exe files not opening

Running Windows XP

All of a sudden, I can not open/run any regular programs... Outlook, IE, ccleaner, defrag...etc.

It appears any executable file (.exe) won't run. The window appears which asks 'what program do you want open the file with' . I can't even run 'msconfig' without this association window opening.

I'm using a different computer just to access this website. Thanks in advance for your help. hcrawfor

 

Try here first, then if that doesn't solve it, try here.

 

Sometimes if you have an infected registry entry and your antivirus changes that infected entry, your file associations can get affected. This happends often. Do you have antivirus?I would suggest to check the logs to see what the latest events are.

 

dr.m is correct in sending the OP to the MalwareForum. Many new types of malware are now turning off the .EXE extension (in addition to all the other nastiness they dump on us). So, while you may be able to turn the EXE extension back on, as soon as you reboot, the malware may very well turn it off again . . .

 

Well there's 2 possibilities here. 1 - the malware turned the exe off. And 2- your antivirus may have edited a registry entry which was unde the control of he malware which upon removing, turned the exe off. If case 2, your av would have a log of it because it removed that entry.

I'm still not an expert so I could be wrong but that's my theory.