After a complete reinstallation of my XP SP3 system, I have windows explorer automatically starting. It points to a directory in \program files\HP\. I removed the check mark to allow RESTORE PREVIOUS WINDOWS FOLDER AT LOGON. I can find no reference to explorer.exe in MSCONFIG. How do you get rid of this....

Hi PLSCHILT, I would suggest you to place your computer in Clean boot state to identify the applications causing this issue.Putting your system in clean boot state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. If yes, you may have to contact the program manufacturer for any updates or uninstall and re-install the program. Follow the steps given in the link below to do the same:How to configure Windows XP to start in a "clean boot" stateNote: After troubleshooting, make sure to put the computer to start as usual as mentioned here:To configure Windows to use a Normal startup stateAfter you used the clean boot to resolve your problem, you can follow these steps to configure Windows XP to start normally. a. Click Start, and then click Run.b. Type msconfig, and then click OK. The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.c. Click the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.d. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer. Regards,Divya R – Microsoft Support.Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.