- Apr 11, 2012
- 5
- 0
- 10,510
Win7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit desktop PC
After uninstalling the free Avast AV, I can no longer install software applications and cannot run most .EXE files on my PC. I think the problem is related to a new registry error as a result of the Avast uninstall, but I need some help from the fine folks here with expertise to confirm diagnosis and advise how I can fix it without wiping Windows with a fresh reinstall. I have no reason to think this was virus/malware related, but who knows how those things sometimes happen. I am wondering if the Avast uninstall app removed some of the files associated with .exe file startup.
With Avast AV now uninstalled, if I click an EXE to install software I get the following pop-up window (examples are trying to install McAfee Pre-Install Tool and MBAM’s MB-Clean uninstaller):
Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\[name]\Desktop\Pre-Install_Tool.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again.
Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\[name]\Desktop\mb-clean-3.1.0.1031.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again.
This happens with several other .EXE files as well, although it is worth noting not all. For example, I can open MS Word or Adobe and some other programs that have long been installed on my PC by clicking on the .exe in the Start > Programs menu. But none of these new software apps.
All of this started only after removing Avast AV.
But things get worse:
In addition to not being able to install software apps and open many .exe programs, another problem is now I cannot Restore to earlier point in time. I get a Windows failure notice when I try. I also tried running Windows Update so it would run the windows repair tool, but it failed with error code 80070002. Windows won’t even let me switch to Administrator to run Command Prompt, as I had planned to scan disk with SFC. And I cannot run an automated backup or Windows disc image. All of these fail. I’m at a loss.
The only thing I have been able to find on my own that seems like it might be on point leads me back here to Toms, which is at the third post in this thread. This suggests downloading and running exefix_cu.reg to correct the registry for EXE, or if that’s not possible to type a specific registry command in Notepad and then change the file-type and Merge it to registry. Is this the right path? [This scares the doo-doo out of me if I screw up manual registry edits because I cannot run a backup or Windows Image beforehand, but I suppose I could spend a day manually backing up files to USB drives or disc before giving this a try.]
Advice?
After uninstalling the free Avast AV, I can no longer install software applications and cannot run most .EXE files on my PC. I think the problem is related to a new registry error as a result of the Avast uninstall, but I need some help from the fine folks here with expertise to confirm diagnosis and advise how I can fix it without wiping Windows with a fresh reinstall. I have no reason to think this was virus/malware related, but who knows how those things sometimes happen. I am wondering if the Avast uninstall app removed some of the files associated with .exe file startup.
With Avast AV now uninstalled, if I click an EXE to install software I get the following pop-up window (examples are trying to install McAfee Pre-Install Tool and MBAM’s MB-Clean uninstaller):
Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\[name]\Desktop\Pre-Install_Tool.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again.
Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\[name]\Desktop\mb-clean-3.1.0.1031.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again.
This happens with several other .EXE files as well, although it is worth noting not all. For example, I can open MS Word or Adobe and some other programs that have long been installed on my PC by clicking on the .exe in the Start > Programs menu. But none of these new software apps.
All of this started only after removing Avast AV.
But things get worse:
In addition to not being able to install software apps and open many .exe programs, another problem is now I cannot Restore to earlier point in time. I get a Windows failure notice when I try. I also tried running Windows Update so it would run the windows repair tool, but it failed with error code 80070002. Windows won’t even let me switch to Administrator to run Command Prompt, as I had planned to scan disk with SFC. And I cannot run an automated backup or Windows disc image. All of these fail. I’m at a loss.
The only thing I have been able to find on my own that seems like it might be on point leads me back here to Toms, which is at the third post in this thread. This suggests downloading and running exefix_cu.reg to correct the registry for EXE, or if that’s not possible to type a specific registry command in Notepad and then change the file-type and Merge it to registry. Is this the right path? [This scares the doo-doo out of me if I screw up manual registry edits because I cannot run a backup or Windows Image beforehand, but I suppose I could spend a day manually backing up files to USB drives or disc before giving this a try.]
Advice?
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