One of my friend called me the other day and told me that she has a problem with her laptop. When I asked her to try to explain the problem, she said she couldn’t run any programs from her desktop. Then I ask her to try running any shortcuts from start menu, and still the same problem. She said maybe virus deleted all her programs but I doubt that because if a virus is able to delete all her programs, it should delete Windows as well and made it unbootable. I find this problem interesting and I went to check on her laptop.
First thing I see after Windows being booted up is a lot of popup windows with the error message “Windows cannot open this file: Adobe Acrobat Speed Launcher.lnk. To open this file, Windows needs to know what program created it. Windows can go online to look it up automatically, or you can manually select from a list of programs on your computer.”
This error means that Windows couldn’t find the program where the shortcut is pointing to. Either the program has been deleted or there is something wrong with the association. I check Program Files and all programs are still there.
Immediately I know that the LNK file association is broken and the place to confirm this problem is the Registry. I go to Start, Run and type regedit, again I got the error popup window saying Windows cannot open this file: regedit.exe. I even tried to run regedit.exe directly from C:\Windows and also got the same error message. Looks like .EXE association is broken too! Finally I found out that almost all file association can’t work. I can’t run anything from her laptop. So how do you fix a computer with broken association when you can’t run anything?
In short, all EXE files including CMD, Regedit, MSCONFIG are inoperative. LNK shortcuts also doesn’t work, which means desktop icons, quick launch icons, start menus all don’t work. Those nice icon images are no longer being displayed as you only get the standard unrecognized file type icon that look like the image below.
There are registry files that is able to fix .COM .LNK .EXE and other extension associations but the problem is if .REG association is also broken, you won’t be able to import the reg file to Windows registry.
The most important extension to fix is of course the .EXE extension. Once you have the .EXE extension fixed, you are able to run registry editor and other tools to start fixing other broken extensions. Here’s how to fix .EXE extension.
1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC simultaneously and it will bring up Windows Task Manager
2. Click File menu and move the mouse cursor over to New Task (Run…)
3. Press and hold the CTRL button and click at the New Task (Run…)
4. Command prompt will appear.
5. Type assoc.exe=exefile and hit enter.
That would fix the EXE extension. You can now run any executable file.
Here is a list of other file extensions that you might want to restore. I recommend you to restore whatever you need and not all at once.
assoc.323=h323file
assoc.386=vxdfile
assoc.aca=Agent.Character.2
assoc.acf=Agent.Character.2
assoc.acs=Agent.Character2.2
assoc.acw=acwfile
assoc.ai=
assoc.aif=AIFFFile
assoc.aifc=AIFFFile
assoc.aiff=AIFFFile
assoc.ani=anifile
assoc.aps=
assoc.asa=aspfile
assoc.ascx=
assoc.asf=ASFFile
assoc.asm=
assoc.asmx=
assoc.asp=aspfile
assoc.aspx=
assoc.asx=ASXFile
assoc.au=AUFile
assoc.AudioCD=AudioCD
assoc.avi=avifile
assoc.bat=batfile
assoc.bfc=Briefcase
assoc.bin=
assoc.bkf=msbackupfile
assoc.blg=PerfFile
assoc.bmp=Paint.Picture
assoc.bsc=
assoc.c=
assoc.cab=CLSID\{0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}
assoc.cat=CATFile
assoc.cda=CDAFile
assoc.cdf=ChannelFile
assoc.cdx=aspfile
assoc.cer=CERFile
assoc.cgm=
assoc.chk=chkfile
assoc.chm=chm.file
assoc.clp=clpfile
assoc.cmd=cmdfile
assoc.cnf=ConferenceLink
assoc.com=comfile
assoc.cpl=cplfile
assoc.cpp=
assoc.crl=CRLFile
assoc.crt=CERFile
assoc.css=CSSfile
assoc.csv=
assoc.CTT=MessengerContactList
assoc.cur=curfile
assoc.cxx=
assoc.dat=
assoc.db=dbfile
assoc.dbg=
assoc.dct=
assoc.def=
assoc.der=CERFile
assoc.DeskLink=CLSID\{9E56BE61-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}
assoc.dib=Paint.Picture
assoc.dic=
assoc.diz=
assoc.dll=dllfile
assoc.dl_=
assoc.doc=WordPad.Document.1
assoc.dos=
assoc.dot=
assoc.drv=drvfile
assoc.dsn=MSDASQL
assoc.dun=dunfile
assoc.DVD=DVD
assoc.emf=emffile
assoc.eml=Microsoft Internet Mail Message
assoc.eps=
assoc.exe=exefile
assoc.exp=
assoc.ex_=
assoc.eyb=
assoc.fif=
assoc.fnd=fndfile
assoc.fnt=
assoc.Folder=Folder
assoc.fon=fonfile
assoc.ghi=
assoc.gif=giffile
assoc.grp=MSProgramGroup
assoc.gz=
assoc.h=
assoc.hhc=
assoc.hlp=hlpfile
assoc.hpp=
assoc.hqx=
assoc.ht=htfile
assoc.hta=htafile
assoc.htc=
assoc.htm=htmlfile
assoc.html=htmlfile
assoc.htt=HTTfile
assoc.htw=
assoc.htx=
assoc.hxx=
assoc.icc=icmfile
assoc.icm=icmfile
assoc.ico=icofile
assoc.idb=
assoc.idl=
assoc.idq=
assoc.iii=iiifile
assoc.ilk=
assoc.imc=
assoc.inc=
assoc.inf=inffile
assoc.ini=inifile
assoc.ins=x-internet-signup
assoc.inv=
assoc.inx=
assoc.in_=
assoc.isp=x-internet-signup
assoc.its=ITS File
assoc.IVF=IVFFile
assoc.java=
assoc.jbf=
assoc.jfif=pjpegfile
assoc.job=JobObject
assoc.jod=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0
assoc.jpe=jpegfile
assoc.jpeg=jpegfile
assoc.jpg=jpegfile
assoc.JS=JSFile
assoc.JSE=JSEFile
assoc.latex=
assoc.lib=
assoc.lnk=lnkfile
assoc.local=
assoc.log=txtfile
assoc.lwv=LWVFile
assoc.m14=
assoc.m1v=mpegfile
assoc.m3u=m3ufile
assoc.man=
assoc.manifest=
assoc.MAPIMail=CLSID\{9E56BE60-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}
assoc.mdb=
assoc.mht=mhtmlfile
assoc.mhtml=mhtmlfile
assoc.mid=midfile
assoc.midi=midfile
assoc.mmf=
assoc.mmm=MPlayer
assoc.mov=
assoc.movie=
assoc.mp2=mpegfile
assoc.mp2v=mpegfile
assoc.mp3=mp3file
assoc.mpa=mpegfile
assoc.mpe=mpegfile
assoc.mpeg=mpegfile
assoc.mpg=mpegfile
assoc.mpv2=mpegfile
assoc.msc=MSCFile
assoc.msg=
assoc.msi=Msi.Package
assoc.msp=Msi.Patch
assoc.MsRcIncident=MsRcIncident
assoc.msstyles=msstylesfile
assoc.MSWMM=Windows.Movie.Maker
assoc.mv=
assoc.mydocs=CLSID\{ECF03A32-103D-11d2-854D-006008059367}
assoc.ncb=
assoc.nfo=MSInfo.Document
assoc.nls=
assoc.NMW=T126_Whiteboard
assoc.nsc=
assoc.nvr=
assoc.nws=Microsoft Internet News Message
assoc.obj=
assoc.ocx=ocxfile
assoc.oc_=
assoc.odc=
assoc.otf=otffile
assoc.p10=P10File
assoc.p12=PFXFile
assoc.p7b=SPCFile
assoc.p7c=certificate_wab_auto_file
assoc.p7m=P7MFile
assoc.p7r=SPCFile
assoc.p7s=P7SFile
assoc.pbk=pbkfile
assoc.pch=
assoc.pdb=
assoc.pds=
assoc.pfm=pfmfile
assoc.pfx=PFXFile
assoc.php3=
assoc.pic=
assoc.pif=piffile
assoc.pko=PKOFile
assoc.pl=
assoc.plg=
assoc.pma=PerfFile
assoc.pmc=PerfFile
assoc.pml=PerfFile
assoc.pmr=PerfFile
assoc.pmw=PerfFile
assoc.pnf=pnffile
assoc.png=pngfile
assoc.pot=
assoc.pps=
assoc.ppt=
assoc.prf=prffile
assoc.ps=
assoc.psd=
assoc.psw=PSWFile
assoc.qds=SavedDsQuery
assoc.rat=ratfile
assoc.rc=
assoc.RDP=RDP.File
assoc.reg=regfile
assoc.res=
assoc.rle=
assoc.rmi=midfile
assoc.rnk=rnkfile
assoc.rpc=
assoc.rsp=
assoc.rtf=rtffile
assoc.sam=
assoc.sbr=
assoc.sc2=
assoc.scf=SHCmdFile
assoc.scp=txtfile
assoc.scr=scrfile
assoc.sct=scriptletfile
assoc.sdb=appfixfile
assoc.sed=
assoc.shb=DocShortcut
assoc.shs=ShellScrap
assoc.shtml=
assoc.shw=
assoc.sit=
assoc.snd=AUFile
assoc.spc=SPCFile
assoc.spl=ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash
assoc.sql=
assoc.sr_=
assoc.sst=CertificateStoreFile
assoc.stl=STLFile
assoc.stm=
assoc.swf=ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash
assoc.sym=
assoc.sys=sysfile
assoc.sy_=
assoc.tar=
assoc.text=
assoc.tgz=
assoc.theme=themefile
assoc.tif=TIFImage.Document
assoc.tiff=TIFImage.Document
assoc.tlb=
assoc.tsp=
assoc.tsv=
assoc.ttc=ttcfile
assoc.ttf=ttffile
assoc.txt=txtfile
assoc.UDL=MSDASC
assoc.uls=ulsfile
assoc.URL=InternetShortcut
assoc.VBE=VBEFile
assoc.vbs=VBSFile
assoc.vbx=
assoc.vcf=vcard_wab_auto_file
assoc.vxd=vxdfile
assoc.wab=wab_auto_file
assoc.wav=soundrec
assoc.wax=WAXFile
assoc.wb2=
assoc.webpnp=webpnpFile
assoc.WHT=Whiteboard
assoc.wk4=
assoc.wll=
assoc.wlt=
assoc.wm=ASFFile
assoc.wma=WMAFile
assoc.wmd=WMDFile
assoc.wmf=wmffile
assoc.wmp=WMPFile
assoc.wms=WMSFile
assoc.wmv=WMVFile
assoc.wmx=ASXFile
assoc.wmz=WMZFile
assoc.wpd=
assoc.wpg=
assoc.wri=wrifile
assoc.wsc=scriptletfile
assoc.WSF=WSFFile
assoc.WSH=WSHFile
assoc.wsz=
assoc.wtx=txtfile
assoc.wvx=WVXFile
assoc.x=
assoc.xbm=
assoc.xix=
assoc.xlb=
assoc.xlc=
assoc.xls=
assoc.xlt=
assoc.xml=xmlfile
assoc.xsl=xslfile
assoc.z=
assoc.z96=
assoc.zap=zapfile
assoc.ZFSendToTarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}
assoc.zip=CompressedFolder
After fixing the broken file association, the next thing I did was installed the FREE version of AVG anti-virus to scan and remove any existing virus. One thing you should know is Anti-Virus programs only good at removing virus from computer but it can’t restore the damage done by Virus.
Doug Knox’s Windows XP File Association Fixes page helped me a lot when I was trying to fix the broken association.