Unable to run any programs

[WillH]

I have a serious problem on my PC and wondered if anyone had any ideas.

I re-booted my PC and after it came back up there were no icons in the
system tray. When I tried to run any program from my task bar or desktop the
system displayed the window which asks which program you would like to use to
open the file (even though the files are all exe). I can open Word, Excel,
PPT by double clicking on a relevant file(.doc .ppt .xls). however I can't
open Outlook by clicking on a .pst file. I also can't run things from the
'run" window (like regedit, ipconfig etc). Also I can't run anything from the
control panel.

when I "right click" on the desktop and try to create a new shortcut I get
the message "rundll32.exe - application not found" (even though rundll32.exe
is in the Windows\system32 folder).

I have managed to get File Explorer working and can run that from the task
bar. However when I navigate to a folder and try to run a program directly
from the folder I get the result above.

Any help appreciated.

 

[WillH]

I'm using Windows Xp Media Edition V5.1 SP3

 

[db]

try initiating a system
restore point back to
a functional date.

ps: try making a system
restore point for today
so you can bring your
pc back to today, if the
older point doesn't pan
out.

incidentally, if you can't
run a restore in normal
mode, then try safe mode.

--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- Microsoft Partner
- @hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~"share the nirvana" - dbZen

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)?

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the
computer (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

 

[WillH]

I'm curretnly running avg v9 (free). I used ot have Norton but stopped it 2
years ago.

 

[WillH]

thanks for the advice. It sounded like a good idea but when I try to run a
system restore (start\all programs\accessories\system tools\system restore) I
get teh same result ( window which asks which program you would like to use
to
open the file) in both normal and safe mode.

 

[WillH]

I've just signed on with another user profile on my PC (as the "Owner") and
the programs run for this user profile. so it must be something to do with my
normal profile. Yesterday I had the @XP Security Center@ virus on my PC which
I deleted. Now I'm wondering if this has done something else as well.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

I've just signed on with another user profile on my PC (as the "Owner")
and
the programs run for this user profile. so it must be something to do with
my
normal profile. Yesterday I had the @XP Security Center@ virus on my PC
which
I deleted. Now I'm wondering if this has done something else as well.

You should have mentioned the virus infection right at the start of the
thread. This is key information! Note also that it is optimistic to say "I
deleted the virus" or "my virus protection removed the virus". Most virus
writers take great care in creating damage that is hard to detect and harder
to remove.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Have I been assisting you this week in an MS Answers forum, Will?]

Had your Norton subscription expired before you replaced it with AVG Free?

Did you run the Norton Removal Tool before you installed AVG Free?

Yesterday I had the @XP Security Center@ virus on my PC
which I deleted

Your inability to "run any programs" was caused by the hijackware infection
so I can assure you that you have much more work to do!

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

Microsoft PCSafety provides home users (only) with no-charge support in
dealing with malware infections such as viruses, spyware (including unwanted
software), and adware.
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?&prid=7552&st=1

Also available via the Consumer Security Support home page:
https://consumersecuritysupport.microsoft.com/

Otherwise...

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2a. WinXP => Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan (only!)
in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

2b. Vista or Win7=> Run this scan instead:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm

3. Now run a thorough check for hijackware, including posting requested logs
in an appropriate forum, not here. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!

Checking for/Help with Hijackware:
• http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
• http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
• http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
• http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair shop.

 

[WillH]

no this is the first post I've made about this problem (it only happened today)
I removed Norton before I put AVG on and it was a few weeks after the Norton
subscription ran out.

I'll look at the things that you suggest and let you know how I get on.

thanks

[Have I been assisting you this week in an MS Answers forum, Will?]

Had your Norton subscription expired before you replaced it with AVG Free?

Did you run the Norton Removal Tool before you installed AVG Free?

Yesterday I had the @XP Security Center@ virus on my PC
which I deleted

Your inability to "run any programs" was caused by the hijackware infection
so I can assure you that you have much more work to do!

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

Microsoft PCSafety provides home users (only) with no-charge support in
dealing with malware infections such as viruses, spyware (including unwanted
software), and adware.
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?&prid=7552&st=1

Also available via the Consumer Security Support home page:
https://consumersecuritysupport.microsoft.com/

Otherwise...

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2a. WinXP => Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan (only!)
in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

2b. Vista or Win7=> Run this scan instead:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm

3. Now run a thorough check for hijackware, including posting requested logs
in an appropriate forum, not here. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!

Checking for/Help with Hijackware:
• http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
• http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
• http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
• http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair shop.

I'm curretnly running avg v9 (free). I used ot have Norton but stopped it
2
years ago.

.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

...I removed Norton...after the Norton subscription ran out.

You should have uninstalled Norton *and* run the Norton Removal Tool &
installed a replacement AV App *before* your Norton subscription expired.

Don't waste your time trying to clean up that computer. Back-up any
personal data (none of which should be considered 100% trustworthy at this
point) then format the HDD & do a clean install of Windows. Please note
that a Repair Install (AKA in-place upgrade) will NOT fix this!

HOW TO do a clean install of WinXP: See
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html#steps and/or Method 1 in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978307

After the clean install, you'll have the equivalent of a "new computer" so
take care of everything on the following page before otherwise connecting
the machine to the internet or a local network (i.e., other computers) and
before using a flash drive or SDCard that isn't brand-new or hasn't been
freshly formatted:

4 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online
http://www.microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspx

Other helpful references include:

HOW TO get a computer running WinXP Gold (no Service Packs) fully patched
(after a clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsupdate/msg/3f5afa8ed33e121c

HOW TO get a computer running WinXP SP1(a) or SP2 fully patched (after a
clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/a066ae41add7dd2b

Tip: After getting the computer fully-patched, download/install KB971029
manually: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029

NB: Any Norton or McAfee free-trial that came preinstalled on the computer
when you bought it will be reinstalled (but invalid) when Windows is
reinstalled. You MUST uninstall the free-trial and download/run the
appropriate removal tool before installing any updates, Windows Service
Packs or IE upgrades and before installing your new anti-virus application
(which will require WinXP SP3 to be installed).

Norton Removal Tool
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool
http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

Also see:

Risks & Benefits of P2P file sharing
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/data/downloadfileshare/filesharing.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/mmpc/archive/2008/10/06/the-cost-of-free-software.aspx

Steps To Help Prevent Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/security/spyware/prevent.aspx

Steps to Help Prevent Computer Worms
http://www.microsoft.com/security/worms/prevent.aspx

Avoid Rogue Security Software!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair shop.
--
~PA Bear

no this is the first post I've made about this problem (it only happened
today) I removed Norton before I put AVG on and it was a few weeks after
the Norton subscription ran out.

I'll look at the things that you suggest and let you know how I get on.

[Have I been assisting you this week in an MS Answers forum, Will?]

Had your Norton subscription expired before you replaced it with AVG
Free?

Did you run the Norton Removal Tool before you installed AVG Free?

Yesterday I had the @XP Security Center@ virus on my PC
which I deleted

Your inability to "run any programs" was caused by the hijackware
infection
so I can assure you that you have much more work to do!

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription
had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription
has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

Microsoft PCSafety provides home users (only) with no-charge support in
dealing with malware infections such as viruses, spyware (including
unwanted software), and adware.
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?&prid=7552&st=1

Also available via the Consumer Security Support home page:
https://consumersecuritysupport.microsoft.com/

Otherwise...

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2a. WinXP => Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan
(only!)
in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

2b. Vista or Win7=> Run this scan instead:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm

3. Now run a thorough check for hijackware, including posting requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!

Checking for/Help with Hijackware:
• http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
• http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
• http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
• http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair
shop.

I'm curretnly running avg v9 (free). I used ot have Norton but stopped
it
2
years ago.

:
What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than
Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the
computer (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you
bought
it)?


WillH wrote:
I'm using Windows Xp Media Edition V5.1 SP3

I have a serious problem on my PC and wondered if anyone had any
ideas.

I re-booted my PC and after it came back up there were no icons in
the
system tray. When I tried to run any program from my task bar or
desktop
the system displayed the window which asks which program you would
like
to
use to open the file (even though the files are all exe). I can open
Word,
Excel, PPT by double clicking on a relevant file(.doc .ppt .xls).
however
I can't open Outlook by clicking on a .pst file. I also can't run
things
from the 'run" window (like regedit, ipconfig etc). Also I can't run
anything from the control panel.

when I "right click" on the desktop and try to create a new shortcut
I
get
the message "rundll32.exe - application not found" (even though
rundll32.exe is in the Windows\system32 folder).

I have managed to get File Explorer working and can run that from the
task
bar. However when I navigate to a folder and try to run a program
directly
from the folder I get the result above.

Any help appreciated.

.

.

 

[Jose]

I have a serious problem on my PC and wondered if anyone had any ideas.

I re-booted my PC and after it came back up there were no icons in the
system tray. When I tried to run any program from my task bar or desktop the
system displayed the window which asks which program you would like to use to
open the file (even though the files are all exe). I can open Word, Excel,
PPT by double clicking on a relevant file(.doc .ppt .xls). however I can't
open Outlook by clicking on a .pst file. I also can't run things from the
'run" window (like regedit, ipconfig etc). Also I can't run anything fromthe
control panel.

when I "right click" on the desktop and try to create a new shortcut I get
the message "rundll32.exe - application not found" (even though rundll32.exe
is in the Windows\system32 folder).

I have managed to get File Explorer working and can run that from the task
bar. However when I navigate to a folder and try to run a program directly
from the folder I get the result above.

Any help appreciated.

Go to this WWW site by Doug Knox:

http://www.dougknox.com/

On the left, click the Win XP Fixes, File Association Fixes and read
the directions at
the top of the page.

Download the EXE File Association Fix and apply it, then reboot.

 

[WillH]

Thanks Jose this has done the job.

I've run one of the scans that PA Bear advised and it found
and deleted a couple of things. I'm going to run the other scans adn see if
thee is anything else hanging around.

 

[Jose]

Thanks Jose this has done the job.

I've run one of the scans that PA Bear advised and it found
and deleted a couple of things. I'm going to run the other scans adn see if
thee is anything else hanging around.

Good job.

That is a common leftover problem after that infection or the likes of
Desktop Defender 2010.

MBAM is your best hope, but there are things to do before MBAM and and
after MBAM. MSRT will not help you. Norton will not help you.
McAfee, Avira, Avast, Defender and certainly Microsoft PC Safety will
not help you - they will give up and tell you to reformat and
reinstall. I have already dealt with them. They may be good for some
things, but not this.

Ubuntu will not help you. Safe Mode or moving your HDD to another
machine will not help you. System Restore will not help you because
it will not run either - why is it even still suggested? That is not
the problem. If you fix it a few times, you kow what works and what
is a waste of time.

There is actually a well thought out plan for dealing with it and if
you follow the plan conceived and tweaked after fixing the problem
many, many times, you will not get frustrated and waste your time
trying things that might work. You can fix that malware with 100%
certainty 100% of the time if you know how it works, what it does to
your system and follow the plan.

Most of that time is waiting for MBAM to finish scanning! I would
also run SAS and if there are other issues, let us know. You are not
the first person with this problem or the leftovers.

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

They can be uninstalled later if desired.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Your computer's probably been infected for the past two years, ever since
your Norton subscription expired. I wouldn't bother with anything other
than a clean install IIWY.]