Why does a mystery application try to open when I login?

I wonder if anyone can help me with an issue I'm having with a mystery application trying to open.
Every time I wake my iBook G4 from sleep, or I start it from shutdown (I am the only user), I see an application is trying to open at the right side of the dock. It shows as the generic application "A" starting to open, but then it suddenly vanishes. On the advice of a Mac-user friend, I went to System Preferences/Accounts/Login Items and removed everything there, then rebooted my machine, but I still have the same problem.
From my unfortunate experiences with PCs, I remember this type of login behavior usually indicates the machine is infected with a virus. Is that what is causing my iBook problem? I have the Firewall turned on, and I'm running Norton Antivirus for Mac (which has found nothing in repeated scans). What should I try next? Any help with this would be really appreciated.
iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  
iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

It's difficult to say what the application may be if you can't see its name, but in the Dock, the name won't show unless you are pointing at the icon. If you can get your mouse there fast enough (maybe put it in the right place, sleep, then wake your Mac?) you might see the app name before it closes. Then you'll have a better idea what it is.
You might also try the Activity Monitor application, which is in the /Applications/Utilities folder. It shows all the running processes, so you might be able to catch the app name before it closes.
When you know what the application is called, you may decide it's not a problem at all. If it's still unclear, come back and post it, and maybe someone will be able to tell you what it is. Lots of applications use little "helper apps," and it's possible it could be something like that. It's best to know what it is, but it's probably harmless.
G4 400 AGP   Mac OS X (10.4.2)  

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