Zero Install. The system cannot find the file specified.

Curt,

I suggest you check in Task manager, Startup tab for any reference to Zero install
If it's not there then run
MS SysInternals AutoRuns for Windows - MSLearn
to see if there is a call to Zero install during your bootup.
autoruns ditty by dalchina - TenForums
How to Identify and Repair Malware or Virus Infected Systems - Dell UK

By the way
0install: Overview


Best of luck,
Denis

Further, should you need it, you can identify the process related to that dialogue using e.g.
Winspy, Windows Detective
or
Process Explorer (top right of its window)

All have a target you can drag over the dialogue. Free.

This has been going on for a few weeks

I've tried System Restore but that didn't work

It's unlikely you now have a restore point which was created before the event (an installation?) that led to this.

Further, using one would also uninstall all programs and revert changes made during that period.

When you say System Restore didn't work, do you mean you got a failure message and restoring didn't complete successfully, or that it didn't help with this issue?

Install, then Uninstall (to properly remove) that app, then restart the computer:

Zero Install


(not the ZIP version)

Ok, and have you tried identifying the process as suggested? Or uninstalling the program as Pepanee suggested... and I'd add that to REALLY properly remove all elements, start the uninstallation using a 3rd party tool (free) e.g. Revo or Geek Uninstaller.

These first run the author's uninstaller, then scan for leftovers and prompt you for deletion of those.

It's quite common for authors not to do a good job in configuring the uninstaller.

Curt,

My extremely limited knowledge of ZeroInstall is that it is called up by something else [that relies on it as some sort of intermediary OS/host].
So dalchina's suggestion about using WinSpy to identify that caller is highly pertinent - it's not ZeroInstall that is your problem, it's the caller.

1 Download WinSpy from WinSpy - SourceForge
- It downloads as a zipped file [WinSpy-1.0.3.7z] that you extract in order to use it.
- It is a portable application. You do not install it, merely run its .exe when required.


2 When the unexpected dialog* is onscreen, run WinSpy
{* ZeroInstall, in your case, but an innocuous script's MsgBox in mine}

3 Drag that 'Finder' icon in the top-left corner onto the unexpected dialog & release.
-
You might find the entry in the General tab's Title/Text entry changes to something useful [but not all dialogs have a window Title or populate that entry with anything at all].

4 Select WinSpy's Process tab to see the command line that called up that unexpected dialog.


6 There is much more to WInSpy but I have never explored further than this sort of example.



Thanks for the rep,
Denis

If that's a zip file, first file explorer opens that natively.

Otherwise people often use a 3rd party tool such as 7-zip.

If you can't open it at all, there's something wrong and you should sort that out.


You will notice I mentioned another one.
I have found one download site for you - it's well known.
This is an exe
Download Window Detective - MajorGeeks