Win98 cannot run any application, access error

[IAmCanadian]

I have a Win98, standalone computer that no longer will run any applications. When you click on a desktop shortcut or start menu icon, the following message appears:

Access to the specified device, path or file is denied.

This computer is not part of a network.

If I click on a doc file, it opens up in Word with no problems.

Help!!

IAmCanadian

 

[Cirrus9]

It sounds like you may have the SirCam32 virus. One of the symptoms is not being able to access apps. Here is a link

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sircam.worm@mm.html

(copy the link from the http, the message will try to post as an email due to the @)
If you cannot launch a web browser, download the removal prog from another PC and run it through the A:\ Drive. DOS if you need to. Hope this helps.

 

[Kento]

Run a virus scan to see if you're infected. You can do it online here:

http://housecall.antivirus.com/

If you do have the sircam virus then use the removal tool from the link Cirrus9 posted which is:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sircam.worm@mm.html

The removal tool should fix the program opening problem and also remove the virus.

If you have another virus you'll be able to find removal info for it here if needed:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html

If it's not the sircam virus then download the exefix08.com file from the link below to your desktop and run it. That may fix the problem. But exefix08 will not remove a virus so if you're infected you'll need to also follow the removal directions for the virus you have. Make sure you run a virus scan. What exefix08 does is restore the correct .exe info in your registry that may have been altered by a virus or trojan.

http://home.earthlink.net/~rmbox/Reticulated/Only_IE.html

If you have a virus let us know which one it is. There may be some things you'll need to do to remove all of it.

 

[reghakr]

Excellent advise, here's an alternate if you need it.

Here's a .inf script that will repair both the .exe and .reg file associations:

open Notepad and copy and paste the following between the lines into Notepad (on another machine) and save the file as exefix.inf. Transfer it by floppy to the infected computer. Right-click on the file and choose Install.
==================BEGIN CUT=====================
[Version]
signature=$CHICAGO$

[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=EnableRegandexe

[EnableRegandexe]
HKCR,\.reg,,,"regfile"
HKCR,\regfile,,,"Registration Entries"
HKCR,\regfile\DefaultIcon,,,"C:\WINDOWS\regedit.exe,1"
HKCR,\regfile\shell,,,""
HKCR,\regfile\shell\open,,,"Mer&ge"
HKCR,\regfile\shell\open\command,,,"regedit.exe %1"
HKCR,\regfile\shell\print,,,""
HKCR,\regfile\shell\print\command,,,"C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE /p %1"
HKCR,\regfile\shell\edit,,,"&Edit"
HKCR,\regfile\shell\edit\command,,,"C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE %1"
HKCR,\.exe,,,"exefile"
HKCR,\.exe,"Content Type",,"application/x-msdownload"
HKCR,\exefile,,,"Application"
HKCR,\exefile,EditFlags,1,D8,07,00,00
HKCR,\exefile\shell,,,""
HKCR,\exefile\shell\open,,,""
HKCR,\exefile\shell\open\command,,,""%1" %*"
HKCR,\exefile\DefaultIcon,,,"%1"
===================END CUT===================

reghakr