[fearandloathing135]

Hi and thanks in advance for taking a look at my prob.

The trouble started a while ago, when a white square appeared in the top left of my desktop, shortly after that appeared a window started popping up as my desktop loaded, it said "Cannot find file://C:\Windows\warnhp.html" My computer stayed like that for a few weeks until, when i log on & the desktop appears, 4 message boxes appear saying:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows cannot open this file:

File: Run Google Web Accelerator.lnk

To open this file, Windows needs to know what progam created it. Windows can go online to look it up automatically, or you can select from a list of programs on your computer.

What do you want to do?
*Use the Web service to find the appropriate program
*Select the program from a list

[ok] [Cancel]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other messages are identical but with different file names including: REALTEK RTL8187 Wireless LAN Utility.lnk , Cable & Wireless 11g Wireless USB.lnk ,and Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk

When i click ok it directs me to http://shell.windows...dir.asp?Ext=lnk but the site doesn't have any answers or solutions.


After that had gone on for a week or so all of my desktop & start menu icons (except a Yahoo mail link, Firefox, Internet browser & all folders) went blank, like BAK or DAT files, and consequently won't work. And when the computer starts up, just before the log on screen, a window appears with a few letters/characters from a foreign language (Sometimes they look Russian, sometimes Japanese) and the log on sceen doesn't appear until you click ok.

So far I have managed to get rid of the white box in the corner and the "WarnHP" pop up, using SmitFraudFix & your user guide. I have read through the "Read this before you post" section and have downloaded all the suggested programs but they, like everything else, wont work.


I apologise if any of this is difficult to understand please tell me if you need any more info and i'll get it to u ASAP. I have included a couple of pics to help.

Any help that anyone can offer is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

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Hi,

First of all, do you have AdAware Pro/plus installed? Because that's the cause. Ad-Watch in general. It corrupts the lnk associations + it's also responsible for the message you get at Windows logon.
Please read this thread for the solution: http://www.lavasofts...p?showtopic=678
The first two pages explain how to solve the corrupt links on your desktop
And on page 4, in the same thread, I posted the fix for the Windows appearing before Windows logon:
http://www.lavasofts...s...c=678&st=60

Let me know if that solved your issue.

[miekiemoes]

Hi,

First of all, do you have AdAware Pro/plus installed? Because that's the cause. Ad-Watch in general. It corrupts the lnk associations + it's also responsible for the message you get at Windows logon.
Please read this thread for the solution: http://www.lavasofts...p?showtopic=678
The first two pages explain how to solve the corrupt links on your desktop
And on page 4, in the same thread, I posted the fix for the Windows appearing before Windows logon:
http://www.lavasofts...s...c=678&st=60

Let me know if that solved your issue.

[fearandloathing135]

Hi and thanks very much for replying. I have downloaded the 3 recomended files from Dougknox:
COM File Association Fix (Restore the default associations for COM files)
EXE File Association Fix (Restore default association for EXE files)
LNK (Shortcut) File Association Fix (Restores Default Shortcut Behavior)

I downloded & extracted the files into folders and followed the steps on the site to start up Regedit using Windows Task Manager, but instead of starting i get the same message box (identical to the 4 described above) saying that Windows cannot open REGEDIT.EXE.

I have noticed a file on Dougknox called REG File Association Fix. Would downloading this file help at all? Sorry if that's a stupid question but i don't know enough about computers to start downloading random files without advice.

Does anyone have any ideas?


Thank you

[miekiemoes]

Hi,

First of all, do you have Adaware+adwatch installed? If so, then please make sure: "Lock executable file associations" has a red cross, also for "Automatic". Because as long as this is enabled, whatever you try, it won't help/make a difference since Adwatch will just revert the changes again.

Even better would be to temporary uninstall AdAware - so we can fix this first... otherwise it will interfere all the time.

I downloded & extracted the files into folders and followed the steps on the site to start up Regedit using Windows Task Manager, but instead of starting i get the same message box (identical to the 4 described above) saying that Windows cannot open REGEDIT.EXE.

Not needed to run regedit.exe for that through taskmanager.
Just doubleclick the reg files in the folder - this will merge them into the registry as well.
So in your case, doubleclick xp_com_fix.reg , then xp_exe_fix.reg and the linkfile_fix.reg

In all three cases, you should get a message that it was merged into the registry.

Then log off, or reboot afterwards, so changes can be applied.

Edited by miekiemoes, 18 June 2008 - 11:33 AM.

[fearandloathing135]

Hi and thank you again. Yes i have AdAware and AdWatch installed but the program wont run (the link is "blank" like the rest) I would just uninstall both but when i click on Add/Remove programs in Control Panel it doesn't do anything.

When i double click the reg files i get an identical window to the others saying "Windows cannot open this file:....."

After trying that, i tried restarting the computer to see if it would magically fix anything itself but shockingly it didn't.

Sorry for the annoying complications but any more ideas?

Thank you

[miekiemoes]

Ok, do next please...

Please download DAFT and save it to your desktop:

• Double-click the daft.exe icon.
• Click on the Scan button.
• Select everything it is displaying there
• Click the Fix button.
• Then rescan with DAFT again - it should say now that "All associations are OK"
• Close DAFT if you receive that message. This means that it is fixed now.

If you can't open DAFT, Download this file to your desktop:

http://securityrespo.../UnHookExec.inf

Then, RIGHTCLICK the UnHookExec.inf and choose to install. Then run DAFT again in order to fix the other associations.
But as long as Adwatch is present, it won't make a difference.
That's why, if it didn't fix it, try it in Windows safe mode, then Adwatch can't interfere, since Adwatch doesn't run in Safe mode.

Once exe files run again in safe mode, please uninstall Adaware as a first step (when still in safe mode), because otherwise if you reboot back to normal mode again and Adwatch is active again, it will just block everything again and undo everything we have done to solve this.

[fearandloathing135]

Hi, sorry about this but, i've downloaded Daft and of course, it doesn't work. I have clicked on the link you gave for the file but it opens a page of script, not a downloadable file. How do i use it?

Sorry once again for the complications.

Thank you

[miekiemoes]

Hi,

I guess you use Firefox.

Rightclick the link and choose save as.

Also, as I already explained.. it won't make much difference in Windows normal mode, because I'm sure Adwatch is currently running. And as long it is running and present, whatever you try won't work.
So, first, end Adwatch via Taskmanager - or perform everything in Windows Safe mode, because adwatch is not running then.

[fearandloathing135]

Hi, yes i do use firefox.

Sorry again but, i have right clicked & saved the link. And i've right clicked & tried to install the UnHookExec file but, yet again, i get that same window saying "Windows cannot open this file:....." the file in quesion this time is grpconv.exe

I tried running the computer in safe mode but my wirless internet adapter wont work in safe mode. I have checked Windows Task Manager & the icons next to the clock on the windows taskbar and Adwatch/Adaware are definitely not running.

Thank you very much for your help so far and sorry again for the complications.

Any other ideas are greatly appreciated.


Thank you

[miekiemoes]

Does a command prompt work for you? If so, then we can fix it via the command prompt.. But I doubt it will work either.
But on the other side..
It actually doesn't make any sense that you can't run most exe files, but you can run Taskmanager, firefox etc which are exe files as well...
What happens if you go to start > run and type: cmd ? Or command ?
Does this open a command prompt?

[fearandloathing135]

Hi & thanks.

Sorry again. I tried the Start>Run... thing and no, i just get that window again with cmd.exe or command.exe depending on what i typed.

Do you think this problem is fixable or should i just get someone to completely wipe the computer?

If you have any ideas i would be very greatful.

Thank you

[miekiemoes]

command.exe doesn't exist. That's also why I didn't add the exe extension to it.
Did you type command instead of command.exe? As I instructed?

I actually wonder if com files work though...
What happens if you rename daft.exe to daft.com? Does it work then?

[fearandloathing135]

I typed cmd & command without the .exe extension.

And changing daft didn't do anything. By the way daft doesn't have a .exe or any file extension in the name at all, dunno if that means anything.

[miekiemoes]

Your extensions are not shown, that's why daft doesn't display an extension.
It may be better to show it, this to make sure you renamed it correctly.

To show it..
Click Start.
Open My Computer.
Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
Uncheck: Hide file extensions for known file types
Click Yes to confirm.
Click OK.

[fearandloathing135]

Right, i unchecked the hide file extensions and it shows the .exe in daft filename. tried changing to .com again but it still didn't work.

Really sorry about this, thanks so much for your help so far.

Any more ideas?