For The REAL Expert... Win 98 does not know how to handle LINKS any longer :-(

Well, I have one, but I don't post to alt.windows98, so with your chosen
follow-up, it ain't happening. If you are willing to subscribe to one of the
other ones (I have the rest subscribed) I'll be glad to post the REG file.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Rich" wrote in message
...
"Ben Myers" wrote in
:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]

Anybody got the equivalent fix for .URL files? Mine are no longer
behaving
as internet shortcuts, and always show the extension, as described here
for
.LNK files.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Well, I have one, but I don't post to alt.windows98, so with your
chosen follow-up, it ain't happening. If you are willing to subscribe
to one of the other ones (I have the rest subscribed) I'll be glad to
post the REG file.

Sorry - don't post much, and also didn't realize
microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion was even available on this lame
server. I'm there now, so fire away. Thanks.

Here you go. Save to disk, right-click and change extension from TXT to REG,
right-click again and Merge. But be sure to save a copy of your Registry
first. I don't know how different your installation is from mine, and this
may break something. Or at least make sure that a file named RBxxx.CAB
exists with today's date (where xxx is a number) in the C:\Windows\SYSBCKUP
folder (it's a Hidden folder, so make sure Show All Files is enabled in
Folder Options View tab.) If no such file exists in that folder, run
SCANREGW from the StartRun box and then report back. If you aren't getting
any RBxxx.CAB files saved daily, then something else is wrong.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Rich" wrote in message
...
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Well, I have one, but I don't post to alt.windows98, so with your
chosen follow-up, it ain't happening. If you are willing to subscribe
to one of the other ones (I have the rest subscribed) I'll be glad to
post the REG file.

Sorry - don't post much, and also didn't realize
microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion was even available on this lame
server. I'm there now, so fire away. Thanks.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Thanks! I grabbed at least parts of this from an old laptop in the
meantime via export/import, but still didn't get there until I edited this
key.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.URL]
@="InternetShortcut"

Somehow, it had gotten set to "URL_Autofile" instead of "InternetShortcut",
and "InternetShortcut" was missing altogether. Once I changed those, all
is well again. I'll hold on to this REG file in case I mess it up again,
or in the likely event it fixes something I discover I missed.

YW, Rich. And since I can tell from reading between the lines that you're
fairly computer savvy, please understand that any "talking down" that might
be gotten from my notes is SOP intended for "anyone" who stumbles on across
this thread, s.

"URL_Autofile"... I get no hits on that from Google or MSKB search. I have
to wonder if there isn't something rotten afoot. Done any formal malware
scans lately? See the second article in my tag, ignoring the parts about
ETrust (it's still OK, but not my favorite anymore, and the free year still
exists) and ending the procedures with a visit to Aumha.org's Parasites page
(http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm). Finally, obtain and run Dave Lipman's
Multi_AV. (Google it.)

What browser are you running? If IE, is it a special edition installed by
your ISP's software?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Rich" wrote in message
...
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Thanks! I grabbed at least parts of this from an old laptop in the
meantime via export/import, but still didn't get there until I edited this
key.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.URL]
@="InternetShortcut"

Somehow, it had gotten set to "URL_Autofile" instead of
"InternetShortcut",
and "InternetShortcut" was missing altogether. Once I changed those, all
is well again. I'll hold on to this REG file in case I mess it up again,
or in the likely event it fixes something I discover I missed.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

YW, Rich. And since I can tell from reading between the lines that
you're fairly computer savvy, please understand that any "talking
down" that might be gotten from my notes is SOP intended for "anyone"
who stumbles on across this thread, s.

No problem. Yeah, I'm a Delphi programmer by trade.

"URL_Autofile"... I get no hits on that from Google or MSKB search.

I see I missed an underscore, but still no Google hits. Here's the key:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file]
@="URL File"
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\open\command]
@="C:\\PROGRA~1\\MOZILL~1\\FIREFOX.EXE \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\Edit]
"EditFlags"=hex:01,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\Edit\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"

What browser are you running?

As you can see, I'm using Firefox, and have been for awhile. I remember
awhile back d**king around with the internet shortcuts trying to add an
action or something, and that's when things went awry.

Still, *no* Google hits is odd unless there is something foul afoot. I'd
want to be sure.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Rich" wrote in message
...
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

YW, Rich. And since I can tell from reading between the lines that
you're fairly computer savvy, please understand that any "talking
down" that might be gotten from my notes is SOP intended for "anyone"
who stumbles on across this thread, s.

No problem. Yeah, I'm a Delphi programmer by trade.

"URL_Autofile"... I get no hits on that from Google or MSKB search.

I see I missed an underscore, but still no Google hits. Here's the key:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file]
@="URL File"
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\open\command]
@="C:\\PROGRA~1\\MOZILL~1\\FIREFOX.EXE \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\Edit]
"EditFlags"=hex:01,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\url_auto_file\shell\Edit\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"

What browser are you running?

As you can see, I'm using Firefox, and have been for awhile. I remember
awhile back d**king around with the internet shortcuts trying to add an
action or something, and that's when things went awry.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Still, *no* Google hits is odd unless there is something foul afoot. I'd
want to be sure.

Ad-Aware SE, SpyBot, HijackThis, and Yahoo Anti-Spy all come up clean,
aside from the other usual stuff (cookies, etc) that accumulates between
runs. There's nothing else in the registry referencing that key, so I
exported a copy and deleted it. If it reappears, well then....

Rich wrote:
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in
:

Still, *no* Google hits is odd unless there is something foul afoot. I'd
want to be sure.

Ad-Aware SE, SpyBot, HijackThis, and Yahoo Anti-Spy all come up clean,
aside from the other usual stuff (cookies, etc) that accumulates between
runs. There's nothing else in the registry referencing that key, so I
exported a copy and deleted it. If it reappears, well then....

To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you include all of previous
message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup. Thank you.

When all else fails, HijackThis v1.99.1
(http://aumha.org/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post
your log to http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

On Sat, 4 Nov 2006 09:53:25 -0500, "glee"
wrote:

Paolo,
Please answer my questions inb my last reply:

Are you right-clicking on the extracted file with the .reg extension, or on the .zip
file?

What exactly happens if you double-click the .reg file?

Try Franc's suggestion....
Click Start Run, type: regedit.exe |Click OK|
Click the Registry menu Import..., and point it to the .reg file you extracted.
What happens when you do that?

Please don't say "Nothing"....describe what happens.

I was right-clicking on the .REG (extracted) file of course, I threw away
the ZIP file as soon as I extracted the REG file
There is no "MERGE" option because the system does NOT recognize it as a
register file, there is just the "Open with...", "Copy", "Cut"... the
usual stuff.
I said "nothing" because after all the trials, the system keeped (keeps)
behaving just as before...

Sorry for being so late in my answer.

Thank you for your patience.