much obliged.
I think may have seen that before. It only happened when I was opening the start menu and I had deleted the shortcuts that were put there by some ".msi" installer. The installer would run and put the shortcuts back in there.
I bet one of the .lnk files points to an MSI shortcut/URL for an uninstalled, or partial/damaged install of an app, and which is triggering the installation to try to repair itself, maybe when the icon or some other data about the app is retrieved.
If you copy all the .lnk files to new folder, does that folder then start doing it? If so, try with another new folder and move one at a time until it triggers the installer. If you then look at the Properties for that .lnk file it may reveal something, and the app it points to probably just needs reinstalling (or uninstalling if it's no longer wanted).
It's also possible that it's an InstallShield installer and the InstallShield database has become corrupt, which seems to happen randomly sometimes and might explain why it used to be one app and is now another. The best way to fix that will be easiest to determine once we know what the shortcut points to, so I'd still try the above process first, to narrow down the .lnk file causing the problem.
Interesting. Just right-clicking on the link (in another folder, as you suggested) for Adobe Reader XI starts the installer for Reader XI. Since I do use that app, I allowed it to complete, and now it doesn't keep trying. I suppose the other app may have been operating the same way -- a link to some portion of the CD burner suite that actually did need to be installed. Or maybe something in the context menu could trigger this behavior as well.
Right on, right on, right on! I have been regularly annoyed by Dragon 15 repeatedly trying to "install" whenever I navigate to the Desktop. Particularly annoying, as the dll it is looking for is not to be found, even after Dragon tries several times to find it in the same location..... a fool's errand.
Found a .lnk to "shared dll" called dd10shrd.dll on the Desktop. Moved the .lnk to a new folder called "DragonMeDown" and now a trip to the Desktop is free of this annoyance. Nice.
Not sure why File Explorer does not exhibit this problem, but thanks, Leo, so much for your tip. (I could never go back to Explorer). Smooth sailing ahead. (And Dragon is still working fine.)