Folder Shortcut Error Single Occurrence After Startup Win 10 [Fixed]

Some people report that the folder shortcut error occurs once after Windows 10 starts up. This issue bothers them a lot. For instance, here is a user report from the learn.microsoft.com forum:

Immediately after Windows 10 startup, I'll try and open a folder using a shortcut and get an error message that the target has been moved. I'll close the error message and try to open it again, and it works, and doesn't happen again until I restart the computer again... Any suggestions on how to fix?https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2191003/folder-shortcut-error-single-occurrence-after-star?forum=windowsclient-all&referrer=answers&page=2#answers

Reasons for Folder Shortcut Error Occurs Once After Startup Windows 10

After searching for the “folder shortcut error single occurrence after startup Windows 10” issue on the Internet, I find that the error can mainly be caused by these reasons:

• The shortcut points to a network drive, external storage, or removable disk that may not be fully connected after Windows starts.
• Delayed loading of system services results in file resources not being fully ready.
• The Fast Startup feature causes the Windows system to be unable to load all resources correctly.
• Some startup items may use excessive system resources, delaying the full loading of the file system.

Solution 1. Check If the Destination Location of the Shortcut Is Connected

If the destination location of the folder shortcut (like a network drive, external storage, or removable disk) is not connected properly, you can go to check it first to fix the “folder shortcut error single occurrence after startup Windows 10” issue.

Solution 2. Turn Off Fast Startup

Sometimes, the Fast Startup feature causes the Windows system to be unable to load all resources correctly. In this case, you can try turning off fast startup to fix the “folder shortcut error after startup Windows 10” issue. Here’s the way:

Step 1. Press the Win + S keys simultaneously to open the Search window, type “control panel” in the search box, and press Enter.

Step 2. Set View by as Large icons, choose Power Options from the feature list.

Step 3. Click the Choose what the power buttons do link from the left panel.

Step 4. Click the Change settings that are currently unavailable.

Step 5. Uncheck the box of Turn on fast startup(recommended), and click Save changes.

Solution 3. Run DISM and SFC

Corrupted or missing system files can lead to the “folder shortcut error occurs once after startup Windows 10” issue as well. In this situation, you can try running DISM and SFC commands to fix the issue. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1. Open the Run window, type “cmd” in the search box. Then, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt window, run the following commands:

• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• sfc / scannow

Step 3.  Once done, restart your computer and check if the “folder shortcut error after startup Windows 10” issue has been resolved.

Solution 4. Run CHKDSK

If you suspect the “folder shortcut error occurs after startup” issue is caused by disk errors or bad sectors, you can perform CHKDSK to fix the issue. To do that, you just need to run Command Prompt as administrator, type “chkdsk /f /r” and press Enter. Once done, check the scanning result in Event Viewer, and fix the issues according to their description.

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Solution 5. Create a New Profile

Corrupted or missing user account profiles can cause the “folder shortcut error occurs once after startup Windows 10” issue. So, try creating a new local administrator account and logging in from the command line to see if the problem persists. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Run Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 2. Run the following commands:

• net user USERNAME PASSWORD /add
• net localgroup administrators USERNAME /add

Step 3. Once done, check if the “folder shortcut error occurs once after Windows 10 starts up” issue has been resolved.

Solution 6. Perform a Clean Boot

You can also perform a clean boot to find out the culprit of the “folder shortcut error occurs once after startup Windows 10” issue. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Run window, and then type “msconfig” in the box.
2. Then, click on the OK button to open the System Configuration window.
3. Select the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services option.
4. Click on the Disable all button and then click on the Apply button.
5. Next, go to the Startup tab, and click Open Task Manager.
6. Right-click the applications you suspect and select Disable option from the menu.
7. Exit Task Manager.
8. Click OK under the Startup tab. 
9. Then, when you restart the computer, it is in a clean boot environment. 
10. Next, see if the “folder shortcut error occurs once after Windows 10 starts up” issue occurs.
11. If not, enable one program one by one until the problem occurs again. That program might be the source of the error. You’d better consider removing it.

Solution 7. Unblock the File

Sometimes, you can encounter the “folder shortcut error occurs after startup” issue when Windows blocks the file. In this case, you can do as follows to unblock the file:

1. Right-click the blocked file and select Properties.
2. Go to the General tab.
3. Select Unblock if the option is available.

Bottom Line

This post offers several effective solutions to fix the “folder shortcut error single occurrence after startup Windows 10” issue. If you encounter the same issue, you can try the above solutions one by one until the error gets fixed.