# I can't open EXE files



## Wes45

Hello my name is Wes45 and I'am new to this forum. Recently I've been having this problem with my Windows XP. When ever I try to open an EXE file it doesn't open and nothing happens. I can't do anything which is really 
fustrating. Does my computer have a virus or something? This is the first time this has happend to me. Can some body plz tell me what the problem is?


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## Layne Ruley

more system specs plaease?

any way go to the start menu and go to the control panel or go to the start menu go to all programs then system tools then system restore and do that to the last time you can remember that it didnt do this..........................


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## Wes45

I can't even open the system tools... It won't even open that! Is there like a virus or something? It still not working.


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## cetkat

A virus is possible. If you have an anti-virus program on your computer, see if you can scan with that. If not, try Panda's online scan:

http://www.pandasecurity.com/activescan/index/

If you do find anything.. follow the link below, complete all the instructions you can, and post the required information in the HijackThis Forum.

*IMPORTANT - Read This Before Posting For Malware Removal Help*

If that's not the case, you may be having a problem with your file extensions.


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## jenae

Hi, you should check to ensure your computer does not have malware that caused this though I suspect a legacy program download messed with autoexec This is lifted from another post read the instructions (about notepad ) apply and reboot to enact Perfectly safe.


Hi, the doug Knox fix should do the job though you may have problems running it depends on how they set up your permissions (Reg cleaners are a NO NO). This is essentially the doug Knox fix in a way that will run and should fix your problem. Copy and paste ALL that appears below into notepad then in notepad go to "file" and select save as from the box save as EXEFix.Reg and save to desktop to run just double click on the saved file and when prompted say yes to merge into registry (this is perfectly safe used many times) Rebbot to take effect. Copy ALL below:-


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}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile]
@="Registration Entries"
"EditFlags"=dword:00100000
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,72,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\
2c,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell]
@="open"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\
54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,00,\
00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open]
@="Mer&ge"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command]
@="regedit.exe \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\
54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,2f,00,70,00,20,\
00,25,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]
@="lnkfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew]
"Command"="rundll32.exe appwiz.cpl,NewLinkHere %1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
@="Shortcut"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000001
"IsShortcut"=""
"NeverShowExt"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\CLSID]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Offline Files]
@="{750fdf0e-2a26-11d1-a3ea-080036587f03}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\DropHandler]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]
@="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="Shortcut"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32]
@="shell32.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered\{89BCB740-6119-101A-BCB7-00DD010655AF}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentHandler]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ProgID]
@="lnkfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex\MayChangeDefaultMenu]


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## nomad381

i can't run even this .reg file...


any other ideas??

thank you


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## Verticallogic

*Possible Solution To Your Problem*

Find the files you are trying to open and rename the extension to .bat

You can do this with any exe files like msconfig.exe


It should look like this after you rename it. msconfig.bat


So if you download an exe file that you need to run in order to remove the particular viruses you have and it is an .exe file then just rename it to .bat and the program should run just fine. A bat file is a batch file and is an executable file. If this works for you please send me a message and let me know. Thanks

(that goes for anybody this works for)


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## amanisdude

Most likely, you have the SirCam virus. The following articles might help you:

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/exefile.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=837334
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=310585
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=311446

Best,

AmanIsDude


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## Wes45

Thanks alot guys! I did what you guys said and it worked... My files are now functionally working again. Actually for quite some time now lols. I completely forgot to post here. Once again thanks. Problem solved...:grin:


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## amanisdude

*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
*Note:* _This reply is intended for all users and vagabonds for whom the above techniques do not completely solve the problem._
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
I was recently examining the computer of a friend who had this exact same problem and who did not get it from a virus. She was unable to manually execute any program, and most of her icons and file associations were gone (including desktop links and Start Menu shortcuts). Even her Control Panel tweaks (actually .cpl files stored at various locations on your computer) couldn't be run!

In fact, the only "files" that seemed to be unaffected were folders and Word Document (.DOC) files, which could actually run their associated programs without the whole "Windows cannot open this file" yada yada dialog (Windows Explorer and Microsoft Word, respectively).

However, it wasn't until I checked the file associations in 
{Explorer window} > Tools > Folder Options... > File Types that I realized that the problem was caused by missing file extension registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

And what was the culprit of this mess? The answer may surprise you. It was not a virus. It was actually caused by the installation of two simultaneous virus scan programs!

It has been weakly documented that installing AVG when another virus scanner is already installed may actually lead to the inadvertent deletion of registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Why does this happen, you may ask?

Most of the top virus scan programs add a right-click option to the Windows UI that gives you the option to manually scan a file for virus trouble. AVG is no exception, though the trouble comes in how it does the rest. When installing, it accesses each file extension registry key (.XXX) under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and adds a key and value to create a "Scan with AVG Free" option. (You can see this in the upper column above the first separator if you right-click a file icon.) Other virus eaters (e.g., McAfee) edit the Explorer registry and, thus, place this option _below_ the first separator or in a separator category of their own.

The problem with this? Well, if you already have a scanner installed, it might treat this little adding game as "suspicious activity" and block it. Unfortunately, this somehow causes the AVG installer to delete the whole key where it is trying to place it's option! (Stupid, I know.)

And how do you fix this problem, you may ask? You can either export the whole HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key from someone else's computer who happens to have the same Windows version and service pack as you (though this may change some existent file association preferences), or you can do as jenae alludes to above and do a Doug Knox fix. (I actually recommend that you go to Doug Knox's website and download each registry fix file - http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm.) The latter should restore most major file associations and registry keys. Once you get the EXEs running again, you can use them to re-associate files to your heart's content.

To do this, boot up your PC in "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" (spam the F8 key after your BIOS startup before the Windows logo appears until you get the option). Then, download these files using another computer (or Internet Explorer via the Internet Explorer legacy icon on the desktop or in the Start Menu if it's your default browser before booting into Safe Mode) and move them to the troubled computer with a Flash drive or --gasp-- floppy. (Bluetooth if you're awesome good.)

Then, in the command prompt window, type in "regedit" without the quotes and hit enter. Go to File > Import..., find the zip fixer ("zipfolder_fix.reg") and import it. Then, go back to the command console (CMD) and type in "explorer", again, without the quotes, to initiate the Windows UI. Then, decompress the rest of the files using the built-in Compressed Folder utility (right-click on each and select Extract All...) and double click on each registry file to import it into the registry. (Make sure you hit [Yes] to add the information to the registry for each of the files.) Windows 2000 and earlier users may have to use another computer to do the extracting.

Once you do all this, restart your computer and _voila_! Everything should be back in relatively working order. Now you can set all your file association preferences back to what you want.

So the lessons from this kids? Don't install two virus scanners unless you _absolutely_ need to. In order to detect viruses, scanners often have to behave like viruses themselves and can, thus, trigger a response from other scanners. Plus, it'll slow your computer down like heck.

Here are some reference links:
http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28119
http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showtopic=678

Enjoy!

Note: From the second link, it seems that Ad-Aware can also do this. To avoid this, disable your virus scanner when installing Ad-Aware just to be on the safe side. ...Unless of course you'd rather live dangerously.


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## cleopete

In a similiar vein...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555067

Much the same: one reg key edit and they neglect to mention safe mode command prompt.

The machine I'm working on had AVG (v. 7 fer crying out loud) and AdAware. I doubt the owner has ever had anything else. I've seen those two play nice on many machines, but this one was pretty messed up all around. I've never seen that particular problem before, and it was quite the stumper. And I don't care if I spent twice as long fixing it as I would have spent reinstalling. Dang skippy.


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## tbonet

i had the same problem and i copied Jenae's RegFix and it did fix the problem. thank you!


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## texasgkb

jenae said:


> Hi, you should check to ensure your computer does not have malware that caused this though I suspect a legacy program download messed with autoexec This is lifted from another post read the instructions (about notepad ) apply and reboot to enact Perfectly safe.
> 
> 
> Hi, the doug Knox fix should do the job though you may have problems running it depends on how they set up your permissions (Reg cleaners are a NO NO). This is essentially the doug Knox fix in a way that will run and should fix your problem. Copy and paste ALL that appears below into notepad then in notepad go to "file" and select save as from the box save as EXEFix.Reg and save to desktop to run just double click on the saved file and when prompted say yes to merge into registry (this is perfectly safe used many times) Rebbot to take effect. Copy ALL below:-
> 
> 
> 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}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile]
> @="Registration Entries"
> "EditFlags"=dword:00100000
> "BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\DefaultIcon]
> @=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
> 00,5c,00,72,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\
> 2c,00,31,00,00,00
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell]
> @="open"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit\command]
> @=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
> 00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\
> 54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,00,\
> 00
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open]
> @="Mer&ge"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command]
> @="regedit.exe \"%1\""
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print\command]
> @=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
> 00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\
> 54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,2f,00,70,00,20,\
> 00,25,00,31,00,00,00
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]
> @="lnkfile"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew]
> "Command"="rundll32.exe appwiz.cpl,NewLinkHere %1"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
> @="Shortcut"
> "EditFlags"=dword:00000001
> "IsShortcut"=""
> "NeverShowExt"=""
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\CLSID]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Offline Files]
> @="{750fdf0e-2a26-11d1-a3ea-080036587f03}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\DropHandler]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]
> @="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> @="Shortcut"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32]
> @="shell32.dll"
> "ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered\{89BCB740-6119-101A-BCB7-00DD010655AF}]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentHandler]
> @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ProgID]
> @="lnkfile"
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex]
> 
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex\MayChangeDefaultMenu]


I want to thank you so very much for the exefix. About 2 weeks ago my wife was introduced to an ugly site on her new laptop. The site apparently goofed with the registry and disabled the ability to run executables. This includes any type of antivirus protection. I couldn't even run downloads. The EXEFIX.REG worked perfectly. Thanks!


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