Big problem with my labtop...HELP!!

[T@T]

So my kid is playing those free games at disney,etc on my labtop(vista) when he hollers to me that the games wont work anymore.

Every program now opens "windows media center", and I mean everything right down to command prompt. I can't do windows restore, It wont play a DVD..nothing.

Anyone have a clue on how to fix this monster?

[Dion]

Try restarting your computer and see if that helps.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Dion

Try restarting your computer and see if that helps.

Yes, I tried that first, all Icons have changed for every program to the WMC icon...this is crazy, I can't even run a virus scan.

I need a wizard

[Phaneuf3]

hahaha that sounds awesome.

i'm not confident it would help but one of the first things i would try is booting into safe mode just to see if it will do anything different.


edit: just a question regarding command prompt launching media center - are you running the command prompt by clicking on an icon from your start menu? If so: try hitting the windows key + r, type 'cmd' without the quotes into the window that pops up and hit enter. Basically, is it just something that messed up your shortcuts or is it doing something really funky?
Also, bring up your task manager and see if there's anything curious looking running.

edit the second: after re-reading your last post it sounds like it just messed up your shortcuts. If you want to try the built in windows system restore hit the windows key + r again and type 'rstrui' without the quotes. to be honest, i'm not all that up on vista or its system restore functionality so it may or may not do the trick but if i had to guess i'm leaning towards the latter.

[T@T]

^^^ one mans nightmare is an awesome thing to another

cmd,rstrui and even regedit just start WMC. IE works and one game called "little penguins" I suspect because my son had IE and the game running when the event happened it left those 2 programs alone.
Every other program starts media center,office programs,firefox,even games that came with vista...everything.

I just did a Kaspersky online virus/malware scan and nothing found. frustrating to say the least!

[You Need a Thneed]

what's a labtop?

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by T@T

^^^ one mans nightmare is an awesome thing to another

cmd,rstrui and even regedit just start WMC. IE works and one game called "little penguins" I suspect because my son had IE and the game running when the event happened it left those 2 programs alone.
Every other program starts media center,office programs,firefox,even games that came with vista...everything.

I just did a Kaspersky online virus/malware scan and nothing found. frustrating to say the least!

its a neat sounding problem

Any difference booting to safe mode?
Have you gone onto the file system and checked the actual executables its launching? Checking their date modified?

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

its a neat sounding problem

Any difference booting to safe mode?
Have you gone onto the file system and checked the actual executables its launching? Checking their date modified?

No difference in safe mode, no date modifications to programs, all executables (except IE) are assigned to windows media center including the icons, I can change a few like notepad but stuff like "rstrui" needs just to execute and theres nothing on the list that would open it when you click "open with".

I think this puppy is going to cost me to have fixed, even buddy's who thought they knew it all can't figure it out. piss me off. the thing is 3 months past warranty.

[T@T]

FIXED !!

Apparently this has been a problem for the last year or so, a rare problem but it affected quite a few people (only on laptops as far as i can tell) and even our wonderfull microsoft couldn't be bothered trying to fix

Some un-named guy posted a fix at JTB World (software company)

Here are some of the comments about his fix:

"O Great One, We give thanks and praise for the knowledge thou hast granted us, that we might undue the damage done through our ignorance, which even the Wise at Microsoft could not do."

"THANK YOU!!!!!!

All I knew was I'd destroyed the proper file association for .exe, and I couldn't find anything talking about what the association should be; lots on creating new associations, restoring to default not a thing.

thank you thank you thank you"

You are my freakin hero.

This is the fastest and simplest fix I could have hoped for. You saved me hours.

Thanks, man.

If anyone ever has this ######ed problem here's the file, DL and open

http://www.jtbworld.com/download/Win...0exe%20fix.reg

It took 10 seconds

Thanks for the interest Phaneuf3 and a special drive-by thanks to our resident spelling policeman "You Need a Thneed"

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by T@T

FIXED !!

Apparently this has been a problem for the last year or so, a rare problem but it affected quite a few people (only on laptops as far as i can tell) and even our wonderfull microsoft couldn't be bothered trying to fix

Some un-named guy posted a fix at JTB World (software company)

Here are some of the comments about his fix:

[/i]





If anyone ever has this ######ed problem here's the file, DL and open

http://www.jtbworld.com/download/Win...0exe%20fix.reg

It took 10 seconds

Thanks for the interest Phaneuf3 and a special drive-by thanks to our resident spelling policeman "You Need a Thneed"

interesting. was working through some common things that might cause that behavior from the simple and most likely to the more obscure and less likely... that is indeed on the more obscure end.

Got a link to the fix? that really sounds interesting and I wouldn't mind reading up a little more on possible causes if they have that info available. What also is a bit of a noodle scratcher for me is you say that 2 programs were left unaffected. I would think a file association problem in the registry would do it for all programs, even ones that were open at the time.

edit: a link to not just the registry file but where the fix was discussed

[OBCT]

Here's the link to the fix and the discussion.

http://blog.jtbworld.com/2007/03/hav...extension.html

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

interesting. was working through some common things that might cause that behavior from the simple and most likely to the more obscure and less likely... that is indeed on the more obscure end.

Got a link to the fix? that really sounds interesting and I wouldn't mind reading up a little more on possible causes if they have that info available. What also is a bit of a noodle scratcher for me is you say that 2 programs were left unaffected. I would think a file association problem in the registry would do it for all programs, even ones that were open at the time.

edit: a link to not just the registry file but where the fix was discussed

I can see those 2 programs not changing while open, ever try to email an attachment while you have it open? won't let you because it's "in use"

From what i can tell nobody seems to know "how" it happens and it's a head scratcher to me why it only seems to happen on laptops.