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
    2010-03-14T21:35:07+00:00

    If you can't run programs

    I just had to deal with this problem and would like to put some useful things together in a convenient form (I am most likely repeating what other have said, but it will be probably help people anyway).

    1. If you can't run any programs normally, try opening a context menu for one (e.g. via right mouse click on the program's file) and choosing Run as administrator (on Windows Vista or Windows 7). For others Start has worked.

    You may also rename them from .exe to .com. You can do this in Windows Explorer or whatever file manager you may be using at the moment. Some programs won't launch this way, for some reason, though.

    1. Once you regain the ability to run programs, run Regedit (is probably called regedt32.exe and located in C:\Windows\System32). Using it, do what the following code says:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes.exe]

    [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\secfile]

    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\secfile]

    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe\shell\open\command]

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]

    @=""%1" %*"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe]

    @="exefile"

    "Content Type"="application/x-msdownload"

    How to do the most important part of this manually is described above by lilvtboiraver , but if you've succeeded opening Regedit, simply save the code above in a file and import it with Regedit (this will apply the code automatically and quickly). This is the easiest approach.

    I was helping my dad yesterday to fight with this problem (using TeamViewer , a great free remote administration tool) (...at first. After I deleted the av.exe and rebooted his computer, no programs could be launched, including TeamViewer, and I had to lead him over the phone :) ) He couldn't get Regedit to open. Fortunately, he had Altap Salamander , a very good file manager) installed. It has an ability to edit registry too, but because I couldn't find a way to import registry files, I had to do this manually.

    Once you're done with getting your computer working again, you should realize that no antimalware software can guarantee absence of malware on one's computer, and you should ask yourself if you are willing to risk your security by continuing to run the computer as it is. I'd always choose backing up my important data and reinstalling the operating system and all needed software because I think that once malware gets on one's computer, it means there was a security hole, and one can't be sure that nothing else had gotten in and is hiding in some dark corners of the computer :)

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-03-08T23:50:09+00:00

    its at the very top of the left panel...

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-03-08T03:41:26+00:00

    Okay so I found a way around the step 3. 

    My Computer-->C Drive-->Windows-->find regedit and right click and choose Run as administrator.  That let me into it, and then you can follow the rest of lilvtboiraver's steps.  Whew.  It all appears to be back to normoal.  Thanks lilvtboiraver!!!

    This along with the original message from lilvtboiraver worked amazing and everything is up and running now!!!

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