The Indestructable NOTEPAD.EXE

[sleddog]

Microsoft has achieved new heights of nonsense.

The executable NOTEPAD.EXE in Windows 2000 Professional cannot be deleted, it cannot be replaced by another file, it cannot be renamed -- it is indestructable. Delete it and a new copy is re-generated. Overwrite it with another file and it reverts back to the original. Rename it and a new copy of notepad.exe appears.

G*d this idiocy ticks me off !!

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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[Fish]

LMAO Sleddog! I know what you mean. I have a couple replicating items in startup I cannot get rid of. Every time I go into msconfig and try to delete at startup: devldr16.exe and m$works update detection it just creates a new entry and starts up all over again. I even tried to get rid of it with TweakUI. No go. lol. Works detection is unabled right now. But, it will be back. I assure you. sigh.

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Pretend you see an evil wizard here, this scares you. It is wicked-
This is my avatar. And now I'm happy because I have one.

[mjc]

Sled,

Have you tried hunting it down in the registry?

It seems to me that if you can find all the registry entries you may be able to find the one responible for recrating it and then disable the recreation routine. Backup the registry before starting your hunting trip, that way you should be able to explore with fear of corruption.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Does Bill Gates use WindowsME?

[sleddog]

First, sorry for the rant. I was trying to do some work and the crippled MS Notepad which doesn't support Unix line-ends was being a major hindrance.

I figured it out. System File Checker. Tamper with a system file and it gets restored from a backup in C:\WINNT\system32\dllcache. Notepad.exe is considered a "system file".

I replace notepad.exe in that backup folder with the editor I want, then replaced the copies of notepad.exe in C:\Winnt and C:\Winnt\System32. Each time Win2k tried to restore from the backup, and when it got the wrong file version it produced a warning message about system files, which I cancelled. Since when is Notepad a system file?

And how much RAM does this System File Checker consume running all the time? Anyone figure out how to turn it off? Looking at running processes, the only ones I can't identify are "svchost.exe" (2 instances), "stisvc.exe" and "regsvc.exe". Together they use about 9.5mb RAM.


[Later]
Actually, it "Windows File Protection" that monitors files. If it detects a change it then runs the System File Checker.

[This message has been edited by sleddog (edited 03-26-2001).]

[Ghost_Hacker]

In Win2K all SYS, DLL, EXE, TTF, FON and OCX files that are included on the install disk are considered system files.


The feature can't be turned off unless you have a kernal debugger.

Here's a link that should help: q222473 (http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q222/4/73.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0&qry=Q222473&rnk=1&src=DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCH&SPR=CHS)


Good Luck
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak"



[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 03-26-2001).]

[sleddog]

Thanks for that, Ghost_Hacker. I guess I'll live with Windows File Protection as-is, as I assume do any Klingons using Win2000 (as Klingons do not debug, I assume they do not have kernel debuggers!)

Anyone care to venture an opinion as to why Microsoft refuses to make a Notepad that supports Unix line-ends (LF vs. CR/LF)? I think it is a classic case of denial http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[mjc]

Just thought of something, did you try renaming your editor of choice to notepad.exe and letting Win2k "think" that it has the right file by updating the sys info? Works in 98 (I've got Mcafee DiskMinder running that way instead of scandisk, much quicker and more thorough).

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Does Bill Gates use WindowsME?

[Ghost_Hacker]

Sleddog : Klingons don't understand the concept of error free code. Which is why they love Windows. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak"

[sleddog]

Originally posted by mjc:
Just thought of something, did you try renaming your editor of choice to notepad.exe and letting Win2k "think" that it has the right file by updating the sys info? Works in 98 (I've got Mcafee DiskMinder running that way instead of scandisk, much quicker and more thorough).


That's more or less what I did. I renamed my editor (metapad.exe) to notepad.exe and copied it into the System File Check backup storage folder (C:\WINNT\system32\dllcache). Then I copied it again to C:\Winnt\Notepad.exe. Win2k silently objected and went to the dllcache folder to get the original. It found the file I had put there named Notepad.exe, and objected loudly because the file version was wrong. It then wanted to get an original copy from the Win2k CD but, mercifully, also presented a "cancel" option. I cancelled and all is well (for now).

Incidentally Metapad is a great, fast freeware text editor that is only 31kb. It correctly opens Unix text files and can save to either DOS or Unix formats. Other good features as well... http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/

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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[mjc]

Looks like a great little editor.

Just think under WinXP Microsoft wnts the files to be "signed" making even harder to change anything...........

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Does Bill Gates use WindowsME?