Windows Vista, exe files won't execute!

Energize · 7 Mar 2009 at 18:29

Just loaded up a windows vista business 64 pc this morning and for some reason no executable files will load, all the startup programs load but it's impossible to get any other file to execute, wmp, firefox, thunderbird, cpu-z, anything, if I click on it nothing happens. If I go into task manager and try to start a program that way it appears in the task manager window and then dissapears a few seconds later. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. :confused:

BloomerzUK · 7 Mar 2009 at 18:30

Try doing a system restore. I've had this before, and that sorted it.

Sorry I couldn't tell you the cause..

Energize · 7 Mar 2009 at 18:54

System restore is disabled. We have it setup like that because viruses like to hide in there. I bet this never happens on linux, I just can't believe that such a fatal error can occur, it's unthinkable in the 21st century. If this was a home user they would be totally screwed.

Antar Bolaeisk · 7 Mar 2009 at 19:17

Will the programs launch when you're in safe mode?

Energize · 7 Mar 2009 at 20:46

Antar Bolaeisk said:
Will the programs launch when you're in safe mode?

Yes.

div0 · 8 Mar 2009 at 00:20

This could be a bit of a long shot...

Is it just 32bit apps that don't run? You running Comodo Firewall by any chance? Also with Ad-aware installed?

If so, disable Defence+ in Comodo, reboot. Then uninstall Ad-aware and reboot.

If you're not running these programs, ignore me

Energize · 8 Mar 2009 at 01:00

div0 said:
This could be a bit of a long shot...

Is it just 32bit apps that don't run? You running Comodo Firewall by any chance? Also with Ad-aware installed?

If so, disable Defence+ in Comodo, reboot. Then uninstall Ad-aware and reboot.

If you're not running these programs, ignore me

My hero!

What an obscure problem.

div0 · 8 Mar 2009 at 08:51

Energize said:
My hero!

What an obscure problem.

Haha, I just fixed the same problem. Seems to have been something to do with the latest update of Comodo.

You might actually be best to remove it and then do a fresh install. I think the latest update tried to do something clever on 64bit systems, and was meant to be a two stage process, but seems to go wrong half way through and mess things up. They now have seperate downloads for 64bit and 32bit versions - so I ended up fixing the problem and then doing a fresh install anyway.

I haven't re-installed Ad-aware yet, but apparently the incompatibility has been fixed if you use the latest version of both.

Glad it helped

Memphis · 8 Mar 2009 at 11:58

Energize said:
My hero!

What an obscure problem.

Funny how in a post slightly earlier in the thread, you were pretty much blaming Vista outright for the problem, as you do in several threads, and yet it had absolutely nothing to do with the OS at all and was in fact a crappy piece of third party software.

No wonder Vista has the reputation it does. Pure ignorance :rolleyes:

.

Energize · 8 Mar 2009 at 17:20

Memphis said:
Funny how in a post slightly earlier in the thread, you were pretty much blaming Vista outright for the problem, as you do in several threads, and yet it had absolutely nothing to do with the OS at all and was in fact a crappy piece of third party software.

Vista's kernel should not have allowed that to happen.

Mattus · 8 Mar 2009 at 21:02

If you're using UAC then you presumably allowed it to happen

The OS can't protect against anything that could harm the system, whether it's Vista or Linux.

Energize · 8 Mar 2009 at 21:15

Mattus said:
If you're using UAC.

I'm not that foolish.

I had to disable uac because I got prompts everytime I tried to compile a program.