Many have faced the problem when the shortcut on the desktop does not open. After virus attacks, all icons do not work correctly. You don’t have to take your computer to repair to fix a file association error. The user can correct the situation on his own.
If exe files do not start (instruction for Windows 7 and 8)
If the icon opens in an unusual way or does not react at all, then the main reason is inattention. The user could mistakenly set the wrong program to run the exe file.
How do I restore shortcuts to work?
Start of programs is restored at the command line. How to get the shortcuts to work properly:
- for launch in the task manager, the user types the combination: Ctrl + Alt + Del;
- in the manager “File” is selected, and then “New task”;
- fits the word “Cmd”;
- by pressing “Enter” the command line is launched;
- then enter notepad and press the “Enter” button, after that the launch of “Notepad” starts;
- into the “Notepad” insert the text that begins with the words: “Windows Registry Editor”;
- use the “Save as” option, in the file type field you need to change the text document to “all files”;
- the encoding is set to Unicode, the .reg file is sent to the C drive;
- then you need to return to the command line and enter: REG IMPORT C: saved_file_name.reg…
Final steps: the user confirms the entry of data into the registry. The computer restarts. Then you need to find in the “Start” menu and click the mouse arrow on the “Run” button. After the Explorer has been entered, the “Enter” key is pressed. The system disk opens folder Windows. Next, the subject’s task is to find the regedit.exe file and run it. Protection and unauthorized access are disabled beforehand. There is a key in the registry editor: HKEY_Current_User / Software / Classes / .exe… He is removed. Similarly, the user destroys the secfile key. Then the registry editor is closed. The computer can be restarted.
All shortcuts began to have the lnk extension, how to fix it through the registry
In such a situation, the user will understand: associations for file types have disappeared. Fixing the error through the registry is simple. For this you need:
- Open Registry Editor. (Reminder: the user does this with Administrator rights). You will need to click on “Start”, then enter the regedit command.
- You cannot make erroneous manipulations. The task of a person is to find HKEY_Current_User / Software / Classes / .exe… This key is removed through the subsection User Choise… How to remove it: by clicking on the right mouse button.
- To restart a computer.
Launching Desktop from Task Dispatcher
If, when turning on the computer, the user sees a black screen and a mouse pointer (arrow), then the root of the problem is a virus.
Note! Antiviruses remove destructive programs. The changed parameters remain in the registry. They prevent the computer from starting.
Fixing the registry to restore the desktop
How exactly to edit the registry to restore the desktop:
- to push combination: Ctrl + Alt + Del – after that either the “Menu” or the task manager will appear;
- in the upper left corner of the task manager, you can select the “File” option;
- the user clicks on the line “New task (execute)”;
- regedit is entered in the dialog box;
- confirming clicking on “Ok”;
- the user enters the registry editor: in the list of options on the left, open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft WindowsNT CurrentVersion Winlogon branch.
What else is needed do: look at the string parameter Shell. If “explorer.exe” is indicated, no additional changes are required. If Shell is absent, then the user corrects the situation: right-click on an empty area of the registry editor (right half), then the option “Create string parameter”.
You need to check the same registry key in HCEY_Current_User. There shouldn’t be any parameters mentioned above.
The final step is pressing “Ctrl + Alt + Del”. Then you can restart your computer. At the next login, the person does not have to solve the problem, how to open a shortcut on the desktop if it doesn’t open…
My shortcuts stopped working, why?
If the shortcut has stopped work on a new device, then don’t worry. The problem is not in the operation of the system, but in human error.
Transferring shortcuts to another computer is a mistake for novice users. Some copy the shortcut to a USB flash drive. Subsequently, they move this item to the new computer. Inexperienced users forget that shortcuts are not standalone programs. Icon Is a pointer to the system. The programs themselves are stored on disk.
Important! If the user transfers the icon to another computer, then the shortcut will be useless. There are no programs on the disk in the specified location that the person requested.
What if homefront the revolution won’t launch from a shortcut? It is necessary to download the installer of this program from the official website – the problem will disappear.
Shortcuts not working in windows 7? Do all labels look the same? Solve the problem quickly.
Causes why one program opens several shortcuts:
- the user has set a specific file to open by default;
- the system was changed by a virus.
What should I do if a computer game does not start when I click on a shortcut? Assess the degree of changes in the system operation. The second step is to “declassify” the icons. The subject performs 3 actions:
- In the context menu of the desktop, the user finds the line “Personalization”.
- In the window that appears, select “Change desktop icons”.
- In a new window, a person puts a check mark next to the components that he needs. By pressing “OK” the changes are confirmed.
If your computer has survived a virus attack, the icons may not appear after the steps above. If the explorer.exe file fails to start, the user resorts to a “rollback”. This is the name given to returning Windows to a recent committed state. If the icons are not recognizable, then it is worth “rolling back” to the date when they functioned normally.
Going through “Start” to “Start System Restore”, click “Next”. The date of the last point of operation of the system appears. Early recovery dates will occur. Having selected the desired day, the person will click the “Next” button, then confirm their consent to rollback the system. The computer will reboot, after which it will work normally.
Virus on a USB stick – folders have become shortcuts! Solution!
When a shortcut for the flash drive itself is created on the flash drive and it does not open for a long time, there is only one reason: the device is infected with malware. You do not need to refuse it and visit a computer wizard. It is necessary to clean the data using an anti-virus (for example, Dr.Web). The second option for disinfecting the device is to find and neutralize the malicious file manually.
For Windows 7, the algorithm for getting rid of viruses involves 5 steps:
- Find through the Start button Control Panel.
- Then go to the options “Folder Options” and “Tab. View”.
- Next, you can see the contents of the media. The user will find many icons in the folder.
- The properties of any icon are opened. It is worth taking a close look at the values reflected in the Target field. A person will see in the field a long string consisting of letters and numerical combinations.
- The user’s task is to see all folders and files that were previously hidden. Viruses “hide” on drives in the form of exe files, they must be removed.
What to do if the shortcut won’t open (on removable media):
- the command line opens (this is done only with Administrator rights);
- enter the commands in the window: cd / df: /;
- after typing each combination, the “Enter” key is pressed;
- in the above command, “f” – the drive letter assigned to the medium, is entered: attrib –s – h / d / s.
Thanks to the team, all data on the flash drive becomes open. A person sees the S (System) and H (Hidden) attributes for all folders in the directory. Information about the attached files appears.
How do I keep my computer safe?
So that situations are no longer part of the job when Opera browser does not start from a shortcut, users protect their computers from threats.
- Using a firewall. This device checks information that comes from the Internet. A firewall prevents hackers and viruses from gaining access to your laptop.
- Antivirus programs.
- Application of anti-spyware applications.
- Windows Update. The operation of the system is simplified by installing updates. Windows regularly checks them for the computer.
Security settings are easy to manage using the Action Center. He manages the settings of the firewall, antivirus programs, provides the user with links to resources where there are tools for troubleshooting.
What if the shortcut won’t open?
If a person does not recklessly use programs to open inappropriate files, the likelihood of problems will decrease. So that at any time you can open icons on the desktop, users install new versions of antivirus software on computers.