EXE files all changed!!!

[simonkarios]

Hi all and hope you are all well!

Huge problem on comp which i hope you will as usual be able to help...

For some reason...virus i think....all my exe files have changed to .lnk files.Hence i can't run any programmes,can't go into regedit and hence can't reinstall xp over the top! ::swear .Can't even open a command prompt(suppose i could do it in safe mode with command prompt?).Can't even go intom system restore but did manage to command prompt into this in safe mode but it didn't help!

Don't know where to go with this...any help or further info would be massively appreciated :(

[MarcusMel]

c:>ren *.lnk *.exe /s

ren is the rename command ren filename to filename.

ren is a command that 'belongs' to the command.com program that is running when you get the command prompt

[simonkarios]

c:>ren *.lnk *.exe /s

ren is the rename command ren filename to filename.

ren is a command that 'belongs' to the command.com program that is running when you get the command prompt

Hi Marcus,

Do i just type this in the run dialogue....?

If it is a command prompt i can't get in to command prompt unless i go into safe mode with command prompt

Could you just explain...sorry to be a pain!

[MarcusMel]

Just come accross something call Go Back from Norton. Says in can put your PC back to clean state.

[GlosRFC]

Uh-oh, that sounds like a major problem but I'm not aware of it being caused by a virus - sounds to me like you've messed up some of the important registry settings possibly by using a registry cleaning program incorrectly. Should be possible to fix it although you'll need to tamper with your registry again! The usual caveat applies - don't do this if you don't know what you're doing but, seeing as how your machine is useless at the moment, you can't make it any worse by following my recommendations. All of the various registry fixes I'll outline below simply restore XP back to the default settings anyway so here's the approach that I'd try:

1. You'll need to restore the Zip associations so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/zipfolder_fix.reg and select Run instead of Download. When prompted, select Yes to merge the file into your registry.

2. Now you can open Zip files it's time to restore your .EXE files so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/xp_exe_fix.zip and select Run instead of Download. This should open up a Winzip window containing the file xp_reg_fix.reg so double-click that and merge it into your registry.

3. Time now to fix your shortcuts so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/linkfile_fix.zip and select Run instead of Download. Winzip will open again and contain a file called linkfile_fix.reg that you should double-click and merge into your directory.

4. Reboot your PC and see if your executable program files are named correctly and that your shortcuts work. They should do.

5. You can now use some of the standard XP stuff to help clean up your system so go to Start, Run and enter "SFC /scannow" without the quotes but don't forget the space before the /. You will need to have your XP system disk handy. This will restore all of the critical Windows files. More details about SFC can be found here http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=222193 and here http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310747

6. Like I said, I don't think it was caused by a virus but I would still run a complete scan at this stage anyway.

7. I suspect that the kludges made to your registry in the first place might also have altered a lot of other file associations so you might also need to do either an XP repair or an XP reinstallation. Details on that can be found here http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

I see you're offline so you might've closed your PC down, in which case you might not even be able to read/access any of this but best of luck with it if you can. If you can access this post on another computer, save all of the registry tweaks onto a floppy and transfer them to the "broken" PC, then run them from there by going through Start, Run, then typing A:xxxxxx.reg etc.

[MarcusMel]

Sorry you go into safe mode command prompt only.

When get C:\> or something similar to this you can type the above command. this will change ALL files in ALL directorys ending in .lnk to exe files.!!!! So all the lnk files would disapear i.e all the internet links and shortcuts become exe files!!

There are too many exe files on your computer to try and do the renaming individually so this would only be a partial restore. There is still the problem of what change the names in the first place.

[GlosRFC]

I wouldn't try using the rename option as a) you'll be there for days, and b) you'll end up renaming a .dll as an .exe or c) you'll miss renaming a critical .exe file.

And as you're now online, ignore my spiel at the end of my first post :)

[MarcusMel]

I wondered if all the .com files were still intact! If the registry and be safely restored and a reload of the all the windows files can be done this would be a better route.

[GlosRFC]

An XP repair will reinstall the Windows associations but it won't restore the associations created by other programs that Simon might've installed. And it will still leave the dodgy registry entries intact - even if Simon did restore the Registry, there's no guarantee that he's rolling it back to a fully clean version. By merging those files into his registry he can at least guarantee that the important .EXE and .LNK file association entries are correct first and then run a repair from there.

[simonkarios]

.com files are not working either.....

so now i am confused shall i command prompt and rename .lnk to .exe as suggested by Marcus... :rolleyes:

I am at work so can only go online intermittantly.... :D

[GlosRFC]

.com files are not working either.....

so now i am confused shall i command prompt and rename .lnk to .exe as suggested by Marcus... :rolleyes:

You can....but I'd only recommend that as a last-ditch resort as it can end up being even messier. Run through the options I've outlined first to see if that restores your PC to a usable state. It should do. You can then set about using XP itself to finish up the repair.


Best of luck.

[simonkarios]

Many thanks..I will try tonight on my return home and let you know how i get on with the list...i presume doing doing those things in your list will still work without the exe's working?

[GlosRFC]

Yes, you should still be able to merge the files without the .exe associations working. Print out my post at work and take it home with you. If you lived close, I'd even volunteer to come round and fix it for you while you made the tea :D

Once you've got your PC back to 90% health, we can then set about restoring your .COM links, as well as all the other associations that I also suspect are broken:

CAB
BAT
CPL
ICO
Folders
INF
MPEG/TIFF etc.

[MarcusMel]

It really depends on being able to recognise what has actually happend to the PC. If there has been a mad rename of all the exe files (I have come accross this before a very very long time ago and memory of it is a bit hazy and yes I spent ages renaming all the files in the DOS directory because I knew neary all the filenames way back then!) I will post the .com files on my computer and the .exe files. They wont match up directly but you might get yourself to a semi working state. If there is nothing important on the maching then its the just as tirsome reinstalling of all the system software.

[MarcusMel]

This maybe of use.

[MarcusMel]

Glos has more upto date knowedge. The above is only last ditch swear at Marcus resort sort of thing.

[GlosRFC]

:D :D :D

[simonkarios]

Uh-oh, that sounds like a major problem but I'm not aware of it being caused by a virus - sounds to me like you've messed up some of the important registry settings possibly by using a registry cleaning program incorrectly. Should be possible to fix it although you'll need to tamper with your registry again! The usual caveat applies - don't do this if you don't know what you're doing but, seeing as how your machine is useless at the moment, you can't make it any worse by following my recommendations. All of the various registry fixes I'll outline below simply restore XP back to the default settings anyway so here's the approach that I'd try:

1. You'll need to restore the Zip associations so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/zipfolder_fix.reg and select Run instead of Download. When prompted, select Yes to merge the file into your registry.

2. Now you can open Zip files it's time to restore your .EXE files so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/xp_exe_fix.zip and select Run instead of Download. This should open up a Winzip window containing the file xp_reg_fix.reg so double-click that and merge it into your registry.

3. Time now to fix your shortcuts so click on this link http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/linkfile_fix.zip and select Run instead of Download. Winzip will open again and contain a file called linkfile_fix.reg that you should double-click and merge into your directory.

4. Reboot your PC and see if your executable program files are named correctly and that your shortcuts work. They should do.

5. You can now use some of the standard XP stuff to help clean up your system so go to Start, Run and enter "SFC /scannow" without the quotes but don't forget the space before the /. You will need to have your XP system disk handy. This will restore all of the critical Windows files. More details about SFC can be found here http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=222193 and here http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310747

6. Like I said, I don't think it was caused by a virus but I would still run a complete scan at this stage anyway.

7. I suspect that the kludges made to your registry in the first place might also have altered a lot of other file associations so you might also need to do either an XP repair or an XP reinstallation. Details on that can be found here http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

I see you're offline so you might've closed your PC down, in which case you might not even be able to read/access any of this but best of luck with it if you can. If you can access this post on another computer, save all of the registry tweaks onto a floppy and transfer them to the "broken" PC, then run them from there by going through Start, Run, then typing A:xxxxxx.reg etc.

ok..now i am really stuck ::swear ::swear

reg files aren't working either so i can't do anything with these lonks

Glos are you there :D

[GlosRFC]

Hi Simon

When you click on the links do they not run at all or are you unable to open them?

[simonkarios]

i am able to open them but then i get the box coming up saying windows cannot open this file type open with etc etc

[GlosRFC]

Okay. Have you tried using the Open with option and selecting REGEDIT?

If that doesn't work, go into your Windows directory and look for the file regedit - you might have to rename that one to regedit.exe

[simonkarios]

Star man!

There back!!

still odd though when i click on explorer its says cannot find ie.exe ::swear

should i do anything else now or just be thankful!

[GlosRFC]

That's good - I thought it might work. I'd also have a look at a your other files and check if their extensions are okay and that the file associations are correct. So look at your .COM files, .ICO files, try launching any TIF or BMP files you might have, etc. If you're still having problems with them, I can let you have some further registry fixes to solve them as well.

But for now, congratulations and fingers crossed :)

[simonkarios]

Many thanks.... :D

[GlosRFC]

still odd though when i click on explorer its says cannot find ie.exe ::swear


I don't think there is an ie.exe file provided with Windows - there is an ie.exe which is a Trojan file so maybe it's that which messed things up in the first place although I think that's more of a backdoor program. Either way, it's good that your PC no longer finds it :D

Best bet would be to run a full anti-virus scan, malware scan, spyware scan at this stage as per step 6 in my instructions.