Can't open Recycle Bin or My Computer

[Roger Fink]

When I try to open the Recycle Bin or My Computer from the desktop, Windows
thinks I want to create a new folder instead and offers me a dialog box to
create a new folder. How do I get things back to normal?

Note that these folders have long since been renamed, but I have never had a
problem with them.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

When I try to open the Recycle Bin or My Computer from the desktop,
Windows
thinks I want to create a new folder instead and offers me a dialog box to
create a new folder. How do I get things back to normal?

Note that these folders have long since been renamed, but I have never had
a
problem with them.

It looks like something has damaged the registry entries that are behind
these special icons, perhaps a virus or some malware. Here are a few options
to fix things:
- "How do I make the Recycle Bin appear on my desktop in Windows XP?"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810869. Maybe you
can find a similar link for the "My Computer" shortcut.
- Create your own shortcuts:
My Computer: %systemroot%\explorer.exe
/e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin: %systemroot%\explorer.exe
/e,::{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
- Check/Recreate the registry entries that sit behind these shortcuts. They
are rather voluminous (2000 .. 2600 bytes each) but I will post them if
you're keen to do some registry hacking.

 

[Roger Fink]

A couple of other things I've just discovered. The folders open on
right-click/open. The error occurs when I double-click the left mouse
button. The dialog box I referenced was from a third party app, "New Folder
Here". I just uninstalled it, but now I get a different message, "Windows
cannot find Program.exe. This program is needed for opening files of the
type, 'Folder' ". I did a search for Folder.exe and nothing came up.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

The plot thickens. AFAIK, there is no native program in Win2000 called
"program.exe". It sounds as if you have or had a virus. Better check your
virus scanner log and/or virus vault.

 

[Sid Elbow]

When you right-click, what is the highlighted default action in that
menu? It should be the <Open> action but if something has changed the
default (e.g. to <New Folder Here>) then that's what you'll get when you
Left DC.

You should be able to change the default action by going to Tools >
Folder Options > File Types and then editing the entry for Folder and/or
File Folder.

 

[Roger Fink]

Well, I "fixed" it but there might be a price to pay down the road. Using my
old Fix-it utility program I restored the registry in as small an amount of
elapsed time as I could but far enough back in time to get me past the event
that precipitated this. The successful restore turned out to be 9-04, 2:00
am. I prefer to use GoBack here and that was my first choice, but it didn't
have enough storage capacity to go back that far. So I may get some
unwelcome messages. If so, hopefully they will be minor.

What bothers me is that before I did any of this I did a complete scan with
Spybot S&D, Avast, and Trend-Micro Sysclean. Everything came up negative,
and the Avast log and quarantine showed nothing. So I'm clueless as to
whether I have any infestation on the computer or not. If the problem
recurs, that question will certainly be answered.

I've been playing around with WindowBlinds lately, and the early version for
Win 2000 is a little dodgy (but worth it, IMO). Maybe that had something to
do with it. I hope so.

 

[Roger Fink]

re: program.exe:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191219
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188592

The specifics of the articles, including the OS and the apps they applies
to, don't apply here but at least it's possible (probable?) that malware or
a virus wasn't involved.

 

[Buffalo]

A couple of other things I've just discovered. The folders open on
right-click/open. The error occurs when I double-click the left mouse
button. The dialog box I referenced was from a third party app, "New
Folder Here". I just uninstalled it, but now I get a different
message, "Windows cannot find Program.exe. This program is needed for
opening files of the type, 'Folder' ". I did a search for Folder.exe
and nothing came up.

Are you sure it was Program.exe or was it Progman.exe?
Buffalo
PS: Whoops, it is getting very late here,

 

[Roger Fink]

Are you sure it was Program.exe or was it Progman.exe?
Buffalo
PS: Whoops, it is getting very late here,

Sure of very little in this world. However I'm sure it wasn't Folder.exe as
my "typo" inferred.