Startup.EXE

grunt1097

When i try to start the startup.exe it pops up with a "open with" folder, how do i stop this so it will just run the file?

Spike

I have the feeling that your windows is messed up or damaged, because normally when you run a exe file it just needs to start.

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grunt1097

So theres nothing i can do to change it so it will stop trying to open with some other program? Thats all i need to do get it so it will just stop trying to open with another program.

grunt1097

I mean the thing that says do you want to run or save the file pops up but the internet pops up with it also for some reason.

grunt1097

The startup happens for a split second and then the internet pops up.

Tipstaff

Sounds to me like the file association is setup wrong. That or it's been accidentally changed.

Here's what I need you to do:

Click 'Start', choose 'Run', and in the command line box type

cmd

This will bring up a DOS command line box. Next type in:

assoc .exe
(that's assoc (space) .exe)

This will tell you what is associated with exe extentions. It should say '.exe=exefile'. If it doesn't then you will need to reassign the association of .exe to execute exe files. To do this go back to the command line box, and type in this:

assoc .exe=exefile

Any associations with .exe will automatically take place, so you should be able to test it to see if it worked or not by opening the setup.exe file again.

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grunt1097

I did what you said and nothing happened. What am i suppose to do after i type the assoc .exe in? Just run the setup.exe file? Because it still does nothing.

Tipstaff

This will only help if Windows' association of exe files has been deleted, or it's been changed to open via a different program. However, this is only one possible reason for the problem you're having.

In any case, as I mentioned, if you type in

assoc .exe

it should tell you what Windows has associated with exe files, and that should be .exe=exefile. If it's not, then you would type in

assoc .exe=exefile

and that will re associate exe files to be run.

You can also dump all of Windows association commands into a text file using

assoc>assoc.txt

and go through that file to see what is listed for other file types. If you do it's best to be at the root of your drive (easy to do... just type in cd\ to bring you back to C:\ to make it easier to find. You might also want to double check what .url is set to as well if IE is popping up (to do so, type in assoc .url and it should say .url=InternetShortcut).

Just for reference what does it say when you type in assoc .exe (remember, there is a space between assoc and .exe)?

Edit: on a side note, you can also download a registry file that will fix this just as easily from HERE. Download it, extract the file, right-click it, and select to merge the reg file. You will need to reboot the machine for the changes to take effect.

Edit #2: Something else to consider, and more of a last resort, would be to reset ALL your file associations. To do this you will need to be able to see hidden files and folders (My Computer | Tools | Folder Options | View | Show Hidden Files and Folder as well as unchecking Hide extensions for known filetypes). Then go to C:\Windows\inf\ folder, and find a file called 'shell.inf'. Right-click it, choose to 'Install', and reboot the machine. Remember: this will reset ALL your associations, so you will need to rerun them for any programs you've installed, such a music players, zip programs, graphics viewers, and so fourth that have associated themselves to run or open with those file types.

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grunt1097

Both of your sugestions haven't worked the first one won't merge and the second i can't find the file shell.inf. I have vista also so that might be it.

Tipstaff

Ah... for Vista it's a different registry file which you can get HERE.

You said you couldn't get the file to merge, which Vista are you using? And were you logged in with a user that has administrator rights? If you can't do this you can temporarily disable UAC by following the below (not my instructions btw):

1. Right click on Vista Start button.
2. Select “Properties” on the right click menu.
3. Ensure that you’re at “Start Menu” tab.
4. There are 2 radio button available - Start menu and Classic Start menu. Click on the “Customize…” button at the back of the whichever radio button is been selected.
5. For Start menu, scroll down to the list to almost bottom, and select (tick) “Run command”. For Classic Start menu, select (tick) “Display Run” option.
6. Click OK when done.

After that click Start | Run, and type in msconfig. On the far right you should see a tab that says 'Tools'. If you scroll down you should see a listing that says 'Disable UAC'. Highlight it by clicking on it, and then hit the 'Launch' button. You will then need to reboot. After that try merging, or opening the registry file, reboot, and try the exe file again.

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grunt1097

The UAC is off. When i try to merge i get a Registry Editor popup that says if i don't trust the sorce to not add it to my registry. Then an error comes up saying Some keys are open by the system or other processes. So nothing happens. I also have the 32-bit version of Vista.

Tipstaff

Question: did you recently install any ISO mounting tools such as Daemon Tools or Alcohol? Or how about Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus, or some other type of program that could be protecting the registry from alterations? You probably have links for programs that have a blank icon now, but now when you try to open them you get that 'Open with' thing happening, right? The reason I ask is that what you are describing sounds like an issue I've seen before.

Also, which Vista are you running? Home Premium?

Couple things: Be sure you are either logged in as the Administrator, or someone with administration rights. I should have mentioned that disabling UAC turns off the nag about running the file/program in Administrator mode, and instead runs everything as if it had admin rights to do so. However, at the moment it still sounds like you don't have administrator rights to change things.

Note: from this point on be sure to make a backup of your registry.. just incase.. by running Regedit, and choosing File | Export.

At the moment the only thing I can suggest, at least one that is relatively safe, is to try merging the registry file from within Safe Mode. When you do go into safe mode log in, if you can, as the Administrator, and not a different user. This is important. Once there you should be able to either try to merge the reg file again, or go into Regedit (Start | Run | Regedit), and choose File | Import to import the reg file. Also, you may need to reset the permissions in regards to accessing certain parts of the registry. To do this you will need to run Regedit, expand the listing that says 'My Computer', right-click on 'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT' which will bring up a menu, and choose the 'Permissions' listing. In the next window make sure that 'Administrator' or 'Administrators', as well as 'System' is in the user list, and that they have 'Full Control' in the lower half of that window. You 'could' even add your specific user that you log in with by clicking 'Add', in the next window hit 'Advanced', in the next window hit 'Find', search for your user in the list, highlight the user, and then hit 'Ok'. This will bring you back to the window that shows the permissions. From here, be sure that, just as with the Administrator and System listing, that your user has 'Full Control'. After that you need to follow the exact same procedure for each of the other HKEY listings.

The 'unsafe', or rather risky way to do this is to manually delete the registry keys that the reg file is going to fix before you try to merge the files, again, from within Safe Mode, and logged in as the Administrator.

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grunt1097

I have home premium vista and i also got norton internet security but i don't know how to get that to shut off.

Tipstaff

Was this a pre-built machine, and NIS was part of package (which means it's the 90 day trial version)? If that's the case, you might want to consider getting something like AVG Free or avast! Home Edition (it's free for one year, and when you register they will send you that one year key), and removing NIS.

If it wasn't part of the package, or you can reinstall it, you might want to consider disabling your network card, uninstalling NIS, and do whatever changes you need to. After that's all done just reinstall NIS, and re-enable your network card.

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grunt1097

Yeah its a 90 day free trial version so i might just get rid of it.

Theat didn't work though i still can't runt the files.