Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: pedritothegreat on September 29, 2003, 11:55:24 PM
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I have installed and scanned with avast4, now I cannot start any programme, the message cannot find ???.exe have you typed the path ect, I cannot find my start-up files or windows help, email, all although the computer runs OK. Please give me a clue as to how I fix this. :-[
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Ok...you are not too clear on what is happening.
When do you get the message referring to ".exe"?
What program/s can't you start? Are you referring to Avast, or other installed programs?
How do you know that your startup files are missing?
Does your computer boot to the desktop so that you can access START in the lower left corner?
If so, go to Start, Run...and type in MSCONFIG.
When it loads, go to General tab and see if NORMAL startup is selected. Then go to the START tab and see if programs are listed (if you are set to Normal startup, then ALL should be checked).
Now go back and check System.ini and Win.ini tabs.
You should see a bunch of files listed and checked under each tab.
Let's not go further until you check these areas.
We can then try a System Restore to the day before the problem started in computer. It's easy to do with XP.
What version of Avast have you installed?
Are you running any other anti-virus software on you system with Avast?
techie
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Hi, xp screen is normal, all booted up. I tried : run msconfig and, windows cannot find 'msconfig'. This is the type of message I get when trying to start any programme. I have also restored to an earlier time, this hasn't changed anything, it seems as if all executables have been disabled and I cannot find a way to enable them, I even tried to rename a small game executable but found I had changed it to exe.exe and couldn't change it back.
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I just had a system like this.
All boot went ok, then as apps started loading (office for example) there were can't find c:\path\path\app.exe
Same happened if I tried to run any app on the computer.
Turned out to be the SWEN virus that was causing my problem.
I would suggest (if you do not have the BART disk) to download, if you can, one of the SWEN virus cleaners and run that in SAFE MODE.
Hope that helps :)
Cheers all
w0mbat
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There seems to be a problem with the associations, probably something like:
A virus has associated executable extensions to itself; then, the virus has been deleted but the registry entries were not fixed. Now, every time you start an executable, the system is trying to start the virus executable that is still registered to be used - and fails.
Can you start any other (non-exe) file - such as .com, .bat, ...?
If only .exe association has been change, that it is possible to repair the problem by renaming the regedit.exe to regedit.com and fixing the corrensponding registry entry, i.e. setting the default value of
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command
to
"%1" %*
However, if it was Swen, then it has associated even on .com (and others, such as .bat, .scr, ...) extensions, so you will not be able to run anything.
If you have WinNT/2000/XP, you can try renaming the regedit.exe to regedit.cmd and run it. For Win9x, heavy DOS hacks would be required...
Btw, avast can remove Swen using its intergrated Virus Cleaner (that appears in the Virus dialog if Swen is found) - it would not only delete the virus files, but of course also fix the corresponding registry entries - so the problems described above should not happen.
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Hi Igor,
Just out of curiosity (somebody deleted swen without fixing the registry.. oops, bad move..):
I guess you can open neither explorer.exe nor a DOS-Box/command.com if the com/exefile-settings are corrupted; (or can you ? Symantec's claims it work with explorer ??? )
but:
can you open "my Computer"="Arbeitsplatz" in such a case on NT-Systems ? Cause it says "system Folder" in properties...
???
Then TrendMicro's manual instructions would give a solution..
and: can you still do Start->Run in case of deleted Swen ?
???
P.S.: Win9x & heavy dos-Hacks
why not copy either the fix-tool or regedit.exe with a bootdisk to the Win-folder under the name of the original worm.exe ?
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whocares: I guess some things will work - internally, Windows probably execute (some of) their files without checking the associations and running the asociated (virus) files. The associations are used for "user interraction", not for internal API functions.
Your Win9x suggestion sounds rather good! Why didn't I thought of it... renaming the regedit to the missing virus name... nice :D
If explorer works, you wouldn't need the bootdisk even...
Well, it may not be completely easy, since swen disables the registry editor by setting a special value in registry (registry editor can't be started; it can be done using a commandline argument, but I'm not sure how to pass it there this way). Our Virus Cleaner doesn't fix the registry by itself - only when a virus is found and removed... but it would be easy to write such a tool. Good idea!
Edit: One more thing: you'd have to know the name of the (deleted) virus... in Win9x, it's displayed in the error box; is it also in WinNT/2000/XP?
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swen disables the registry editor by setting a special value in registry (registry editor can't be started; it can be done using a commandline argument, but I'm not sure how to pass it there this way).
Hi Igor,
according to Trend, you can do it by:
"Modifying the Association for Registry Entries (.REG)" via the association/filetypes panel in either "your PC" or explorer (says Symantec) and then using a self-written regfile to repair the damage (see Trend's Swen page)
you'd have to know the name of the (deleted) virus... in Win9x, it's displayed in the error box; is it also in WinNT/2000/XP?
Well, how should I know..?!? ;D ;D ;)
Never had an active virus yet ....
And I wouldn't like to test this on Swen in case I'm wrong.. :o
maybe a not-so-destructive Yaha would be better for this.. ?
;) ;) :)
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Ah, true... I didn't realize you can change the associations from Explorer options, without starting regedit. Then it shouldn't be hard.
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Igor wrote:
Btw, avast can remove Swen using its intergrated Virus Cleaner (that appears in the Virus dialog if Swen is found) - it would not only delete the virus files, but of course also fix the corresponding registry entries - so the problems described above should not happen
Can BART do this also?
or just the instaled versions.
Cheers
w0mbat
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I have installed and scanned with avast4, now I cannot start any programme, the message cannot find ???.exe have you typed the path ect, I cannot find my start-up files or windows help, email, all although the computer runs OK. Please give me a clue as to how I fix this. :-[
Just a curiosity: have you installed Norton SystemWorks (or NAV) anytime - even in the past - in your computer?
It mess your registry (http://www.avast.com/forum/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=259;start=0) but I cannot imagine it could do this kind of mess... I prefer to believe it was another virus ;D
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I don't have any Norton progs although I think 'ghost' might have been shipped with my mother board. Found how to run msconfig by 'run as' but all associations are 'checked', also tried swenfix from the microsoft support page with out success that is to say the problem was not fixed although the file worked using 'run as'. It still seems to be that the 'exe' has been disabled in some way.
Will try other fixes from MS support and let you all know.
Thanks.
Just thinking Norton came as a bundle didn't it? so yes Norton must have been installed at some time.
P
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I have followed your link and printed it off as it's a little long, I'll study that and try to follow those actions.
P
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if you can, try downloading this file
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/FixSwen.exe
boot the machine in dos mode (safe mode - command prompt)
and run the swenfix.exe
fingers crossed that will do it.
w0mbat
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Hi,
now.. did you have/delete any virus/worm recently ?
and if so, which was it and were was it located ?
what about Igor's hint:
rename the fixtool to fixtool.CMD (maybe on another PC) and run it on the faulty one ?
dou you get a filename with the error-message when trying to open EXE-files ?
Did you work with the manual removal instructiosn fo Trendmicro, Symantec, F-Secure ?
@W0mbat: I don't think SafeMode will help, if the Exe/COM etc. settings are corrupted..
;)
P.S.: Of course, Technical's Link to the
Cleanrun.reg
should work IF IT WAS NOT Swen ;)
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I had a clients machine that was not allowing any .exe files to be run.
It was the swen virus (from fake Microsoft email) >:(
Sorta sounds like your problem.
Just relating how I solved the problem i had with the clients computer. ;D
Starting in safe mode with comand prompt will allow you to run the exe file I recommended above and will clean out the swen if thats the cause.
Cheers! :D
w0mbat
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Just thinking Norton came as a bundle didn't it? so yes Norton must have been installed at some time.
See: DOS under XP / NAV http://www.avast.com/forum/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=259;start=0
Maybe we got something... I have to manually set up the Windows Registry after NAV uninstalling. Works ok for exe files... Luck ;)
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Hi w0mbat,
was this on a Win9x / ME machine or on NT/2000/XP ?
???
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win2K machine
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ok, good to know that about the cmdline..
thx..
;)
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W0mabt, thanks very much, I downloaded swenfix as you suggested, and ran it from safe mode with command prompt (dos), rebooted and here I am up and running again. The swenfix did say there was no virus present probably because Avast had already deleted it, once again thank you all for your support and ideas, I tried them all and won in the end!
pedritothegreat;D
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Sorry should have said: upgraded from win2000 to xpPro, normally runs very well without "crashes".
P
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Hey pedritothegreat, could you tell me if you installed Norton Antivirus in your computer someday (even in the past)?
(see my post above) ;)
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pedritothegreat,
well done! :D
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Yes I did have Norton installed, just checked the disc:
It came with my drivers (via series) on an Epox disc bundler with Ghost and Antivirus, disc dated 19/02/2001.
Hope that helps you too.
P
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Yes I did have Norton installed, just checked the disc:
It came with my drivers (via series) on an Epox disc bundler with Ghost and Antivirus, disc dated 19/02/2001.
Hope that helps you too.
P
Could you see what you have in the following registry keys (if you are not an 'expert', just see, don´t change the registry):
Run Regedit.exe
Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\VirtualDeviceDrivers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\VirtualDeviceDrivers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\VirtualDeviceDrivers
Are there any Symantec drivers listed or just avast!? ;)
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Ref. regedit: no I do not have those exact lines in my registry.
P
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Ref. regedit: no I do not have those exact lines in my registry.
P
Ok if you have Windows 98/Me.
Strange in Windows 2000/XP.
Although, you must have avast! keys for correct working of the antivirus.
Since you do not have any Symantec driver listed, you´re a happy man ;)
Thanks for your support.
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No it's for me to thank you. I am so impressed with the way my problem was handled at your end, you all deserve every success.
Good luck.
P
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No it's for me to thank you. I am so impressed with the way my problem was handled at your end, you all deserve every success.
Good luck.
P
Your wellcome to avast! foruns. Come back frequently... not just if you experience trouble.
By the way, I could handle your trouble becouse I had the same at the early beginning... ;D
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Vlk, I want to post you some "strange" things in the registry after lots of avast! updates (versions, Home to Professional, etc.).
The same error in the three Registry keys posted above...
Any suggestion? :-\