System will not run .bat files

[Joshrob1410]

A while ago on my laptop I was messing around with the privilages with cmd. I stupidly deleted and removed it. Don't ask why. So now when I go "Run" and search "cmd" it cannot find it. At the same time this happened I was not able to run .bat files. It comes up with "Windows cannot find (the path). Make sure you typed the name correctly then try again". This happens when I click or search for a .bat file. I'm cluess on the problem of how to fix it and would appreciate some helpful advise. Thank you.

 

[UsernameIssues]

My testing inside of a virtual machine indicates that these steps should work for you:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

 

[Callender]

Someone else had the same problem. See the thread here and also check post #23.

Maybe you have the same issue?

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/361963-cant-run-bat-files-3.html

 

[UsernameIssues]

Someone else had the same problem. See the thread here and also check post #23.

Maybe you have the same issue?

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/361963-cant-run-bat-files-3.html

Perhaps I'm reading Joshrob1410's original post wrong (quotes below), but I do not think that the cmd.exe file is on his computer. He deleted it. He won't be able to open an elevated command prompt as mentioned in post #23 in the thread that you linked to.

I cannot be positive that the "it" in "removed it" refers to the cmd.exe file or privileges in the preceding sentence. If "it" refers to privileges, then "it" should have been "them". Either the cmd.exe file was removed/deleted from the computer or the privileges were changed in such a way that the user cannot get to the cmd.exe file.

A while ago on my laptop I was messing around with the privilages with cmd. I stupidly deleted and removed it. Don't ask why. So now when I go "Run" and search "cmd" it cannot find it. At the same time this happened I was not able to run .bat files. It comes up with "Windows cannot find (the path). Make sure you typed the name correctly then try again". This happens when I click or search for a .bat file. I'm cluess on the problem of how to fix it and would appreciate some helpful advise. Thank you.

I deleted the cmd.exe file from a virtual machine and then tried to run a BAT file. Windows does indeed throw a misleading error about not being able to find the path to the BAT file. Which is stupid, because Process Monitor shows that Explorer found the BAT file just fine - then passed it to the OS to be opened with the default app. (In this case, the missing cmd.exe file.)

The virtual machine that I was testing in had a restore point. I used that to get the missing cmd.exe file back. There are other ways to put that file back, but a restore point might be the easiest way.

 

[Callender]

I guess I should have read a little more thoroughly as I seem to have missed the "deleted cmd.exe" part of the original post!

 

[UsernameIssues]

That is nothing. Even after interpreting the original post as saying the cmd.exe was deleted; I started to suggest SFC /SCANNOW

DOH!

 

[Joshrob1410]

I have deleted cmd completely. I removed it from the recycling bin and have looked for ways to get it back but can't seem to do so. I have however sent an email to someone containing an attachment with a .bat file. I saved the file and "run" it. It worked except when I try to run a .bat file from the desktop it still comes up with the error message. I cannot do a system restore as when I try to it always fails.

 

[UsernameIssues]

You probably did not delete cmd.exe from your hard drive.

You probably only deleted the hard link to CDM.EXE.

The hard link resides in C:\Windows\System32\



Let's wait for those smarted than me to help you correctly recreate that hard link - with all of the correct NTFS permissions.

 

[GokAy]

The one in System32 is a hardlink?

There is also a 32-bit version under C:\Windows\SysWOW64, maybe you can use it

 

[UsernameIssues]

The one in System32 is a hardlink? ...

Yes.

From here:
Don't Trust All Your Eyes Tell You... (hard links in Windows Vista) - if (ms) blog++; - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

When do we use hard links?
Most of the contents of %systemroot%\System32 is actually hard links to files in folders under %systemroot%\winsxs - the "Side-By-Side" component store.

This basically means if you view the properties of the %systemroot% folder, you can pretty much subtract the size of the %systemroot%\System32 folder to get a more accurate total size.

On a side-note, details on the winsxs folder can be found here, along with the reasoning for its size:
What is the WINSXS directory in Windows 2008 and Windows Vista and why is it so large? - Ask the Core Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Typo: "Most of the contents of %systemroot%\System32 are actually hard links..."

There is also a 32-bit version under C:\Windows\SysWOW64, maybe you can use it

It won't run SFC on a 64bit system. Did you have something else in mind?

The long path that I show in the cmd screenshot is the actual 64bit cmd.exe file. It will run SFC on a 64bit system and that will fix the hard link that was deleted. I'm just not sure if SFC is the best way to handle this. Maybe others can chime in.

 

[GokAy]

Ok, why not just copy paste it from the winsxs folder to System32? Or even winsxs is deleted too?

I just copy pasted to desktop and it worked double clicking too (opened as C:\Users\Gokhan\Desktop).

Edit: In case permissions stop you from browsing there, try GiveMePower Download

 

[UsernameIssues]

Ok, why not just copy paste it from the winsxs folder to System32? Or even winsxs is deleted too?

I just copy pasted to desktop and it worked double clicking too (opened as C:\Users\Gokhan\Desktop).

Edit: In case permissions stop you from browsing there, try GiveMePower Download

If you were able to copy the real cdm.exe file from the protected winsxs area and paste a copy into the System32 folder, then SFC scans would probably indicate an error. I am guessing that a cmd.exe file in the System32 folder is easier to infect. Hard Links seem to be a part of Windows security scheme. See the link inside the quote in my last post.

Our goal should be to return the OP's computer to a state as close to what Microsoft designed as possible. Not just make it functional. For example: turning off the UAC leaves a computer functional :-(

 

[GokAy]

Yes, I understand what you are saying.

Use the cmd in winsxs to create the hardlink and try? I am about to go out for my daily walk, so won't be able to test in a VM until 2 more hours.

But perhaps sfc would work from the winsxs? Another thing to check in VM

 

[UsernameIssues]

~~~
But perhaps sfc would work from the winsxs? Another thing to check in VM

It does work (in my VM). See below. It reports an issue that it cannot fix with the cmd.exe file, but a reboot and another SFC shows no integrity violations. I'm just not willing to suggest it without more opinions/testing. If you get the same results, then I guess we can recommend it to the OP.

From post #10:

~~~
The long path that I show in the cmd screenshot is the actual 64bit cmd.exe file. It will run SFC on a 64bit system and that will fix the hard link that was deleted. I'm just not sure if SFC is the best way to handle this. Maybe others can chime in.

 

[GokAy]

I am starting to test in a VM, will edit this post as I go.

Edit 1: Deleted cmd.exe inside System32 and cmd fails to open "Windows cannot find 'cmd'...."

Edit 2: Sorry it took a while, had trouble either with the mklink command or a permission. The same command worked finally! Double click from System32 works, cmd at run box works. Now, running sfc /scannow

 

[GokAy]

Ok, sfc /scannow finished with no violations.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Thanks for testing.

Maybe these steps will work for the OP:
1) run SFC from winsxs
2) reboot
3) run SFC from winsxs

Here is the info to run SFC:
click Start
paste this in the search area

c:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-commandprompt_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_e932cc2c30fc13b0\cmd.exe

right click on cmd.exe
run as admin
type in sfc/scannow
(no space needed after sfc)

 

[Layback Bear]

Not knowing for sure everything that has been changed or deleted I would suggest doing a Repair install.

A tutorial by Brink:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

 

[NoelDP]

As Jack suggests, this could well just be the tip of a large iceberg, and a repair is probably the best option in the longer term.