Problem with Desktop Icons

I am running Windows XP Pro

All the icons on my Desktop have been replaced (each one) with a small "white square. "
When Clicking on any one of it a window is popping out with the following:

Windows cannot open this file:
File:……
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.

1. I restarted the PC twice and got the same issue.
The System Tray is "empty" except the Ewido guard and the clock.
Clicking on the Ewido guard I can open the Ewido Window and manually scan the PC.

I clicked on "Start" and got also a small white square for all the existing programs except for Internet
Explorer and Outlook Express.
I performed PC scanning using Ewido (as above) and two on-line scanning programs
(BitDefender and Trend) with no finding.
Thru the "Start" I can open "My Documents" and "My Computer"… but nothing thru the Desktop
When clicking on "Start" -> on "All Programs" I got the list of all the programs but the icons are as above,
and I cannot open any program using them

2. I cannot use the system restore, since I cannot open any program from the desktop or from the "Run".
I used the "System Restore " in Safe Mode to a previous date (October 31). The issue remain unsolved.

3. I decided to check the OS repair using Windows CD
(I had no idea how to allow the PC to boot from the CD prior to boot the HD - I learnt it "the hard way")

The computer then boot from the CD, opening the first screen that offers to load repair console. As "advised" (in http://www.michaelstevenstech.com ), I skiped the first screen and clicked on the second Repair command ®.
The repair process ran smooth, asked for the CD key while "installing Windows" and after
a while (34 minutes left) a window popped up with the following:

Windows cannot open this file:
File: rundll32.exe
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.

After cliking Cancel several times to allow the process to continue, additional windows (same ones)
popped up for the followong files: "regsvr32.exe", "fixmapi.exe", unregmp2.exe", "Cmd.exe" ,
"migrate.exe", "logagent.exe", "uploaddm.exe", "mstinit.exe"
and I had to hit several times Cancel to continue. Finaly, the process ended,
the PC rebooted but the main issue has not been solved.

Note: When The PC rebooted I 've got a window (as above) for the file: Setup50.exe.
I cliked on Cancel to get the Desktop opening.
I repeated this task twice, but got the same results.

Why these windows popped up during the repair process?
Is this means that I cannot repair my existing OS and I have to reinstall it completely (Clean Install)?
If positif, what about all the existing files on my PC. My HD (80G) is divided into two partitions C and D each one 40G .
In the C drive I have the OS and all the security programs. In the D all the personnal ones (with 20G space available).
I cannot open the Nero program to burn disks to copy my files. Is the Clean Install affect the C drive
only i.e. programs and settings and not the D drive (if I am not reformating)
If positif, may I copy the security programs (AV,AS.AT…) to the D drive to reuse them after OS reinstallation?

Thanks for your assistance and advise

Hi there, I'm sorry you are experiencing this issue. Let's see what we can do about it….this will take some time…it's a serious issue….so we'll take it one step at a time. Please do the following: Go to recovery console, and do a checkdisk. To go to recovery console: *Boot up from WinXP CD *When the setup is loaded, press "r" to enter recovery console *Press 1 for the setup number then hit ENTER *Enter the Administrative password To do a check disk: *At the screen type this: "chkdsk X: /F" where "X" is your drive letter. Let me know if you are able to do that…and if so…if it came up with any major errors. Big Smiles HS

Hello HappyShiner Thanks for your assistance. I tried to open the Recovery Console and type my "regular " Password with which I am opening my Desktop (we are four users: my kids and myself, and I am an administrator), but the PC didn't accept/reconize it. - Is there any way to skip this step. I tried three times and the task ended. - I understand the"drive letter" is the Driver where the OS is installed. My HD is partitioned in two drivers: C (where the OS and other programs are located, and the D where personal data is saved). I understand I have to type C (in lieu of the X) Thanks SAM

Hi there, The chances are you have no password there….so leave it blank….just click 'OK' or enter (on some it's F8). Big Smiles HS

Hi, sam-my, long time no see. It sounds like you have the file associations corrupted somehow which is preventing Windows from opening them.

I would suggest going to http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm and downloading/running the fixes that he provides there. At a bare minimum you will need to run the .exe and .ico fixes since the program files (exe's) and desktop icons (ico's) aren't functional. If those two solve those problems you may want to consider running all of them rather than waiting until later when something else doesn't work.

Hello HappyShiner and my good friend Oldfrog

First many thanks for your help and your time.

1. I open the Recovery Console , skipped the Password (you were right HappyShiner) but it didn't accept
the prompt command "CHKDSK C:/f" . It answered Invalid command. I changed the f to p and it scanned the Disk Volume. After reboot -> same issue
Is ther any additional command I can use?

2. I open the dougknox files list, downloaded the two files to the HD (in Program Files folder in the C driver) and ????
BUT… I open the Task Manager as recommanded, and typed the Regedit.exe prompt. I found out more than 1000 "left behind" nasties in the registry "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\SharedDlls.
It seems that there are remnants of a game my kids have uninstalled.
I succeded in opening the CCleaner and scanned the registry.It found 1328 of these files.
I am giving here an example of one line (out of 1328)

Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Registry
Missing Shared DLL . . . . . .. . . . . . C:|Documents and Settings\Miri\Desktop\Audio\band_01.wav. . . . . . . . HKLM\…….\SharedDlls

CCleaner gave for every requested "Fix" the following message:
The file C:\Documents and Settings\?????\Desktop\gta-vc.exe is
referenced as a Shared DLL and doesn't exist.
These are often left behind after uninstalling software.

Solution: Delete the registry value.

I ask the program to Fix the issue. It cleaned all the 1328 findings, BUT, when I re-scaned, the 1328 lines re-appeared

I open the command prompt (as suggested by dougknox thru the Task Manager -> Regedit and went to the Shared DLL in the Registry. I find out at the right column the same files with the "Data" (i.e. Values) 0x00000001 (1) for every file/line. I suppose there are more than 1000.

3. I open Ace Utilities program (Registry cleaner) but it found nothing.
4. I open the RegSeeker (freeware Registry program) and it did found 1428 of these nasties and same as CCleane couldn't remove them (they re-appeared at the next scan).
Lol…freeware programs are better the the paid ones!

How can I delete above files remnants? By changing the "Data" (String Values) or by "Deleting " the line on the Registry?

I would like to do that prior to any other tentative OS re-installation

5. For the files .exe and ico. fixes I tried to open and get only a notepad. I added these file to the Program Files folder (in my C driver) and also to the Windows folder (in the C driver). But…..??? What can I do more with them?

Again Many Thanks

I am sorry sam-my, but I just returned to this forum after a lengthy absence and I had forgotten that as a classroom trainee I am not allowed to post in any computer assistance forums. That will prevent me coming back to this topic so perhaps it is better to let someone else pick it up from here.

Hi there, I am concerned that those entries seem to keep coming back and it may be possible that the two items are linked. Unfortunately, we are quite limited when we say 'try this' or 'try that'…someones needs to have a good look and see if they can see what's going on. Therefore, I strongly advise that you post a Hijack This log in the appropriate forum here (after reading all the stickies there etc) and post a link with it to this thread…as some of your problems may limit some fixes. Big Smiles HS

Hello HappyShiner It took me some time to download and open the HJT program, because of my issue above. Finally I succeded doing it. I already posted my log in the appropriate forum subject. Hope this will help, so I will not have to go thru the mess of re-installing my OS. Thanks for your advises SAM