suddenly NO .EXE programs will run

To: 1) Layback Bear! . Your New User Account idea sounded good. I installed it ok. But alas, it had no effect.

To: 2) kaktussoft.Your EXE link to file DEFAULT_EXE.reg worked like a charm! Well, up to a point... It instantly restored all those 'cannot find' EXE files (programs). Heel erg bedankt!



But when I rebooted, all those files were back to 'cannot find'!
But when I copied that file to the Registry again, all were restored again!

I copied your LNK file, Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg, in hope. But this had no effect.

Hence, the problem is fixed except that each time I reboot I will have to do that file co
To: 1) Layback Bear! . Your New User Account idea sounded good. I installed it ok. But alas, it had no effect.

To: 2) kaktussoft.Your EXE link to file DEFAULT_EXE.reg worked like a charm! Well, up to a point... It instantly restored all those 'cannot find' EXE files (programs). Heel erg bedankt!
But when I rebooted, all those files were back to 'cannot find'!
But when I copied that file to the Registry again, all were restored again!

I copied your LNK file, Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg, in hope. But this had no effect.

Hence, the problem is fixed except that each time I reboot I will have to do that file copy!
Plus, the desktop icons for those 'cannot find' files remain in a blank state, pure white, and refuse to accept input via the 'change icon' window. A minor problem, except you wonder what else it indicates down below.

There is no "90% solved button", so I will mark this "solved".
But in addition, the problem that caused me to run malwarebytes in the first place, the extreme, unpredictable slowing of my Firefox, persists. So I will most likely grit my teeth soon and reinstall the whole operating system. Yikes...


There is no "90% solved button", so tomorrow I will mark this "solved".
But in addition, the problem that caused me to run malwarebytes in the first place, the extreme, unpredictable slowing of my Firefox, persists. So I will most likely grit my teeth soon and reinstall the whole operating system. Yikes...

Thank you both, and others, for your help.

to kaktussoft:

no, the problem is the same: 'cannot find file' for all EXE files. But solution still works: install default.exe into Registry area. All icons blank still, but the programs work. But the cursor jumps all over the place within files!
But predicted I will mark this thread 'solved' (while muttering 'more or less').
Again, thanks to all for your help.

For every file type extension (including .exe) there is a registry entry that defines what Windows should do when asked to open that file.

#1 : The "HKCR\.exe" entry in the registry should say Default --> exefile.
#2 : The "HKCR\exefile\shell\open\command" entry in the registry should say Default --> "%s" %*
There's more in those two registry keys than that ... but those are the items that, if damaged, will cause your problem.

Some malware will deliberately damage those items, though there may be other, more mundane causes that would alter them.

Anyway ... have a look at those. If they're wrong, they need to be fixed.
If you know how to fix them, fine.
If not, don't. Someone here may be able to send you a fixer-upper registry script for this.

to margrave:
"For every file type extension (including .exe) there is a registry entry that defines what Windows should do when asked to open that file.

#1 : The "HKCR\.exe" entry in the registry should say Default --> exefile.
#2 : The "HKCR\exefile\shell\open\command" entry in the registry should say Default --> "%s" %*
There's more in those two registry keys than that ... but those are the items that, if damaged, will cause your problem.
= = =
Thank you for this. I checked, and item #1 is as you say.
But item #2 does not exist: there is no such entry on my list, but there IS ".exe_" which looks suspicious I guess.

Copy this into a text file, save it under the name fix.reg, and then double-click the file:

Code:

REGEDIT4

[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\" %*"
"IsolatedCommand"="\"%1\" %*"

Thank you Margrave. I followed your directions. Unfortunately they had no detectable effect! I still have to manually close about 30 desktop icons after a reboot, then install that earlier default.reg file. Oh well, I reboot only every few days... But feel a total re-install creeping up on me...