Can't open TXT files?

Discussion in 'ewido anti-spyware forum' started by nameless, Jun 24, 2006.

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  1. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    This is an "FYI" post, not a request for help.

    I just installed ewido 4.0.0.172a and encountered a strange problem: I could no longer open TXT files by double clicking them, which I have associated with UltraEdit. To be clear, I could still open TXT files using other means ... I simply couldn't open them directly with a double click, which invokes the TXT file association in the registry.

    Other file types seem fine.

    I found two workarounds for this problem:

    1. Disable (rename, delete, use Sysinternals Autoruns, whatever) the ewido ShellExecuteHooks value (not a good option to go with, but I figured I'd mention it to be thorough :)); and...

    2. Disable the option in ewido to Scan for tracking-cookies (found under Scanner > Settings > Possibly unwanted software).

    My "didn't really spend too much time thinking about it" guess is that ewido's shellexecutehook.dll is intercepting TXT files when the aforementioned tracking cookie option is enabled, but not correctly passing along the file open request. Or something mind-bogglingly-technical like that.

    I have already notified ewido support, since this seems to be a bug. As I said, this just serves as an FYI to others who may have encountered this same problem. (But please, do report to ewido support, it if you have also encountered it.)
     
  2. Bubba

    Bubba Updates Team

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    An additional "FYI" post in case it helps the ewido Dev's.

    Using 4.0.0.172, .txt files associated with notepad, Scan for tracking-cookies enabled....double clicking of .txt files open successfully with notepad.
     
  3. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    Strange. But I wonder if you would have been able to reproduce the problem at all on your system. In other words, if having UltraEdit associated with TXT files would work for you (with the tracking cookie option enabled), then the fact that Notepad also works may not mean much.

    I could try Notepad myself, but I'll hold off on doing so unless an ewido dev/support person asks me to.
     
  4. Bubba

    Bubba Updates Team

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    I am not a Dev by no means but I only offered what I did to show that having Scan for tracking-cookies enabled would not prevent .txt files from being opened with notepad. The 2 differences the Dev's will have to consider is the difference in our version # and the fact you mention UltraEdit and I mention notepad.

    As for waiting for a Dev....why not take a moment and associate notepad with .txt files and check. It would only take a moment and help confirm UltraEdit or similar programs might be points of interest for the Dev's to look into.

    Just a thought,
    Bubba
     
  5. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    Actually, in ewido, my version shows as 4.0.0.172. I mentioned 4.0.0.172a because that's what the download URL pointed to.

    The reason I didn't simply try changing the TXT file association is that I also use this notepad.exe replacement, and messing with that brings WFP into the picture, and as my system is in a rather beautiful state of homeostatis at the moment (i.e. everything running well, no crashes), I don't want to rock the boat. :)

    Maybe the notepad.exe replacement figures in somehow... But I kind of doubt it. Maybe later I will run an image and do a definitive test, including associating TXT files with the standard notepad.exe... If the wife gives me a break from spring cleaning. (Would someone please tell her it's summer?)
     
  6. Bubba

    Bubba Updates Team

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    I can relate ;)
    Repeat after me....Yes Dear :cool:
     
  7. vinzenz.ewido

    vinzenz.ewido former ewido team

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    o_O ewido does not change any file assiocations. So the problem might be somewhere else.

    BR
     
  8. peter.ewido

    peter.ewido former ewido team

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    Did this happen with all .txt files?
     
  9. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    Yes, it happens with all TXT files (at least, all the ones I've tried it on, and that's quite a few).

    The file association is not changed by ewido--correct. But I've been using UltraEdit for 5 years, and never had a problem until the moment I installed ewido 4.0. OK, that in and of itself doesn't mean too much...

    But as I mentioned, the problem is clearly related to ewido's shellexecutehook.dll file, since if I use Sysinternals Autoruns to temporarily disable ewido's ShellExecuteHooks entry (under the Explorer tab of Autoruns), the problem goes away completely.

    Also, if I temporarily disable the Scan for tracking-cookies option, the problem goes away.

    As far as I understand (which isn't far), the whole intent of DLLs that are added to ShellExecuteHooks is to intercept ShellExecute in Explorer. When you try opening a TXT file using its file association in Explorer, you're using the ShellExecute function. So why is this problem report so strange?

    I'll wager my ewido registration fee that the problem is related to ewido! :)
     
  10. peter.ewido

    peter.ewido former ewido team

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    ;) Is there any error or other log file inside the ewido dir?
     
  11. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    There is only logfile.txt, but that file contains almost nothing:

     
  12. gerardwil

    gerardwil Registered Member

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    I couldn't read text files either (using EditPad Lite) only when I change from Unicode > Ansi.

    Gerard
     
  13. gerardwil

    gerardwil Registered Member

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    Problem gone after installing latest (june 26) version of EditPad.

    Gerard
     
  14. nameless

    nameless Registered Member

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    The problem I reported here had nothing to do with text file format or EditPad versions.
     
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