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basheerpt's avatar
basheerpt
Copper Contributor
Mar 13, 2025

Windows 11 24H2 breaks the .exe and .com file associations

Hello world,

Recently updated to 24H2 feature update on my Dell Latitude 7450 laptop. Update took hours to complete. However, after login in, we found all the exe and com file extensions are broken. From notepad, task manager to Command prompt are not working. Tried all possible ways to restore the file associations thorough the recovery startup page, but did not help, until completely uninstall all quality and feature updates. 

24H2 is still matured till this day, i believe. 

Please let me know if there is a workaround on this issue or a patch is available addressing this issue. 

Thank you.

 

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  • basheerpt's avatar
    basheerpt
    Copper Contributor
    Mar 22, 2025

    Thank you for your input. Here are my actions:

    1. Change file associations:
      This option does not work for exe and com. They dont appear in default apps (Could be due to shell integrations)
    2. Command prompt does not work as the .com extension files are not opening. However, I tried it through safe mode. It did not work.
    3. Modifying registry did not work.
    4. Create profile: This is not tried. I will give it a try. 
    5. Yes, this is what I did. uninstalled the 24H2 through the safe mode. Back to previous, worked for me. But it does not solve the issue of installing the new version. 
    6. Repair option: Did not try. However, why this is required upon updating a system? It is not an odd case, it happens to every computer we update to this version!
    7. Contact MS. I was exploring the community, if anyone else experienced the issue. Will have a try with MS. 

      Thanks again.
  • MaverickNova's avatar
    MaverickNova
    Iron Contributor
    Mar 15, 2025

    1. Repair the file association:
    Open Settings > Applications > Default Applications.
    In “Specify default apps by file type”, find the .exe and .com file types.
    Click on the currently associated application and select the correct application (Windows Explorer).
    2. Use the command prompt to repair:
    Open a command prompt (with administrator privileges) and enter the following command:
    assoc .exe=exefile
    ftype exefile=“%1” %*
    assoc .com=comfile
    ftype comfile=“%1” %*
    3. Modify the registry:
    Press Win + R, type regedit, and enter.
    Navigate to the following path:
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe
    Make sure the default value is exefile.
    Navigate to the following path:
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command
    Make sure the default value is “%1” %*.
    Repeat the above steps to check the .com file association.
    4. Create a new user profile:
    Open Settings > Accounts > Family and Other Users.
    Click “Add Account” to create a new user account.
    Log in to the new account and check if the issue is resolved.
    5. Use System Restore:
    Open Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore.
    Select a restore point and restore to the state before the upgrade.
    6. Repair the installation:
    Boot your computer using the Windows 11 installation media.
    Select Repair Computer > Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Start Repair.
    7. Contact Microsoft Support:
    If the issue remains unresolved, submit the issue through Microsoft Support.
    Provide detailed error messages and screenshots to quickly diagnose the issue.

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