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Error message "Please go to the Control Panel to install and configure system components" when you double-click a drive in My Computer window

Published: June 2004
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Symptoms

When you double-click a drive letter (hard disk) from My Computer, you may see any of the following error messages:

Please go to the Control Panel to install and configure system components

Windows cannot find Autoplay.exe

You'll also see that Autoplay is the default context menu when you right-click the drive.

Resolution

This happens if there is a file named Autorun.inf in the drive's root directory. Right-click the drive and choose "open", look for this file Autorun.inf and delete it. Restart Windows.
If the Autorun.inf line reads the following, the first error message is displayed:
[autorun]
open=Setup.exe
C:\Windows\System32\Setup.exe is launched actually

If the Autorun.inf line reads the following, the second error message is displayed:
[autorun]
open=Filename.exe
(where the filename.exe file is missing)

More Information

The file Autorun.inf is not intended to be on the hard drive root folder. They are used in CD-ROMs (to launch CD programs automatically).