Problem with CALC.EXE

  • Thread starter Thread starter Newman
  • Start date Start date
N

Newman

Here's a weird one...

All our computers here run WinXP Pro...

and I have one computer - where CALC.EXE wont work. I double click on
it - nothing. I right-click and "run as" - nothing. I tried CALC.EXE
on my computer - works fine. I copied the working file from my
computer to the target computer and double clicked it - it wont work.

I read something about CALC.EXE potentially being a virus - but all
systems are fully protected with Sophos A/V. If there were a virus,
then Sophos would nail it in a second (or less ;).

I'm stumped!

Any ideas??
 
Here's a weird one...
All our computers here run WinXP Pro...

and I have one computer - where CALC.EXE wont work. I double click on
it - nothing. I right-click and "run as" - nothing. I tried CALC.EXE
on my computer - works fine. I copied the working file from my
computer to the target computer and double clicked it - it wont work.

I read something about CALC.EXE potentially being a virus - but all
systems are fully protected with Sophos A/V. If there were a virus,
then Sophos would nail it in a second (or less ;).

I'm stumped!

Any ideas??
Click to expand...

If you right-click on calc and choose properties, you should see
version information related to Microsoft. If not, that's NOT calc in
there.

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)
 
Newman said:
Here's a weird one...

All our computers here run WinXP Pro...

and I have one computer - where CALC.EXE wont work. I double click on
it - nothing. I right-click and "run as" - nothing. I tried CALC.EXE
on my computer - works fine. I copied the working file from my
computer to the target computer and double clicked it - it wont work.

I read something about CALC.EXE potentially being a virus - but all
systems are fully protected with Sophos A/V. If there were a virus,
then Sophos would nail it in a second (or less ;).

I'm stumped!

Any ideas??
Click to expand...

Try this:
1. Click Start / Run
2. Type the three letters cmd
3. Click OK.
4. Type this command:
%systemroot%\system32\calc.exe
5. Press the Enter key.
6. Report what you see.
 
If you right-click on calc and choose properties, you should see
version information related to Microsoft. If not, that's NOT calc in
there.

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)
Click to expand...

Version: 5.1.2600.0

Looks like Microsoft to me.

Weird. I have had lotts of complicated stuff get snarled, but Calc???
 
Newman

Try another way.

Start, Control Panel, Add / Remove Programs, Windows Components, place
the cursor on Accesories and Utilitities and click on Details. The
cursor should default to Accessories, click on Detail and uncheck the
box before Calculator. OK your way out and click on Next etc. I would
then. restart the computer. Repeat the process but this time check the
box before Calculator. Does that resolve the problem.

No anti-virus is infallible. What anti-spyware software is installed?

Have you searched the computer for calc.exe? What version is the file,
where is located and what size is the file?

--


Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I find it hard to believe that this can happen with NO error messages as
to what has happened.

The most likely cause is that you have copied it over using Admin
privileges and tried to execute it with user restricted privileges.

Right-click on Calk.exe and choose 'Security' tab from across the top.
Check here that you are affording the file enough permissions for a
common user to execute the program (Read & Execute).

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
Try this:
1. Click Start / Run
2. Type the three letters cmd
3. Click OK.
4. Type this command:
%systemroot%\system32\calc.exe
5. Press the Enter key.
6. Report what you see.
Click to expand...

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\>%systemroot%\system32\calc.exe

C:\>

That's it.
 
Newman

Try another way.

Start, Control Panel, Add / Remove Programs, Windows Components, place
the cursor on Accesories and Utilitities and click on Details. The
cursor should default to Accessories, click on Detail and uncheck the
box before Calculator. OK your way out and click on Next etc. I would
then. restart the computer. Repeat the process but this time check the
box before Calculator. Does that resolve the problem.
Click to expand...

Tried it. No change.
No anti-virus is infallible. What anti-spyware software is installed?
Click to expand...

No specific anti-spyware on this computer.
Have you searched the computer for calc.exe? What version is the file,
where is located and what size is the file?
Click to expand...

calc.exe is located in C:\windows\system32

Version: 5.1.2600.0

Size: 114,688 bytes



This is so weird!
 
In a bit of a twist I logged on to my account. I am listed as an
Administrator on the computer, as well as a Domain and Enterprize
admin.

I cannot run Calc.exe either.

Just for laughs I thought I would download a 3rd part calculator to
get this Engineer by until I could resolve the issue.

So I downloaded Calc98:

http://www.calculator.org/download.html

I installed it, and it wont work on this computer either! Same
problem, double-click it and nothing happens.

Any ideas as to what is going on here?
 
Newman said:
Try this:
1. Click Start / Run
2. Type the three letters cmd
3. Click OK.
4. Type this command:
%systemroot%\system32\calc.exe
5. Press the Enter key.
6. Report what you see.
Click to expand...

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\>%systemroot%\system32\calc.exe

C:\>

That's it.
Click to expand...

The calculator might be beyond your field of vision. Repeat the same steps
1-6, then add Step 7:
tasklist.exe

If the calculator is active then you will see it at the bottom of the list.
If it is not active, reboot the machine into Safe Mode, then try again.
 
Many thanks to Mr. Wolf!

Downloaded from your link & installed.

MS Calculator Plus runs just fine. Go figure!

I still would like to know what was going on with the other calulator
though.

I copied the calc.exe from the problem machine to my machine, and on
my machine it runs fine.

Bizzare.

Thanks again!
 
Many thanks to Mr. Wolf!
Downloaded from your link & installed.

MS Calculator Plus runs just fine. Go figure!

I still would like to know what was going on with the other calulator
though.

I copied the calc.exe from the problem machine to my machine, and on
my machine it runs fine.

Bizzare.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Maybe there's a group policy out there somewhere blocking it?

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)
 
What happens when you click start---run---type in 'calc.exe' sans quotes and
click OK? Any error?
 
Here's a weird one...

All our computers here run WinXP Pro...

and I have one computer - where CALC.EXE wont work. I double click on
it - nothing. I right-click and "run as" - nothing. I tried CALC.EXE
on my computer - works fine. I copied the working file from my
computer to the target computer and double clicked it - it wont work.

I read something about CALC.EXE potentially being a virus - but all
systems are fully protected with Sophos A/V. If there were a virus,
then Sophos would nail it in a second (or less ;).

I'm stumped!

Any ideas??
Click to expand...

Have you tried renaming/copying calc.exe to calc.com or newman.exe/
newman.com?

How about running what you think is a good copy from some other folder
than system32?
 
Newman said:
Many thanks to Mr. Wolf!

Downloaded from your link & installed.

MS Calculator Plus runs just fine. Go figure!

I still would like to know what was going on with the other calculator
though.

I copied the calc.exe from the problem machine to my machine, and on
my machine it runs fine.

Bizzare.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Does it show up on the Taskbar? As Pegasus suggested, it could be
aligned off-screen. If it's on the Taskbar, right-click the Taskbar,
click "Cascade Windows" and see if you can find it.
 
Newman

The file details are OK.


--


Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Elmo

Calculator will start if you double click calc.exe in
C:\windows\system32 but I think Newman probably has tried that. This
approach is more direct than what you are suggesting.

--


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
What does "won't work" mean? What exactly happens? Any error messages?

Not necessarily. It could be a worm, trojan or one of many other forms
of malware that an antivirus program, won't find. You also need to run
spyware scanners; the usual recommendation being at least 3 different
ones. To date no single program will find everything and they all have
their own strengths and weaknesses, to more than one is needed in order
to be thorough and certain as possible that there is no malware on the
computer. Antivirus software will NOT find most of those.
....

Calc.exe should reside in C:\windows\System32\
and probably in C:\windows\System32\dllcache\.

Make sure the ones in system32 and dllcache are actually the right ones
by clicking on them and running them. Your shortcut may simply be
damaged or have been changed.
If they run fine or if repairing the shortcut to system32 doesn't fix
it, OR if you find it in any other folders, then get out your AV and
spyware arsenal, update them all, and run scans with all of them; you
probably have a virus or worm or trojan or some such malware got past
your protections. Just deleting the extra copies you find isn't good
enough becuase in most cases it'll either just be recreated again, or
it's only going to be part of the malware. So you need to run updated
scans.
If you need recommendations on decent spyware detectors, feel free to
ask here. YOu'll get a good list of possibilities to choose from.
Personally I use Adaware, Spybot Search & Destroy, SpywareGuard and
Winpatrol. There are plenty of other good ones, too. Just be sure to
download them from reputable sources.

HTH,

Twayne`
 
SOLVED!

I tried *everything*, no luck. So I stered doing a simultaneous
registry search & compare on a working machine.

Seems the NON-working machine had THIS registry entry in it:


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image
File Execution Options\calc.exe]
"debugger"="C:\\WINDOWS\\calcoolate.exe"

Since the working machine did not have this entry I exported it for
reference, then deleted it.

As soon as this registry entry was deleted, the stock MS calulator
started working again!

Thanks to all who responded.

:)
 
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