Member Avatar for j-lo

When trying to load Word, a command prompt dialog box pops up for a few seconds before disappearing. Nothing else happens. The same problem occurs with most other utilities - it won't even run something simple like a ping command. The OS is Windows XP Home (no SP installed), and the Office version is Office XP for Students.

Any ideas as to what might be causing the problem? It's very frustrating.

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— the brief command-window flash when launching Word or basic utilities (ping) is a classic symptom of either corrupted EXE file associations / debugger redirection in the registry, or an unwanted startup/shell hook (often caused by malware). was right to suspect infection, and ‘s bootable-rescue-disc idea is practical when the machine is offline. Below are concrete, offline-friendly diagnostics and fixes that are safe to try in the order shown.

Boot to Safe Mode (press F8 during boot). If Word and other tools work in Safe Mode, a third‑party startup item or shell extension is the likely cause — run msconfig and disable non‑Microsoft services/startup entries, then reboot to isolate the offender. If problems persist even in Safe Mode, try restoring the system to a pre‑problem restore point (Start → All Programs → Accessories → System Tools → System Restore). Always back up personal files before major repairs.

If Safe Mode doesn’t help, check critical registry entries (run regedit in Safe Mode and export keys before changing anything). Important items to verify or restore:

  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe Default = exefile
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command Default = "\"%1\" %*"
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell Default = explorer.exe
  • Environment variable ComSpec = C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options — remove any unexpected Debugger values for affected programs (for example winword.exe or cmd.exe), which will force those apps to run via the debugger and can cause the behavior described.

A small .reg file that restores the basic .exe association (merge only if regedit runs) looks like:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe]
@="exefile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

If regedit/commands cannot be used or registry edits don’t clear the issue, create a bootable rescue CD/USB on another computer (Norton/Bitdefender/Kaspersky/AVG all have rescue/boot tools) and run a full offline scan and repair. If removal fails, copy personal data to removable media (avoid copying executables), then perform a repair install or clean install of Windows XP (note: XP reached end‑of‑life on April 8, 2014 and is unsafe for internet use without additional protections). Back up the registry before edits and proceed cautiously.

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Member Avatar for floris

Obviously a macro/trojan/worm/etc ..

Run the proper scanners and find out! :)

Member Avatar for j-lo

all very well, but my it's sister's computer and she doesn't have a virus scanner installed. to make it worse, windows installer wont run so can't install a scanner, and she wont have internet connection for about 6 months, so can't run an online scan. Any more ideas?

Member Avatar for Dani

I'm not sure about McAfee, but Norton AntiVirus is a bootable CD. You can set the computer's CMOS setup up to boot from the CD. Then, pop the cd in the drive and restart the computer. It will perform a scan from DOS. Unfortunately, with no internet connection, newer viruses won't be scanned for.

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