Command Prompt, msconfig, regedit close immediately after opening

Question

cmd.exe, regedit, msconfig and other system utilities close immediately after I open them. After restarting Windows, the folder option "Hide extensions for known file types" is automatically checked.

All of the utilities seem okay in Safe Mode. I think that my copy of Windows is probably infected by some kind of malware but I'm not able to find any.

Is there anything in registry I can change to get these settings back to their normal form?

Solution

In general, if a system utility launches and is immediately closed without some sort of error message it's probably some other program running that has a list of programs that it kills on site.

Download Rkill. It's a malware removal assistant that kills many known malicious background programs. Run it, let it finish, and then scan with your antivirus. You would be well served to also scan with one or more other antimalware tools like Malwarebytes Antimalware or SuperAntiSpyware. If they are able to clean the infection then you're golden.

If not, you might want to consult with one of the many dedicated malware removal help forums on the internet like Bleeping Computer, The Malwarebytes Forum or GeeksToGo.

Comments

[surfasb]

I smell malware. . .