Windows 95 problem. A fix anyone?

[The PIT]

A user has just dropped of his pc becuase all the desktop and start menu items are now named xxxxx.lnk.
If you try to create a shortcut it says theres no programs asscoiated and tells you to get stuffed. The programs are still there because you can run programs from the run command. I've checked for a virus just in case and zippo as I expected.
So apart from re-installing what else can I do. Microsoft knowledge base is as per normal useless.

[Kosh Naranek]

It sounds like a registry problem ....
You could try running Scanreg /restore from a safemode dos-prompt ( reboot then safemode ) then you can choose from different backups from different dates.

The only problem is, I don't know if this works in Win95

[High_Jumbllama]

Hmm. Let us see.

Checking my registry though this is for 98, here is the registry entries. If you want to try it, select all the text starting with Regedit4 and then down to the end of the post. Put it in a text file ending in ".reg" You can use it to compare to your's at least. Is the machine set up to see all file extensions? Hopefully they are not xxxxxx.lnk.vbs or some such thing.

Regedit4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]
@="lnkfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew]
"Command"="RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %2"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
@="{500202A0-731E-11d0-B829-00C04FD706EC}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}]
@="LNK file thumbnail interface delegator"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\ProgID]
@="Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\VersionIndependentProgID]
@="Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\InprocServer32]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM\\THUMBVW.DLL"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1]
@="LNK file thumbnail interface delegator"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1\CLS ID]
@="{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.lnk]
@="lnkfile"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.lnk\ShellNew]
"Command"="RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %2"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.lnk\ShellEx]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.lnk\ShellEx\{ BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
@="{500202A0-731E-11d0-B829-00C04FD706EC}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{500202A 0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}]
@="LNK file thumbnail interface delegator"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{500202A 0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\ProgID]
@="Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{500202A 0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\VersionIndependentProgID]
@="Shell.ThumbnailExtract.Lnk.1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{500202A 0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}\InprocServer32]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM\\THUMBVW.DLL"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\Shell.Thumbnai lExtract.Lnk.1]
@="LNK file thumbnail interface delegator"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\Shell.Thumbnai lExtract.Lnk.1\CLSID]
@="{500202A0-731E-11D0-B829-00C04FD706EC}"

[Jorden]

The scanreg/restore should work for Win95.
Another option would be to install Regclean, (It's in the Power tools I think), and scan the registry with that.

Also check if the icons are set at at least 32pixels. I've seen that smaller icons under Win95 would make the links on the desktop be renamed to xxxxx.lnk because it couldn't show the full name.

Jord.

[The PIT]

Thanks for the reply but scanreg /fix doesn't work under early 95

[paul]

I've re-installed windows 95/98 on top of itself and it doens't appear to lose anything, it just adds the MS crap that I've deleted or disabled.

[Gurm]

The solution? Ditch the 7-year-old OS.

- Gurm

[motub]

ummmm... it would seem that the file association for .lnk files is corrupted, since that's the only time that you get the "Open With..." dialog, or the message box you get when Windows is so confused it can't even think to use "Open With...".


So why not just export the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile keys from a working Win95/98 PC and import them into the broken Registry?

Probably reinstalling IE would help fix what's broken as well.

[The PIT]

Thats what I did in the end. The Kid seems happy enougth.

[motub]

hey, if it works, it works. We try not to question these things, nor aim for perfection.... it takes too long, imo

[TnT]

You may have been able to use TweakUI to do a Repair Icons