My Computer launches search and Control Pnels asks about a shortcut?

When I double click on My Computer I get teh Search window open and when I try and launch control panel it asks me if I want to put a shortcut on the desktop.

I can occasionally access control panel by launching explorer from teh run command but it doesnt always appear.

Ran a complete malware removal profile on it and pulled off a bunch of crap but everything is now showing as being clean.

Any ideas ?

 

Right click on this link:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts/xp_folder_open.vbs

Select "Save target as" and save to the desktop.

Double click on the script to run.

This should take care of the Search opening when clicking on My Computer.

 

Another helpful tool for these type of situations is Dial-A-Fix. Check all the boxes in the Registration Center and click Go.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4899.html

 

Ran the vbs file with no joy, downlaoded the dial a fix and ran everything.

The situation is now that both Control Panel and My computer return a message saying "this file does not have an application associated with it for performing this action..."

have tried sfc and chkdsk but still having the same problem.

 

Try this:

Right click Here and select "Save target as".

Save the zip file to your desktop, unzip the file, and double click on the .bat file to run.

This .bat file will restore all of the "default" file associations that XP ships with.

 

It gets more bizzare.

Still no joy with the resetting to defaults however it would appear the problem lies with the start menu in some way.

I hit start, right clicked on My Computer and selected Show On Desktop. The icon duly appeared and when double clicked My Computer opens up as it should.

I then dragged the My Computer icon to the desktop from teh Start Menu to create a shortcut and lo and behold the "No program association" message appeared again.

With Control Panel I can accessit ok if I navigate to it from the explorer window launched by going Start>Run>Explore but when I try and lauch it from the Start menu it fails.