Unable to open .exe files

Anonymous
2010-02-01T02:00:45+00:00

Vista won't load .exe files! And more problems...

Ok, so all of a sudden, my computer goes berserk and I get all these pop-ups and messages saying that my computer is infected. Then it continues to say that I can't use the computer unless I delete the Trojans. I press the Remove Virus button and it takes me to a page on IE that says I have to pay for this Windows Vista Security package to remove the viruses. I ignore that, and proceed to download Avast! the great free anti-virus program that so many people have told me about.

Well, I tried to open Avast! but Windows kept saying that that file was infected. So I shut down several times, and I still had the problem. So I gave up, went to bed, hoping that the problem would be fixed tomorrow.

Next day: I opened Windows, and I didn't have any of those pop-ups. But, I couldn't open ANYTHING. I tried to open Firefox, and something popped up saying something like "Windows cannot find the correct program to open firefox.exe, choose a program from the list" and all that was on the list was Internet Explorer.

When I tried to open Microsoft Word, it said that it couldn't find the correct program, and told me to choose frmo the listed programs, which was just Internet Explorer.

Same thing happened with Google Chrome, Avast!, and Notepad.... All of them were prompting me to open them with a different kind of program.

Thing is, when I try to open IE itself, it prompts me to open it with the correct program-opener, and lists Internet explorer.

I didn't get those pop-ups, or messages telling me I had viruses anymore...

Please help, as soon as possible.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Apps

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Anonymous
2012-03-30T01:04:56+00:00

Hello Pixel Lite,

There was a KB article created to help fix this issue, the article has a Fix it to automate the steps.

See this KB article:

Can't open .EXE files in Windows 7 or Windows Vista

Hope this helps.

L.D.

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Anonymous
2010-02-04T09:10:54+00:00

So I just fixed mine, EXEs are loading correctly now. It was a few registry issues that just need to be changed.

  1. Type command in the RUN dialog box to open Command Prompt
  2. When Command Prompt is up, type cd \windows3. Type regedit to open up the Registries.

4. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and find the folder of .exe

  1. Without expanding it, on the main .exe folder, Right-click (Default) and Modify. Change the Value Data to exefile6. Now in the same HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT find the folder of exefile and Right-click (Default) and Modify. Change the Value Data to "%1" %*
  2. Lastly expand exefile, expand shell, expand open, click on the command folder, Right-click (Default) and Modify. Change the Value Data to "%1" %*
  3. Close Regedit and Restart the computer. When restarted, EXE files should not prompt you to choose a program to run it now and load correctly.

Hope this helps yall out!

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-02-21T03:07:33+00:00

    I am unable to locate any files nor able to access my documents/libraries as they all show up empty. Also, the applications such as Microsoft office folder under the Start -> All Programs are showing up as empty.

    Interestingly, there is no folder/app under the "All Control Panel Items -> Administrative Tools"...

    Do you think everything have been removed/uninstalled by the Norton to secure my laptop from the virus attack (or) is the virus still residing in my laptop but the anti-virus software is unable to detect ?

    Please, advise if I need to alter (to default) any registry settings which might be altered by the Norton/PC tool during the clean up of the virus.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-02-21T02:47:12+00:00

    Hi,

    Unfortunately, the steps provided above to fix the regedit file didn't work on my laptop as the above information in the regedit file looks like didn't change after the virus attack.

    My laptop was attacked by some virus and i have used Norton to resolve the issue. But, before that itself, my desktop shortcuts and all the applications were automatically removed/hidden after the virus was attacked. Is there anyway I can be able to restore my laptop to the previous working conditions ?

    Please, advise at the earliest.

    Thanks,

    Kumar

    I'm about the furthest thing from a computer guru...but I'm just curious:  Are they only missing from the desktop? Or are they gone completely (from their resident directories)? If you do a search, do they show up somewhere in the computer--perhaps moved to another place (maybe even the recycle bin)? Are the apps themselves gone?  Or just the shortcuts?

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-02-21T02:33:17+00:00

    I just found out that there is an error occured loading a configuration file: " Unable to open file 'C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Hewlett-Packard<HPAdvisor.exe_Url_mc.......>\2.4.5991.2847\user.config' for writing because it is read-only or hidden.

    Please, advise if there is any way to resolve the above error.

    Thanks,

    Kumar

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