Start-Run-Ping xx.xxx.xxx.xx produces "Open With" window

[Rich Crawford]

Until recently I could select START- RUN-PING and get a retun. Now the same
action opens the "Open With" window and I must select windows command
processor to run ping. Anyone have any idea how the Run can be returned to
its default setting.


Thanks

RichC

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

What happens when you type ping.exe instead?

 

[Wesley Vogel]

PING will not run from the Start | Run box. Open a command prompt and type
ping in the command prompt window.

To open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[WTC]

Hi Wes,

'ping' will run in my run dialog box as exactly type below.

ping www.yahoo.com

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi William,

I stand corrected.

But it doesn't do much good as the command prompt only stays open long
enough to get the replies back. I am not that quick. ;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Wesley Vogel]

If you're having problems with most other *.exe files, not the ones listed
further below, visit Doug Knox's File Association Fixes...

Windows® XP File Association Fixes
Copyright 2003 - Doug Knox
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm

Read the instructions.

Get this one...
EXE File Association Fix (Restore default association for EXE files)
-----

If you're not having problems with most *.exe files, except the ones listed
further below, chances are you have a trojan/worm/virus.

Do you get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error if you type: cmd in the
Start | Run box?

If you do, does it mention cmd.com or autoexec.nt or config.nt?

A command prompt (cmd.exe) should open when cmd is typed into Start | Run.

If cmd.com is present you'll get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file. cmd.exe is not part of the 16 bit MS-DOS
Subsystem. autoexec.nt and config.nt have nothing to do with cmd.exe.

When you type cmd in the Start | Run box, XP finds cmd.com instead of
cmd.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
..com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
cmd.com, it will not even look for cmd.exe. Because XP finds cmd.com XP
thinks that it needs autoexec.nt and config.nt to run cmd.com.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

The Run command may have found ping.com and quit looking for ping.exe.

When you type ping in the Start | Run box, XP finds ping.com instead of
ping.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
..com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
ping.com, it will not even look for ping.exe.

The same thing will happen with ping in a command prompt.

ping.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

Update your antivirus software and run a complete scan.

Also Known As: W32.Alcan.A, Win32.Alcan.A [Computer Associates],
P2P-Worm.Win32.Alcan.a [Kaspersky Lab], W32/Alcan.worm!p2p [McAfee],
W32/Alcra-A [Sophos], WORM_ALCAN.A [Trend Micro]

[[This worm drops the legitimate file compression DLL, BSZIP.DLL in the
Windows system folder. It does this so it can compress itself. It also drops
the following files in the Windows system folder:

CMD.COM
NETSTAT.COM
PING.COM
REGEDIT.COM
TASKKILL.COM
TASKLIST.COM
TRACERT.COM

These files contain the string MZ so that this worm can disable the
following Windows tool applications:

CMD.EXE
NETSTAT.EXE
PING.EXE
REGEDIT.EXE
TASKKILL.EXE
TASKLIST.EXE
TRACERT.EXE ]]
From...
WORM_ALCAN.A - Technical details
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_ALCAN.A&VSect=T

Symantec Security Response - W32.Alcra.A
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.alcra.a.html

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[witan]

Try adding -t after the command, e.g.
ping www.yahoo.com -t
It works for me. The window remains open till I close it.

 

[witan]

Try adding -t after the command, e.g.
ping www.yahoo.com -t
It works for me. The window remains open till I close it.

 

[WTC]

Try adding -t after the command, e.g.
ping www.yahoo.com -t
It works for me. The window remains open till I close it.

cmd /k ping www.yahoo.com

would be the proper syntax to keep the window open after running the ping
command in the run dialog box. The -t switch keeps the ping active till the
user interupts the ping command.

 

[witan]

Thank you, William, for the information.

 

[Rich Crawford]

Thanks everyone. This was very educational. Running ping.exe produced
results. Now I am going to Dougknoc.com to correct the file associations.
Somehwere along the way, either a virus or a Windows update made changes to
the file associations.

Thanks,

RichC

If you're having problems with most other *.exe files, not the ones listed
further below, visit Doug Knox's File Association Fixes...

Windows® XP File Association Fixes
Copyright 2003 - Doug Knox
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm

Read the instructions.

Get this one...
EXE File Association Fix (Restore default association for EXE files)
-----

If you're not having problems with most *.exe files, except the ones
listed
further below, chances are you have a trojan/worm/virus.

Do you get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error if you type: cmd in the
Start | Run box?

If you do, does it mention cmd.com or autoexec.nt or config.nt?

A command prompt (cmd.exe) should open when cmd is typed into Start | Run.

If cmd.com is present you'll get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file. cmd.exe is not part of the 16 bit MS-DOS
Subsystem. autoexec.nt and config.nt have nothing to do with cmd.exe.

When you type cmd in the Start | Run box, XP finds cmd.com instead of
cmd.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
.com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
cmd.com, it will not even look for cmd.exe. Because XP finds cmd.com XP
thinks that it needs autoexec.nt and config.nt to run cmd.com.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

The Run command may have found ping.com and quit looking for ping.exe.

When you type ping in the Start | Run box, XP finds ping.com instead of
ping.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
.com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
ping.com, it will not even look for ping.exe.

The same thing will happen with ping in a command prompt.

ping.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

Update your antivirus software and run a complete scan.

Also Known As: W32.Alcan.A, Win32.Alcan.A [Computer Associates],
P2P-Worm.Win32.Alcan.a [Kaspersky Lab], W32/Alcan.worm!p2p [McAfee],
W32/Alcra-A [Sophos], WORM_ALCAN.A [Trend Micro]

[[This worm drops the legitimate file compression DLL, BSZIP.DLL in the
Windows system folder. It does this so it can compress itself. It also
drops
the following files in the Windows system folder:

CMD.COM
NETSTAT.COM
PING.COM
REGEDIT.COM
TASKKILL.COM
TASKLIST.COM
TRACERT.COM

These files contain the string MZ so that this worm can disable the
following Windows tool applications:

CMD.EXE
NETSTAT.EXE
PING.EXE
REGEDIT.EXE
TASKKILL.EXE
TASKLIST.EXE
TRACERT.EXE ]]
From...
WORM_ALCAN.A - Technical details
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_ALCAN.A&VSect=T

Symantec Security Response - W32.Alcra.A
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.alcra.a.html

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Until recently I could select START- RUN-PING and get a retun. Now the
same action opens the "Open With" window and I must select windows
command
processor to run ping. Anyone have any idea how the Run can be returned
to
its default setting.


Thanks

RichC

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Rich,

If ping.exe worked then you do not have an exe file association problem.

Either your Pathext environment variable is messed up or you have a
trojan/worm/virus.

The environmental variable Pathext shows a list of file extensions that are
considered to be executable. Pathext controls which extensions do not need
to be typed in a Command or Run window.

[[The PATHEXT environment variable defines the list of file extensions
checked by Windows NT when searching for an executable file. The default
value of PATHEXT is .COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD.]]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/winntas/deploy/shellscr.mspx

You can open a command prompt, type: set and hit Enter. Scroll down to
PATHEXT. At a minimum it should show...

PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD

You may have more, I do...
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH

..COM is short for Command.

..EXE is short for Executable

..BAT is short for Batch.

..CMD is Windows NT Command Script. Command File for Windows NT. Similar to
a .BAT file.

..VBS is Visual Basic Script Script File, .VBE is VBScript Encoded Script
File, .JS is JScript Script File, .JSE is JScript Encoded Script File, .WSF
is Windows Script File and .WSH is Windows Script Host Settings File.
All of these open with CScript.exe or WScript.exe. Cscript.exe is a
command-line version of the Windows Script Host (wscript.exe).

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Thanks everyone. This was very educational. Running ping.exe produced
results. Now I am going to Dougknoc.com to correct the file associations.
Somehwere along the way, either a virus or a Windows update made changes
to the file associations.

Thanks,

RichC

If you're having problems with most other *.exe files, not the ones
listed further below, visit Doug Knox's File Association Fixes...

Windows® XP File Association Fixes
Copyright 2003 - Doug Knox
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm

Read the instructions.

Get this one...
EXE File Association Fix (Restore default association for EXE files)
-----

If you're not having problems with most *.exe files, except the ones
listed
further below, chances are you have a trojan/worm/virus.

Do you get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error if you type: cmd in the
Start | Run box?

If you do, does it mention cmd.com or autoexec.nt or config.nt?

A command prompt (cmd.exe) should open when cmd is typed into Start |
Run.

If cmd.com is present you'll get a 16 bit MS-DOS Subsystem error.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file. cmd.exe is not part of the 16 bit MS-DOS
Subsystem. autoexec.nt and config.nt have nothing to do with cmd.exe.

When you type cmd in the Start | Run box, XP finds cmd.com instead of
cmd.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
.com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
cmd.com, it will not even look for cmd.exe. Because XP finds cmd.com XP
thinks that it needs autoexec.nt and config.nt to run cmd.com.

cmd.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

The Run command may have found ping.com and quit looking for ping.exe.

When you type ping in the Start | Run box, XP finds ping.com instead of
ping.exe. When a command is typed without an extension, XP looks for the
.com extension first before it looks for the .exe extension, if it finds
ping.com, it will not even look for ping.exe.

The same thing will happen with ping in a command prompt.

ping.com is *NOT* an XP file, it's added by a trojan/worm/virus.

Update your antivirus software and run a complete scan.

Also Known As: W32.Alcan.A, Win32.Alcan.A [Computer Associates],
P2P-Worm.Win32.Alcan.a [Kaspersky Lab], W32/Alcan.worm!p2p [McAfee],
W32/Alcra-A [Sophos], WORM_ALCAN.A [Trend Micro]

[[This worm drops the legitimate file compression DLL, BSZIP.DLL in the
Windows system folder. It does this so it can compress itself. It also
drops
the following files in the Windows system folder:

CMD.COM
NETSTAT.COM
PING.COM
REGEDIT.COM
TASKKILL.COM
TASKLIST.COM
TRACERT.COM

These files contain the string MZ so that this worm can disable the
following Windows tool applications:

CMD.EXE
NETSTAT.EXE
PING.EXE
REGEDIT.EXE
TASKKILL.EXE
TASKLIST.EXE
TRACERT.EXE ]]
From...
WORM_ALCAN.A - Technical details
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_ALCAN.A&VSect=T

Symantec Security Response - W32.Alcra.A
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.alcra.a.html

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Until recently I could select START- RUN-PING and get a retun. Now the
same action opens the "Open With" window and I must select windows
command
processor to run ping. Anyone have any idea how the Run can be returned
to
its default setting.


Thanks

RichC