A leftover HMI service manager that loads at sign-in is launched by a shortcut in a Startup folder, not by a Windows service, which is why the Services list shows no match. Delete the shortcut from both Startup folders, restart once, and the loading stops; uninstall the suite's support component from the installed-programs list when you need the files off the PC.
A service manager that keeps loading after you uninstall an HMI suite is launched by an autostart entry, and the first place to look is the Startup folder. The Services list comes up empty when you search for the manager's name because a shortcut needs no service registration. Delete the shortcut from both Startup folders, restart once, and the loading stops; the restart and sign-in check take about 2 minutes. If you also need the component off the PC, the supported path is its entry in the installed-programs list, when the suite left one behind.
This is the shop-floor engineering PC case: the suite went on for one project, came off afterwards, and the manager kept opening at every sign-in.
What each symptom points to
- The manager opens at every sign-in, after the suite was uninstalled. A leftover autostart entry. The uninstaller removed the suite but left the launch trigger in place.
- The Services list has no entry with the manager's name. The trigger is not a service. A shortcut launch needs no service registration, so the Startup folders come next.
- The main program is gone but the manager keeps loading. The suite installed a separate support component, and either that component or a shortcut to its manager still starts at sign-in.
- The manager loads again after you delete one shortcut. Windows keeps 2 Startup folders, one per user and one shared. Clear the other folder before looking anywhere else.
Where Windows starts a program
Windows starts a program from 4 places you can check yourself: the Startup folders, the registry Run keys, Task Scheduler and the Services list. Services start with Windows, before anyone signs in; Startup folders and Run keys fire at sign-in, and Task Scheduler fires on whatever trigger a task sets. A manager that appears at sign-in with 0 matching services points to a sign-in trigger, and the plainest of those is a shortcut in a Startup folder.
Windows keeps 2 Startup folders: one under your own profile and one shared by every user of the PC. On the classic Start menu the per-user one shows as Start > All Programs > Startup. Current Windows keeps the same 2 folders; both hold the same kind of shortcut and take the same fix. Removing an entry is ordinary file handling: open the folder and delete the link, a job of well under 5 minutes on a standard PC.
Example: an engineering PC that opens the manager at every sign-in
Inputs and where each comes from:
- The suite went on for one project and was uninstalled; the manager still opens at each sign-in. This is the case this article fixes.
- Services entries matching the manager's name: 0, from your search of the Services list.
- Autostart points to work through: 4, the list in the section above.
- Startup folders on the PC: 2, one per user and one shared.
- Restarts needed to verify the fix: 1, about 2 minutes including the sign-in check.
The rule in words. Work the 4 points in the order that matches the symptom. A program that appears only at sign-in, with no service entry, is started by a sign-in trigger. The Startup folders come first because a shortcut there is visible, named and removable without tools.
The arithmetic. Services show 0 matching entries, so 1 of the 4 points is ruled out and 3 remain. The per-user Startup folder holds 1 shortcut that launches the manager; the shared folder holds 0. The trigger is confirmed, which leaves 2 points, the Run keys and Task Scheduler, that you never need to open. Delete the shortcut and restart once: within 5 minutes, launches per sign-in drop from 1 to 0.
Result. The manager stopped loading, and the only thing touched was one shortcut in one folder. The component's files, if any remain on disk, now sit unused.
The decision and its threshold. 1 matching shortcut in either Startup folder: delete it and restart once, and the job is done when launches per sign-in sit at 0 across 3 consecutive sign-ins. 0 matching shortcuts in both folders: the trigger sits in the other 2 points, so check the registry Run keys and Task Scheduler before changing anything else.
Delete the shortcut
- Open Start > All Programs > Startup, or the per-user Startup folder under your profile on current Windows.
- Confirm the shortcut is the manager: its name and the program it launches should match what appears at sign-in. Identify it by what it launches, never by its label alone.
- Delete that one shortcut. Delete nothing else in the folder; on a plant PC the other entries can belong to software still in use.
- Open the shared Startup folder and delete a matching shortcut there if one is present.
- Restart once and sign in. The check itself takes under 1 minute.
Check that it worked: the manager does not appear within 60 seconds of sign-in, and neither Startup folder lists it. If something on the PC turns out to need the manager, the shortcut is one restore away in the Recycle Bin.
Take the software off when that is the goal
Deleting the shortcut stops the loading and leaves the component installed. Removal is a separate job with its own supported path: open Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, or the installed-apps list under Windows Settings, and look for the support component the suite installed alongside the main program. When that entry exists, uninstall it and the manager should stop loading with it. When no entry is listed, keep the shortcut deleted and stop there.
If other software still installed uses that support component, uninstalling the entry can stop those programs too, so check what else lists it before you run the uninstall. Deleting executables and folders by hand leaves files on disk with no uninstaller to remove them later, so leave the program files alone.
If it still loads after the restart
Both Startup folders held 0 matching shortcuts, so the trigger is in the registry Run keys or in Task Scheduler. The Run keys are registry entries Windows reads at sign-in, and Task Scheduler lists tasks that fire on a sign-in trigger. A startup-listing utility shows entries from every location in one window, which is the quick way to see the remaining candidates. Confirm what actually launches before you change either location.
If the cleanup is preparation for putting the suite back on this PC, the HMI project transfer failure on a newer Windows PC has its own fix. A component that keeps running for software you removed is also the same family of fault as an HMI that polls PLCs that are not installed; the cure in both cases is to clear the reference to what no longer exists.
Recommendation: When the manager opens at sign-in after the suite is uninstalled and the Services list shows 0 matching entries, delete the manager's shortcut from both Startup folders and restart once. Uninstall the support component from the installed-programs list only when you need the files off the PC and its entry is listed; when the entry is missing, leave the program files in place.
Questions
Why does a program load at startup when the Services list has no matching entry?
A Startup folder shortcut and a Windows service are separate lists that do separate jobs. The folder holds shortcuts Windows launches when a user signs in. The Services list holds background services that start with Windows. A shortcut needs no service registration, so an empty Services search is the expected result for this fault, and it moves the check to the folders instead of ending it.
Does deleting the Startup shortcut uninstall the service manager?
No. The deletion removes one launch trigger. Program files stay on disk, and a separately installed support component stays in the installed-programs list. Use that list's uninstall entry for real removal. When no entry exists, keep the shortcut deleted and leave the files, because a manual deletion has no uninstaller to reverse it later.
Can I move the shortcut out of the Startup folder instead of deleting it?
Yes, and it is the safer first step on a PC you do not manage. Drag the shortcut to the desktop, restart once, and watch the next sign-in for 60 seconds. If nothing misses the manager after 1 week, delete the moved shortcut for good. If software still installed turns out to rely on it, drag it back and the PC returns to its earlier behavior.
What if the shortcut reappears in the Startup folder after I delete it?
Something active wrote it back. First check the installed-programs list for the suite's support component, because an installed parent can restore its shortcut. When no entry is listed, look in Task Scheduler for a task with a sign-in trigger. Stop deleting the same shortcut in a loop and find what writes it, or the manager returns at the next sign-in.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.