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You are here: Home » Windows » Fix or Restore Broken .EXE .LNK .COM Association Caused by Virus

Fix or Restore Broken .EXE .LNK .COM Association Caused by Virus

Updated by HAL9000 - 4 months ago - Windows
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One day you might be using your computer, and after installing a piece software or you are recovering and trying to cleanup the system from a malware attack, there might be a few issues which stop the computer running properly. One of the common problems which malicious software or a faulty install can leave behind is the system not being able to run any programs, and you receive an error when you try to launch a program such as your web browser or Word etc.

Windows can’t open this file:
File: [name.exe]

Windows can't open this file

This happens when your system no longer recognizes that when you double click on an executable (.EXE) file it should launch the program and not be opened by another program like a text file or image would for example. A corrupted .EXE association will then stop you running any programs until the system has been told to execute the file when you open it. Another related common error message you could receive is:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action…

This file does not have a program associated

Because these errors can stop you running tools such as Regedit, Task Manager and even the Command Prompt as they’re all executable .EXE files, fixing it is quite often not as easy as it might seem. Sometimes other associations may also have been affected, so you may not be able to import something like a .REG file into the registry to fix it. Obviously, the first and most important file extension to fix is the .EXE extension. Once this sorted and working, you are able to run the registry editor and other tools to start repairing other broken extensions. Here’s a selection of ways for fixing .EXE extension issue and get your programs launching properly again.

Getting to the Command Prompt

If you are trying any of the fixes below that require the use of the Command Prompt, you might not be able to get to it because you would obviously have to type cmd.exe into a Run dialog or run the cmd.exe shortcut from the Accessories Start menu. There is however, a simple trick to get around this without needing to do anything like renaming files in the Windows folder. Follow the instructions below.

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc simultaneously to bring up the Windows Task Manager.

2. XP users can skip to step 3. The extra step needed for Vista, 7 and 8 is to run an elevated Command prompt or you will receive an “Access denied” message when typing in the commands. In Task Manager click the Processes tab, then click on the “Show processes from all users” button at the bottom. If you don’t have the button and only a tick box you should already have administrator rights.

show processes from all users

3. Click the File menu and move the mouse cursor over to New Task (Run…), but DON’T click it yet. Now press and hold the Ctrl key while left clicking on New Task (Run…) to bring up the Command Prompt.

open cmd from task manager

Tip: The method of using Ctrl+Shift+Esc to access Task Manager is also quite helpful when you have a rogue antivirus program on the system that launches itself every time you try to run an executable. Running a program via the New Task (Run…) option will let you run an executable file even though the rogue is intercepting file executions. As Task Manager is also usable, any suspicious or known processes can be killed and then one of the below files to restore the executable file type or a malware removal tool can be used.


Repair using a .REG file

If the EXE association is not too badly damaged, you may be able to repair it by importing the correct values into the registry. Simply download the below file (make sure you right click and select Save As) for your o/s and double click it to import into the registry.

Download Vista and 7 EXE Fix.reg

Download XP EXE Fix.reg

If you cannot import the .REG file because Windows cannot find the registry editor, then try importing from the Command Prompt using the method above to open a CMD window. Type the following command:

REG IMPORT [drag and drop the .reg file onto the CMD window]

reg import

Now try out your .EXE files, a reboot won’t be needed to see if it has worked or not.


Repair using Another Executable File

Although it may seem counter intuitive to most people, executable files can still be launched even though the EXE association and file type might be broken. This is because there are other types of executable file such as .COM and .SCR which could still have working associations and therefore files with those extensions will still launch.

The files below were created from the .REG files in the previous solution with a handy little tool called Reg2Exe which we’ve written about before that simply turns a .REG file into an executable. There will be no interaction after you run one of these files, simply try an executable .EXE file afterwards.

Download Vista 7 EXE Fix.com | Download Vista 7 EXE Fix.scr

Download XP EXE Fix.com | Download XP EXE Fix.scr

Alternatively, the people over at BleepingComputer have created a utility called FixExec that will fix the .EXE, .BAT and .COM file associations in Windows XP up to Windows 8. It will also terminate any malicious processes found in typical areas where malware might launch from which could try to reset the associations back again to non default.

FixExec

Simply run the tool and if it detects any wrong associations, FixExec will repair them for you. There are separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions available along with pre-named .COM, .PIF and .SCR versions.

Download FixExec

There are several more solutions for broken file associations on Page 2.

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29 comments on “Fix or Restore Broken .EXE .LNK .COM Association Caused by Virus”

  1. Sam says:
    3 weeks ago

    Thanks so much just hope I don’t get viruses

    Reply
  2. mohammad says:
    9 months ago

    thank you

    Reply
  3. baphi says:
    1 year ago

    thank you

    Reply
  4. marcelo says:
    1 year ago

    Exellent! thank you very much!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  5. harshit says:
    1 year ago

    thanx man …….you saved my life thankss alot

    Reply
  6. Emanuele Peruzzi says:
    1 year ago

    Great Man! you saved my life, and a lot of wasted time…

    Reply
  7. Rebecca says:
    1 year ago

    I greatly appreciate your effort into helping others in need. I, myself, had problems associating files. Thank you for this helpful tip, Sir.

    Reply
  8. Nicksharan71 says:
    1 year ago

    than x for your excellent help

    Reply
  9. Doreen Effertz says:
    1 year ago

    Thank you so much for the tips to restore my files.  You are the best.

    Jeraboah

    Reply
  10. Tenmiles says:
    1 year ago

    This is a great tip; thank you!

    Reply
  11. Zorori says:
    2 years ago

    Wow, It’s work. Thank you very much. (^_^) [Thailand]

    Reply
  12. kim says:
    2 years ago

    thx a lot you very helpful

    Reply
  13. evmiller says:
    2 years ago

    After working over 14 hours trying to figure out how to get this .LNK problem I had no luck. Now with this info I have the regedit.exe working. Thank you so much!! Now I am trying to fix things in the registry. This has always been no mans land for me but I will try. I did find a Gynormous number of files in CLSID with many digits and afpha characters following next to the file folder. I assume they must all be removed.

    Reply
  14. Vidhya S says:
    3 years ago

    Thanks a lot… it worked for me…

    Reply
  15. maphyche says:
    3 years ago

    thank for your help!

    Reply
  16. Tom says:
    3 years ago

    Raymond, you saved my life! I am on social security and don’t have a lot of money, so when I got the problem of all my .EXE files turned to .LNK, and I couldn’t open anything but My Documents and Internet Explorer, I thought I was going to need to spend a small fortune to get the problem fixed. I looked up and down the web for help, and your’s was the only one that looked promising. So I tried it, step-by-step, just like you said and presto! Works like a charm. Aftre I did it, I was finally able to do a sytem restore (which I couln’t do before to save my life), and I’m back like the problem never existed… and I had already aranged for someone to stop by and take a look at it for $100! A hundred bucks I couldn’t afford. You are the greatest. I am going to recomend you to EVERYBODY! Thank you!

    Reply
  17. amol says:
    3 years ago

    wonderful idea. really helpful

    Reply
  18. Liam says:
    3 years ago

    You really saved the day for me, instructions were clear, solved my problem nice and quickly, thanks again

    :)

    Reply
  19. Geoserv says:
    5 years ago

    STUMBLED! Another awesome post, I have learned so much from this blog.

    Reply
  20. sachin says:
    5 years ago

    this is a powerful tools

    Reply
  21. Zul says:
    5 years ago

    Hey, awesome trick.

    Reply
  22. Knysliux001 says:
    5 years ago

    That trick to load command prompt from task manager is awesome!
    Several years ago studying cmd I realized the possibility to compromise the system by simply changing associations. Although I only tested it on virtual machine. This thing is still very funny for me! :D

    Reply
  23. chaosdreamer says:
    5 years ago

    good one!

    Reply
  24. MR7 says:
    5 years ago

    I had this problem with a customer’s computer some time ago and I’ve fix it with the same website. It was perfect, the customer needed her computer as soon as possible, and I solved the problem in 15 minutes…

    Reply
  25. Rust says:
    5 years ago

    Wow! This article is pretty good also. :)
    One thing: If CMD.exe regedit.exe and taskman.exe are all deleted/modified so they won’t work… Then how would you do it? My hypothesys would be to get a friend to either copy his cmd, regedit, and taskman to a floppy or usb stick and give it to you to boot up in safe mode to copy the file to the correct folder then hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc and hold in ctrl and go to File and select New task then you can do everything stated in the article, but with a different cmd.exe.

    Reply
  26. Joel says:
    5 years ago

    Good job, Raymond, This is in great help.

    Reply
  27. Hermann says:
    5 years ago

    Great job raymond!

    Reply
  28. Shamsul Akmal Ahmad says:
    5 years ago

    A very useful info Raymond. Good job.

    Reply
  29. Jayhan says:
    5 years ago

    If only you had posted this entry 7 months ago, I wouldn’t have to resolve this issue by reformatting. Anyway, good job =)

    Reply

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