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
    2010-03-04T21:40:19+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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  2. 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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  3. Anonymous
    2010-03-02T15:45:04+00:00

    For many of those who cannot open regedit from the Run command, try this.  It works in XP to get the registry to open when you cannot start regedit.exe.  I have not had a chance to play with Vista to verify it.

    Click Start, choose Run

    type "command.com" press enter.

    This should start a command prompt, without using cmd.exe.  Now, do the following:

    type "cd c:\windows\system32"  Press Enter.  This moves you into the correct directory to update regedit.

    type "copy regedit.exe regedit.com"  press Enter.  This makes a duplicate regedit - this one is a .com file, since you cannot open the .exe.

    type "start regedit.com"

    This should open a registry editor.  I then minimized the registry editor, and the command prompt window.  Then I created a .reg file, again, by tricking the computer:

    right-click the desktop, choose "New Text Document."  (you don't have to name it yet)

    double-click the new text document, and it should open Notepad.

    Copy/Paste the following Text into Notepad:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe]

    @="exefile"

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

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe\PersistentHandler]

    @="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile]

    @="Application"

    "EditFlags"=hex:38,07,00,00

    "TileInfo"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion"

    "InfoTip"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion;Create;Size"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\DefaultIcon]

    @="%1"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell]

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open]

    "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]

    @=""%1" %*"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas]

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas\command]

    @=""%1" %*"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex]

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\DropHandler]

    @="{86C86720-42A0-1069-A2E8-08002B30309D}"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PEAnalyser]

    @="{09A63660-16F9-11d0-B1DF-004F56001CA7}"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PifProps]

    @="{86F19A00-42A0-1069-A2E9-08002B30309D}"

    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]

    @="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"

    Go to file>Save as, and save the document, but ensure save as type is all files.  Name the file "regfix.reg"

    Open the registry editor, choose File>Import, then navigate to the desktop, and choose the regfix.reg file.  It will import the information into the registry.  Restart your computer, and all should be well.

    Please note that I have fixed a couple of Windows XP computers this way.  I have not verified any of the information in Vista.

    I hope this information proves useful!

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