I've noticed that after I log into my Windows profile, several command prompt (CMD) windows pop up and disappear in just a couple of seconds. This has happened twice now, and it really freaked me out the first time. In the past, I disconnected from the internet and ran a full scan with Windows Defender but didn't find any issues. I also checked the event viewer and didn't see anything concerning. Is this something that's expected to happen or should I be worried?
5 Answers
I've experienced similar behavior, and it usually means something is updating. It's typically nothing to worry about as long as everything else is running fine.
This can happen for various apps that need to run through the CMD prompt. It's fast enough that you might not even see what it's doing. I usually don't worry about it unless my system behaves differently than expected.
It's not uncommon for some software or drivers to flash a couple of command windows during startup. It could just be a routine update process happening behind the scenes.
You could use a tool like Autoruns from Microsoft to see if anything weird is starting up that you might not recognize. However, it probably isn't an issue and might just be a normal part of some process that you haven't noticed before.
I can't say for sure, but it might be related to recent updates for Windows or even other programs like Microsoft Office. I've seen something similar during update cycles, usually just quick flashes that don’t show the command being executed.
I did run a Windows update the night before this started happening. Maybe that's the reason for the CMD windows.