Menu

Vista can't open any program

Ask a question

Issue



Vista will not open any programs.

After AVG warned me of a virus infection, which was promptly handled, each time I try to open any program at all it comes up with an 'open with' box.

I also tried to open REGEDIT.EXE by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL and opening Task Manager. Once there, I clicked File, then held down the CTRL key and clicked New Task (Run). This opened a Command Prompt window. I entered REGEDIT.EXE and press Enter. This too came up with the open with screen. Even system restore doesn't work. How can I fix this issue?

Solution


Try this:
  • 1. Download the .zip file from the hyperlink below:
  • 2. Open the downloaded .zip file, then extract (drag and drop) the .reg file to the desktop.
  • 3. Right click on the extracted .reg file and click on Merge.
  • 4. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK.
  • 5. When done, you can delete the downloaded .zip and .reg files on the desktop if you like.
  • 6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.



Thanks to Bionik for this tip.
Jean-François Pillou

CCM is a leading international tech website. Our content is written in collaboration with IT experts, under the direction of Jeff Pillou, founder of CCM.net. CCM reaches more than 50 million unique visitors per month and is available in 11 languages.

Learn more about the CCM team

Related