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
    2010-03-05T00:28:30+00:00

    Hi,

    Can I ask a simple yet overlooked question.

    How does the blasted thing get through via the Vista Firewall, AVG Antivirus and default IE settings like a knife through butter.

    All the current solutions are after the event, ie. after it has got through.

    Can anyone please advise as to how to block it so it can't get through.

    How it did it I don't know.

    So main queries;

    1 - Block av.exe and affiliated spyware/virus etc from bypassing all and any security settings.

    2 - Why does it seem to be able to disable AVG and other A/V software so easily - it should not able to full stop.

    3 - If I do a system restore via Vista SP2 and am running IE 8 - this seems to block it yet even after all the current os and ie updates it still seems to be able to slip straight through bypassing all the security I have set up.

    I simply want to know how to stop it permanently - not removing it.

    Twice in one week I have had this av.exe fake antivirus/fake windows security centre get straight through and hijack my PC - now I am getting annoyed with the ease this thing is getting in.

    Any tips - practical and permanent solutions requested.

    Thanks

    Andy

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-03-04T21:40:19+00:00

    So I was recently hit with this as well.  Basically, your computer is infected with Windows antivirus 2010 or a variant of the virus.  It simulates a fake scan of your systems and presents numerous false "threats".  If you click on the fix link, it will bring you to a pay site to download and install. 

    Detailed explanation of the virus:

    http://www.2-spyware.com/remove-antivirus-vista-2010.html

    This is a particularly vicious bug, as it will disable all of your .exe files from properly executing.  To fix this problem, I used Spyware doctor, (not paid, the program was able to immunize the infected parts by itself upon rebooting).  Once the virus itself is gone, my .exe files were still broken, but thankfully the constant threat reports no longer popped up.  The programs themselves are untouched, but the virus makes changes to the registry that disables these files.  However, if you right-click on a program or program shortcut you should see a new option "start", which will force run the program.  This should allow people to run cmd and/or regedit as well as any antivirus software they otherwise couldn't run.

    Thanks to JimboUS, I was able to fix my registry, so follow his steps above if you have removed the malware.

    THANKS JIMBO!!!

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-03-02T18:01:03+00:00

    SpiritX - I do not see the AV.exe under the process tab so I could not stop it.  I was able to run Malwarebytes under safe mode and it found numerous viruses and removed them.  However, when I go back to my user account the problem still existed. 

    I was able to change the registry editor under another user account but when I go back to the infected user account the problem was still there.

    Rcouch - For Vista, typing in the command.com triggers the cmd.exe so I couldn't proceed any further.

    It seems like when I use a different user account I can make any changes that I wish but when I swap back to the infected user account the problem still exists no matter what I do.

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