Error: "not a valid application"

[Lawrence Gould]

Dear All:

I realized way too late that one or more of the last few programs
I installed -- Windows Media Player (WMP; I then uninstalled it),
Norton Ghost, GoBack that came with Norton System Works 2003, the
latest RealPlayer -- has created a situation that clicking on any
*recently* downloaded executables (.exe; these are install programs
for various applications) returns the error message "not a valid
application."

(Unfortunately, I also installed these same programs, except WMP,
on another computer before realizing this problem. The other computer
has the same problem now.)

The downloaded files, in Windows Explorer, have a DOS-program
icon. These are 32-bit setup programs for 32-bit apps. Run these setup
programs from the DOS prompt returns an error message about not enough
memory. (1 GB RAM.)

The computer doesn't have a virus. I ran Kaspersky Personal
Pro, Panda Software's Sircam32 virus inoculator, and the on-line virus
scanner from www.antivirus.com.... Nada. Nothing.

What associations or registry items were reset? How can I solve
this? Help!

Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,
Larry

O/S: Win2K Pro Workstation (SP4)
CPU: AMD AthlonXP 1700+ (H Series, 1.466 GHz)
M/B: Asus A7V266 (Socket A)
(VIA 4-in-1: 4.32v)
BIOS: Award ACPI (BIOS Revision 1002B; rel 9/4/01)
RAM: 1 GB
SCSI: Adaptec 29160 controller (BIOS v2.57.0)
HD: 9.1-GB Seagate Barracuda (Ultra160 SCSI)
4-GB Seagate Barracuda (UltraWide SCSI)
CD: Plextor PlexWriter 12/10/32S (R/W SCSI)
Plextor PX-43CE (4x SCSI)
Graphics: Matrox 32M G400 dual head graphics card
(AGP; BIOS v1.5.022)
(Matrox PowerDesk for Win2K, Rev. 6.20.029)
Audio: Sound Blaster Live! MP3 Audigy 5.3 (PCI)
Network adapter: Linksys LNE100TX (v4)

 

[JR K Yoshikawa]

Check your Downloaded exe file.
that behavior occur, sometime file are corrupt or broken.
check that file with original file size.
If that is not same as original download again.
(or use reliable downloader to download that file)

 

[Lawrence Gould]

Check your Downloaded exe file.
that behavior occur, sometime file are corrupt or broken.
check that file with original file size.
If that is not same as original download again.
(or use reliable downloader to download that file)

Yep, did all of that already. And, it's a reliable downloader.
What else can I check?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[JR K Yoshikawa]

is that problem has all exe file, or just downloaded file?
If that happen on only downloaded file,
can you copy downloaded file to another PC and excute?
also can you download same file on other PC, and transfer to your PC?

you can use filesnoop to check your exe file info.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,3113,00.asp

also can you pointed downloaded file, which you have problem?