PC program problem

[MarkM]

Ok wierd problem...I am not sure when this happened but I seemed to have lost Notepad, it is still listed as being there but I can't access it...no I haven't deleted it as if I was to selct view source for a webpage Notepad launches so it would seem to be a link problem in the Start Menu. I have deleted a few things after adaware scans etc but only those that were safe to do so, virus attacks have been dealt with, same with back door nasties. So I know it isn't that. I will say that after a particualy nasty series of attacks I did have to rollback the pc but I can't be sure that Notepad was working from the Start menu link before or not. All I do know is it isn't now but the program is still on my PC.

[Beemer]

What OS you using?

Just make a new shortcut.

[thecavemankevin]

woot, new sig quote :D

[MarkM]

XP Pro. I thought of that but I couldn't find where the hell it was hidden away.
I found Wordpad but not Notepad and now since I opened AO to view source just to check if it was still working it now lists Notepad in my list of recently opened programs. If I knew where it was listed I could do a new link as you suggest on my desktop and once I had that info I could maybe edit the properties of the Start Menu listing for Notepad much the same as you do with hyperlinks on a website.

[MarkM]

woot, new sig quote :D

Yeah ok knock yourself out, I can't see the humour though but go ahead :confused:

[Will Wood]

Yea.. I don't see how it's funny either lol.

Start>Find>Notepad ???
I'm asuming you've already tried that though..

[MarkM]

Tried that and find properties of the Notepad in the Start Menu..it is in the system32 but even if I create a new shortcut to that it still doesn't work...the actual file name is actmovie.exe not Notepad. I don't need the program as such as I do have Wordpad but I have a great deal of urls and html etc that are saved in Notepad and if I try to open them they won't open as Notepad is missing and if I asign them to Wordpad it can mess around with the spacings as sometimes extra characters get added.

[Beemer]

the actual file name is actmovie.exe not Notepad
No its not its notepad.exe. It is in system32 tho

Scan that file. Your little nasties might have renamed the file. If its clean rename it to notepad.exe[scan again] see what happens or just nuke that .exe, and replace it. My XP Pro notepad.exe file is only 65kb. If you cant find it on your disk pm me youre addy and Ill send it to ya.

to add

Oops

actmovie.exe is a microsoft file. I have 1 in CAB folder, 26 kb and one in system32, 4kb

Heres one http://www.auditmypc.com/process/actmovie.asp Thanks now I have to read stuff on actmovie.exe. If you dont got the notepad.exe in system 32 thats what ya need

[Blazestorm]

lolol...

Reinstall XP... my solution...

[Muzikman]

Give me a list of viruses found on your PC and I can give you a fix for the problem. There are a few different viruses that will change notepad.exe. When a virus scanner finds the virus it just removes it, but does not put notepad.exe back to original. My guess this is your problem. Depending on which virus you got, there may or may not be additional steps to take to cleaning up the problem. Some times you can just get a fresh copy of notepad.exe, but othr times, it will just get reinfected.

[MarkM]

Ok made some progress..yes it would appear as if the root has been changed, but a bit more searching has now got me with a working shortcut to Notepad....just got to work out how to change the properties of the built in shortcut in the recently opened programs list and the Start Menu list since they both go currently to the actmovie.exe and of course swap the notepad files to actually open with Notepad. Thanks for all the help so far. Incidently when I searched for notepad files in the system the modification date was prior to the date I rolled back to so this seems to say that the problem was before this last time.

[MarkM]

Ok success! I rewrote the file path on both shortcuts the recently opened programs list and the Start menu one and to be absolutely sure deleted the shortcut on the desktop (which did work) and then the first notepad file I opened couldn't find Notepad.exe but switched that file path and it opened, all the other files opened as well without a problem.

The reason for deleting the shortcut to be sure, was that some time ago I realised that having the Desktop short cut in the tool bar was of use to me (when I installed Windows I decided I didn't need it) I couldn't get the shortcut restored so placed a shortcut to the Desktop on the Desktop (I know that sounds crazy) unlocked the Toolbar and dropped the new shortcut in the Toolbar.....this of course worked but if I deleted the shortcut that was actually on my Desktop it wouldn't work...I am sure there is a better way but I left it alone as it does what I need it to. Because of this that is why I was a little unsure of the working Notepad shortcut needing to stay on the Desktop...I have of course now found that this isn't the case...

Once again thanks for all the help.