can't run command prompts

[Guest]

Hello,

A friend's computer seems to have picked up a virus, which is affecting .exe
files. His anti-virus is disabled. Every time I try to use the command
prompt, it tells me that it doesn't recognize the .exe extension, regardless
of the command (regedit, sysedit, etc.) It also won't reboot from the OS CD
(Windows XP Pro) or let me reinstall the operating system. Help! If I can't
get in to edit the registry or reinstall the OS, I don't know what to do
next. Thanks.

 

[Patti MacLeod]

Hi semi-geek,

Try this fix which undoes the registry changes caused by the Swen trojan:
http://download.nai.com/products/mcafee-avert/Fixswen.inf <<--direct to
file download
Once downloaded, right-click on the Fixswen.inf file and select Install.

I don't think the changes to the registry affecting .exe file association
would affect the ability to boot from the install CD. Is the CD drive
selected as first boot device in the BIOS?



Regards,