When starting winamp 2.75, the following error comes up:
PROBLEM WITH SHORTCUT. "The drive or network connection that the shortcut PROGRAM NAME HERE.lnk refers to is unavailable. Make sure that the disk is properly inserted or the network resource is available and then try again."

The "program names" mentioned in the error message are not installed on my computer anymore.

After saying OK to the problem messages, winamp then goes to the windows c:\ directory for me to select songs to play.

This problem only occurs when winamp loads. It does not happen with any other program.

Also, the only two items in the windows registry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnk and they are SHELLEX AND SHELLNEW

In the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WinAmp.File\Shell\Open\Command\Default reads "C:\PROGRAM FILES\WINAMP\WINAMP.EXE" "%1"

I did remove and reinstall the program. No change. Same error messages.

HELP.

Email is ptaker@usa.net

For some weird reason, Winamp is searching for files to open when it loads and it would seem that it's coming across some dead links in the process.
First of all, goto Windows Search (Start -> Find -> Files & Folders) and search the C: drive for all files named *.LNK
Delete any .lnk files in the resulting list that you know are shortcuts to programs that no longer exist.

Now onto the reason why this might be happening:
How are you opening Winamp?
Are you using a personally modified shortcut to winamp.exe? ie. where the command line includes an extra switch to a playlist or directory, eg.
"C:\Program Files\Winamp\Winamp.exe" "C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.m3u"
"C:\Program Files\Winamp\Winamp.exe" C:\Windows\playlist.pls

If so, notice the format in my examples above.
Quotation marks are required if there's any spaces in the path to either the program or the switch parameters. They're not required in the 2nd instance where there's no spaces in the switch parameters.

If the command line in the shortcut to winamp.exe is invalid or erroneous, this would then cause Winamp to search for files to open, and any dead links it comes across just confuse it!