exe and shortcuts don't work

help! i'm running windows 98 SE and all my exe files and shortcuts have stopped working! they all show up with that icon of the page with the windows logo that means windows doesn't know what to do with them. i seem to be able to run programs still, just not directly, for example: i can't start winamp directly, but if i double click on an mp3 winamp will run and play the file like normal. i've scanned my computer with ad-aware and norton antivirus and come up empty handed with both. also, i reinstalled the OS and it seemed to fix things at first, but after just a few minutes it goes back to not working, i have no clue what's going on.

 

no one knows?

 

What happens when you right-click on the icon?

Have you right-clicked on your desktop and clicked 'Refresh'?

 

Virus. Go to housecall.antivirus.com and do an online scan of your system.

 

Your antivirus has detected and quarantined a virus, BUT, did not clean references from the registry.

Download Fix-Exec.inf from here (bottom)

Then, select the file, right mouse, install.

Then, update your virus defs and do a full system scan.
And, since this may have been a backdoor trojan that allowed an outsider access to you PC, immediately change all passwords.

And, if you do not have a firewall installed, install one like www.zonealarm.com.

And, look at the options in your Antivirus in regard to detection and removal of viruses. If there are any that say automatic and there is an Ask Me option, choose that. Then, you will always know if you ever get a virus again, and you will know the name of it.

 

right now for some reason i can't get my infected computer online, so online scan is out of the qwestion. do i have to reboot after i install the .inf file? because it didn't change anything, and i can't run liveupdate for the same reason i can't run anything else.

 

anyone else? help!!