Changed .exe files

[Guest Gary Waterbury]

I attempted to reinstall Windows ME from the Options direstory in Windows

and then all my .exe files became .lnk files. I cannot rerun Setup.exe nor

Restore nor run any .exe file. I cannot connect to the Internet. The good

news is, I can boot up in Safe mode or Regular mode. And I can view pictures

by right clicking on a file and clicking Open With -> Irfanview. The same

with .htm files Open With -> Internet Explorer. I can't open .html files. My

file associations must be deleted. I need to associate .exe files with a

program to run them. A Ubuntu disk works ok, but I don't want to install it

because it won't access the Internet. And it erases my hard disk. I have no

A: drive or read/write CD drive anymore, just a plain CD-ROM drive. I need

a Windows Me bootable install disk for CD-ROM or a Windows XP bootable

install disk, I suppose. My icons are all plain blank icons. I'm sure

someone put a virus on my computer. I am using my 2nd computer with Windows

98 to write this and access the Internet. Any help will be appreciated. I've

come to depent on my computer. Thanks!

[Guest Gary Waterbury]

Re: Changed .exe files

 

 

"Gary Waterbury" <garywaterbury@hotmail.com> wrote in message

news:u33hDeCjIHA.4196@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> I attempted to reinstall Windows ME from the Options direstory in Windows

> and then all my .exe files became .lnk files. I cannot rerun Setup.exe nor

> Restore nor run any .exe file. I cannot connect to the Internet. The good

> news is, I can boot up in Safe mode or Regular mode. And I can view

pictures

> by right clicking on a file and clicking Open With -> Irfanview. The same

> with .htm files Open With -> Internet Explorer. I can't open .html files.

My

> file associations must be deleted. I need to associate .exe files with a

> program to run them. A Ubuntu disk works ok, but I don't want to install

it

> because it won't access the Internet. And it erases my hard disk. I have

no

> A: drive or read/write CD drive anymore, just a plain CD-ROM drive. I

need

> a Windows Me bootable install disk for CD-ROM or a Windows XP bootable

> install disk, I suppose. My icons are all plain blank icons. I'm sure

> someone put a virus on my computer. I am using my 2nd computer with

Windows

> 98 to write this and access the Internet. Any help will be appreciated.

I've

> come to depent on my computer. Thanks!

>

>

I solved the problem. I got some of my icons back, and can search my

computer and delete files, and add/remove programs and I enabled system

restore. I had to change the name of command.com and regedit.exe to

notepad.exe because notepad was the only one working. Also, I had to hand

copy a registry fix from the internet. Anyway, I am cleaning up my system so

it works again. Now I know why computer repairmen charge money for their

knowledge. It's a lot of work.

[Guest Mike M]

Re: Changed .exe files

 

You might want to thoroughly check your system for unwanted malware. The

problem you have described is often the result of having had an unwanted

virus running on the PC. You can sometimes get the likes of regedit.exe

working by changing it to regedit.com.

> I enabled system restore.

 

It's unfortunate that you didn't have this enabled before (it takes a

deliberate act to disable system restore) as it would have solved most if

not all of your problems with a couple of clicks. Make sure that you have

the 290700 patch installed as otherwise any checkpoints you have will be

useless. [MS KB290700 "Checkpoints that you create after September 8,

2001 do not restore your computer"

(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=290700)]

--

Mike Maltby

mike.maltby@gmail.com

 

 

Gary Waterbury <garywaterbury@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I solved the problem. I got some of my icons back, and can search my

> computer and delete files, and add/remove programs and I enabled

> system restore. I had to change the name of command.com and

> regedit.exe to notepad.exe because notepad was the only one working.

> Also, I had to hand copy a registry fix from the internet. Anyway, I

> am cleaning up my system so it works again. Now I know why computer

> repairmen charge money for their knowledge. It's a lot of work.

[Guest Gary Waterbury]

Re: Changed .exe files

 

 

"Mike M" <No_Spam@Corned_Beef.Only> wrote in message

news:uKZ$EHrjIHA.4120@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> You might want to thoroughly check your system for unwanted

malware. The

> problem you have described is often the result of having had an

unwanted

> virus running on the PC. You can sometimes get the likes of

regedit.exe

> working by changing it to regedit.com.

>

> > I enabled system restore.

>

> It's unfortunate that you didn't have this enabled before (it

takes a

> deliberate act to disable system restore) as it would have

solved most if

> not all of your problems with a couple of clicks. Make sure

that you have

> the 290700 patch installed as otherwise any checkpoints you have

will be

> useless. [MS KB290700 "Checkpoints that you create after

September 8,

> 2001 do not restore your computer"

> (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=290700)]

> --

> Mike Maltby

> mike.maltby@gmail.com

>

>

> Gary Waterbury <garywaterbury@hotmail.com> wrote:

>

> > I solved the problem. I got some of my icons back, and can

search my

> > computer and delete files, and add/remove programs and I

enabled

> > system restore. I had to change the name of command.com and

> > regedit.exe to notepad.exe because notepad was the only one

working.

> > Also, I had to hand copy a registry fix from the internet.

Anyway, I

> > am cleaning up my system so it works again. Now I know why

computer

> > repairmen charge money for their knowledge. It's a lot of

work.

>

I did get my computer working good, so I retried Windows ME

install, setup.exe, and it installed perfectly and everything

looks normal. I can access the Internet and all my file

associations work. I did install the 290700 patch. Because several

CD-ROM disks worked, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, the game POD,

and several others, I realized a Windows ME bootup disk with a

registry fix would have made things easy.