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decon 0 Newbie Poster

i have done all of this..........

When double clicking the xp_exe_fix.reg file, windows asks what to use to open it. Go to select from list, then browse and find C:\Windows\regedit.exe, select it and click ok, then double click xp_exe_fix.reg again and it'll ask you if you want to add the info to the registry. Click yes and reboot your computer. You should notice that by going Start->my computer->C:\ and opening any one of the folders, all of the programs appear normal again and will function correctly.

If your desktop icons still have the *.lnk extension, run the linkfile_fix.reg by double clicking it, then reboot again. make sure everything seems back to normal and your all done!

the specific locations for the files:


but like 3 secons after windows loads it goes back to all exe files to INK.

I am running winxp sp2

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Dani AI

Generated

reported that running the registry fixes briefly restores .exe behavior but the change reverts a few seconds after Windows finishes loading. When a repair only sticks for a moment, some process running at logon is overwriting the association. That can be a startup program, service, scheduled task, shell replacement or malware that restores the bad keys as soon as Explorer starts.

Practical steps that often resolve a reverting association:

  • Boot to Safe Mode (F8) so the persistence process does not run, then repair the association or run the commands below.
  • Inspect startup points (HKCU/HKLM Run, Winlogon Shell, scheduled tasks, services, AppInit_DLLs). Look for odd entries and export any keys before changing them.
  • Use an autorun/startup inspector (Autoruns/Msconfig) and run up-to-date on-demand scanners from Safe Mode (or from rescue media) to remove active malware.
  • If files were turned into hidden shortcuts, unhide/remove attributes and then restore the association.

Commands that restore the basic .exe association (run from an elevated command prompt or Safe Mode command prompt):

assoc .exe=exefile
ftype exefile="%1" %*

Cautions: export the registry before edits and create a restore point. If cleanup fails or multiple infections are present, consider restoring from a known-clean backup or a repair install. Note that Windows XP is no longer supported and is vulnerable to persistent infections; migrating to a supported OS is strongly recommended.

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