Missing program/Unregistered file format ??

[Guest]

Okay so here is the thing.
Recently I discovered that all of my .txt documents (Notepad documents),
their icons have been changed to a folded page with the original logo in the
middle.
And also the description for the document is no longer Notepad Document but
it is now "TXT file"
And Notepad is no longer an option when creating a new file (Right Click in
a folder > New)

But even though all of this is happening, I am still able to open and edit
TXT files on my computer with notepad as if nothing has gone wrong with it.

this didnt bother me at first but now it's interfering with me installing
certain programs because they cannot find the notepad.exe file giving me this
error message.
"Cannot find file C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE
(or one of it's components)"


Which reminds me, there is also no TXT file registered under "Registered
file types"
([in windows exlporer] Tools > Folder Options... > File Types tab)
I already tried reregistering the TXT file and setting it to Notepad but
after doing so it's like my actions were undone or never applied.


I know this may sound like a lot but i am in DIRE need of a solution.


Any ideas?

 

[dobey]

Okay so here is the thing.
Recently I discovered that all of my .txt documents (Notepad documents),
their icons have been changed to a folded page with the original logo in
the
middle.
And also the description for the document is no longer Notepad Document
but
it is now "TXT file"
And Notepad is no longer an option when creating a new file (Right Click
in
a folder > New)

But even though all of this is happening, I am still able to open and edit
TXT files on my computer with notepad as if nothing has gone wrong with
it.

this didnt bother me at first but now it's interfering with me installing
certain programs because they cannot find the notepad.exe file giving me
this
error message.
"Cannot find file
C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE
(or one of it's components)"


Which reminds me, there is also no TXT file registered under "Registered
file types"
([in windows exlporer] Tools > Folder Options... > File Types tab)
I already tried reregistering the TXT file and setting it to Notepad but
after doing so it's like my actions were undone or never applied.


I know this may sound like a lot but i am in DIRE need of a solution.


Any ideas?

It's odd that Windows is looking in your local temp directory for notepad.
By default it is in <drive>:\windows\system32 directory.

All you need to do is find a text file, right-click mouse > open with >
choose program, click browse and then browse to \windows\system32
directory\notepad.exe click "Open", check the box "Always use selected
program..", then "OK".

That should work.

It sounds like you may have installed another program that associated itself
with text files, and then uninstalled it and the associations weren't
properly returned to original settings.

 

[RalfG]

Very odd. The path -\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE- suggests something has been
installed on your computer and it has taken over at least partially from the
real Notepad. The fact that it is using the name of a legitimate Windows
program suggests that it might be malware. Bad practice to use the same name
if it is just a 3rd party notepad replacement.

If you see Notepad in your Add or Remove programs list, uninstall it. It is
a substitute or fake. If you can't fix the problem by uninstalling, use
System Restore to go back to when Notepad last worked correctly.

Okay so here is the thing.
Recently I discovered that all of my .txt documents (Notepad documents),
their icons have been changed to a folded page with the original logo in
the
middle.
And also the description for the document is no longer Notepad Document
but
it is now "TXT file"
And Notepad is no longer an option when creating a new file (Right Click
in
a folder > New)

But even though all of this is happening, I am still able to open and
edit
TXT files on my computer with notepad as if nothing has gone wrong with
it.

this didnt bother me at first but now it's interfering with me installing
certain programs because they cannot find the notepad.exe file giving me
this
error message.
"Cannot find file
C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE
(or one of it's components)"


Which reminds me, there is also no TXT file registered under "Registered
file types"
([in windows exlporer] Tools > Folder Options... > File Types tab)
I already tried reregistering the TXT file and setting it to Notepad but
after doing so it's like my actions were undone or never applied.


I know this may sound like a lot but i am in DIRE need of a solution.


Any ideas?

It's odd that Windows is looking in your local temp directory for notepad.
By default it is in <drive>:\windows\system32 directory.

All you need to do is find a text file, right-click mouse > open with >
choose program, click browse and then browse to \windows\system32
directory\notepad.exe click "Open", check the box "Always use selected
program..", then "OK".

That should work.

It sounds like you may have installed another program that associated
itself with text files, and then uninstalled it and the associations
weren't properly returned to original settings.

 

[Guest]

Yes it could be a spyware detected by the security program and deleted but
its reference in the registry remained. Try running AVG antispyware (formerly
ewido). See this link in which Spyware.WinAd was detected on the simillar
RarSFX2 folder and the registry:
http://www.webuser.co.uk/forums/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/206357/page/0/vc/1
--
Rey

Very odd. The path -\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE- suggests something has been
installed on your computer and it has taken over at least partially from the
real Notepad. The fact that it is using the name of a legitimate Windows
program suggests that it might be malware. Bad practice to use the same name
if it is just a 3rd party notepad replacement.

If you see Notepad in your Add or Remove programs list, uninstall it. It is
a substitute or fake. If you can't fix the problem by uninstalling, use
System Restore to go back to when Notepad last worked correctly.

Okay so here is the thing.
Recently I discovered that all of my .txt documents (Notepad documents),
their icons have been changed to a folded page with the original logo in
the
middle.
And also the description for the document is no longer Notepad Document
but
it is now "TXT file"
And Notepad is no longer an option when creating a new file (Right Click
in
a folder > New)

But even though all of this is happening, I am still able to open and
edit
TXT files on my computer with notepad as if nothing has gone wrong with
it.

this didnt bother me at first but now it's interfering with me installing
certain programs because they cannot find the notepad.exe file giving me
this
error message.
"Cannot find file
C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE
(or one of it's components)"


Which reminds me, there is also no TXT file registered under "Registered
file types"
([in windows exlporer] Tools > Folder Options... > File Types tab)
I already tried reregistering the TXT file and setting it to Notepad but
after doing so it's like my actions were undone or never applied.


I know this may sound like a lot but i am in DIRE need of a solution.


Any ideas?

It's odd that Windows is looking in your local temp directory for notepad.
By default it is in <drive>:\windows\system32 directory.

All you need to do is find a text file, right-click mouse > open with >
choose program, click browse and then browse to \windows\system32
directory\notepad.exe click "Open", check the box "Always use selected
program..", then "OK".

That should work.

It sounds like you may have installed another program that associated
itself with text files, and then uninstalled it and the associations
weren't properly returned to original settings.

 

[Guest]

Yes it could be a spyware detected by the security program and deleted but
its reference in the registry remained. Try running AVG antispyware (formerly
ewido). See this link in which Spyware.WinAd was detected on the simillar
RarSFX2 folder and the registry:
http://www.webuser.co.uk/forums/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/206357/page/0/vc/1

Ill try AVG

I actually might have found that this was the problem.
I installed a program sometime ago called Notetab light that I planned to
substitute for notepad.
But it was installed so long ago is there anyway other than using System
Restore?


Didn't work. I also tried this a number of times before.
Thanks for the thought though.

 

[Guest]

Ill try AVG

AVG didn't detect anything referring to Notepad.

 

[RalfG]

AVG would only find infections that are still on the computer. Your original
error message indicated that the substitute "notepad" file was already
removed. The settings that instruct Windows to use the missing file are
still there though so it still tries to run it and then pops up the error
message.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE

It sounds that a Malware (using the same executable name as Notepad) has changed the .txt file associations. Although the file is now deleted (probably by your AV/Anti-Malware software), you may have to fix the ..TXT file type associations.

Check this page:

File association fixes:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm
--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Okay so here is the thing.
Recently I discovered that all of my .txt documents (Notepad documents),
their icons have been changed to a folded page with the original logo in the
middle.
And also the description for the document is no longer Notepad Document but
it is now "TXT file"
And Notepad is no longer an option when creating a new file (Right Click in
a folder > New)

But even though all of this is happening, I am still able to open and edit
TXT files on my computer with notepad as if nothing has gone wrong with it.

this didnt bother me at first but now it's interfering with me installing
certain programs because they cannot find the notepad.exe file giving me this
error message.
"Cannot find file C:\DOCUME~1\OWNER~1.YOU\LOCALS~1\Temp\RarSFX2\NOTEPAD.EXE
(or one of it's components)"


Which reminds me, there is also no TXT file registered under "Registered
file types"
([in windows exlporer] Tools > Folder Options... > File Types tab)
I already tried reregistering the TXT file and setting it to Notepad but
after doing so it's like my actions were undone or never applied.


I know this may sound like a lot but i am in DIRE need of a solution.


Any ideas?