programs not working in vista

toddcoop · Jun 21, 2011

a couple of days ago my computer got infected by vista home security 2012, using spybot and AVG I think I got rid of it, but now whenever I click on a program icon I get a dialog box asking me what program I want to open the file with. None of my programs work. Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated

Caliban · Jun 21, 2011

Greetings, toddcoop, and welcome to MajorGeeks.

You can try the Microsoft Fix it. There is also the standard Registry edit:

Click Start Menu, and then type regedit in the Start Search and press ENTER.
Navigate to the following registry branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\[ext]

Replace the [exe] with the actual file extension that you want to restore its file type association to revert back to original Windows Vista default. If you are unsure, simply browse through all the sub-keys under FileExts.
Delete the sub-key named UserChoice.
Exit from Registry Editor.
Reboot.
Click to expand...

Frankly, though, I suggest you go through the Malware Forum's Read & Run Me First thread, perform all of the suggested steps, and attach the requested logs to a new thread in that forum. Those rogue antivirus programs can be quite invasive, and merely running a couple of cleaners does not guarantee your system's safety.

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programs not working in vista

toddcoop Private E-2

Caliban I don't need no steenkin' title!