That would fail if there was space in path (easily fixed by: & 'path to file with spaces setup.exe' /a). – BartekB Dec 29 '14 at 20:55 Like @BartekB said - use the exact same command line you would use in cmd.exe, unless the path to the executable contains spaces, in which case you need the call operator ( & ) before the executable's name. Apr 26, 2020 Browse for the file or files that you want to extract. When you open the EXE file in 7-Zip, you'll be shown a list of files and folders that the EXE file contains. You can double-click folders to see the files stored inside. You can select multiple files by holding Ctrl and clicking each one.
Opening and accessing .EXE files can sometimes be difficult for Windows users, even if they are using the latest version of Windows. Many queries related to the same were submitted on Microsoft forums, and still, no viable solution was provided to resolve this query.
There are cases in which users even receive error messages when they try to open a .exe file, like Access Denied, Runtime Error, etc. So, what is the actual reason behind this problem?
Cause of .EXE Not Opening
According to Microsoft experts, this problem occurs due to corrupt registry settings, or system issues due to virus infection or third-party tool installations. Installation of third-party software can change the default configuration for running EXE files, which often leads to failures when you try to run EXE files.
Well, fixing this problem is very easy and convenient without using any third-party tools.
Methods to Open .EXE Files in Windows 10
There are multiple ways to resolve this error; here, we will cover the most useful methods for fixing “EXE files not opening in Windows 10.”
- By changing the registry values
Due to unknown reasons, the values in your system registry often get changed that prevent .exe files from opening. You can change the default registry settings, following the below steps:- Press Window + R on your system and type cmd to launch Command prompt.
- On the command prompt, type regedit and press enter.
- Registry Editor will appear on the screen, in the left pane, click HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe.
- In the right pane, you’ll see Registry keys. Click the Default key and set the data value to exefile.
- After changing the key value, click HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTexefileshellopencommand key in the left pane.
- Just like above, click the Default key and change its value to “%1” %*.
- Now, restart your computer, and see if the problem is fixed or not.
For some users, this method might work in the Safe mode. However, if it still doesn’t work for you, then check other methods mentioned below.
- Turn off Windows Firewall
Every genuine Windows comes integrated with Firewall protection to protect the system from external malware attacks. Disabling Windows Firewall can also fix this issue, as reported by some users. To disable Windows Firewall, you’ll have to launch your computer in Safe Mode, and then follow the below steps:- After starting the computer in Safe Mode, press Window + S to enter Windows Firewall and select Windows Firewall from there.
- In the left pane, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off. In the opened wizard, select Turn Off Windows Firewall for both Private network settings and Public network settings, and then click OK to save changes.
- After turning off the Windows Firewall, check if the problem is still persisting or not.
Well, it is NOT RECOMMENDED to disable Windows Firewall on your system, as it protects your data from malicious attacks. But, if disabling it fixes some problems, then you can give it a try.
General Suggestions for Fixing .EXE File Errors
Extract Exe File Mac
Using the above methods, you can easily resolve the problems in opening the .exe file. But, if you’re still unable to access your .exe file, then you can follow some general tips, such as:
- Use System File Checker
It is an in-built tool provided by Microsoft to help users repair their data files. Using this software, you can scan Windows and restore files. - Try Clean Boot for your System
Clean boot is the process of starting your Windows with minimal programs and services. And when your Windows start with minimal resources, you can use hit and trial method to find the third-party application that is harming your files.To start your system in Clean Boot, you need to run msconfig command in the Run dialog box, which will display the System Configuration Utility.
Go to the Services tab and hide all the Microsoft services, then click the Startup tab to locate the culprit software and disable it. Now, reboot your system, and you’ll not face the problem again.
- Install Latest Updates
Check for Windows 10 latest updates and install on your system. If the latest updates are not installed, then download and install it because sometimes .exe files are unable to open in old versions.
To check for Windows 10 updates, go to System settings>>Update & Security, and then click Windows Update.
In case, if the Windows system is corrupt, then none of the solution will work for you. However, you can use Kernel for Windows Data Recovery software that will help you recover files of your system.
Conclusion
EXE is an executable file format used by various applications. But users sometimes find it difficult to open and access their .exe file on Windows systems. Keeping user requirements in mind, we tried to cover the best possible methods that can be used to fix “EXE files not opening in Windows 10” error. I hope this article will help you resolve your problem.
Many different types of image or graphic formats are available that you can use on a computer, such as JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF and BMP. The type used by icons in Windows is the .ICO format. What makes ICO files different to those formats is the ability to embed several different image sizes directly into the file along with differing color depths. This allows a 256 pixel icon image to look as clear and sharp as a 32 pixel icon image and not need artificially resizing if both resolutions are included inside the icon file.
There are many reasons why you might want to extract an icon from inside another file such as a program executable or DLL library. For example, we use thumbnail size images on the blog and if we want to write about a specific program we might decide to use one of its icons as the related thumbnail. For that, extracting an icon from the program’s EXE or DLL is an option. Windows itself also has thousands of icons which you might want to make use of spread across dozens of system files.
One option would be to extract the icon image to an individual ICO file and there are many tools around that can do it, but that requires an extra step after of converting the icon file to an image format such as PNG. An easier way requiring fewer steps is using a program to extract the icon from the binary file and save it out directly as an image file, here are 5 free tools to try out.
1.
BeCyIconGrabberIn addition to being a portable standalone executable, BeCyIconGrabber has a number of useful features. These include the ability to save cursors, a favorites tab to store your most frequently used files, and a search option to find all EXE, DLL, OCX, SCR and CPL files in a folder with the minimum defined number of icons.
Use the search, favorites or directory tab to browse for a file or drop one onto the right hand icon preview part of the window. All icons are displayed in separate tabs for each available size. To save an icon to an image double or right click on it and click Save. In the save dialog that pops up are options to save as BMP or PNG image file formats, a format box will allow you to choose which size of icon can be saved from the list available.
Download BeCyIconGrabber
2. Thumbico
What makes Thumbico quite useful is it’s able to extract an icon sized image or thumbnail from just about any file. If there is an embedded icon inside it will be shown, if not, you will get an image of the file type’s icon or the image/frame of an image file or video. Simply browse for or drag and drop a file onto the window and press the menu button > Save Image As..
There are a few editing functions that include rotate/flip, choosing a background color and resizing the output image to a preset size or custom dimension. Images can be saved as JPG, GIF, BMP and PNG. Limitations when extracting icons specifically include it doesn’t actually tell you the icon size and only the first icon in the file will be shown, so subsequent icons are not viewable. Thumbico comes in portable and installer versions, .NET 3.5 is required so Windows 8 and 10 users will be asked to install it.
Download Thumbico
3. MiTec Icon Explorer
Icon Explorer is a standalone portable executable and has some useful functions such as an in built search that filters all files in a specific folder that include icons, selecting a custom background color for the icons and the ability to show pretty much everything in the one window.
Use the folder and file browsers at the top to find the executable or library, click on it and all the icons in the file will display in the lower middle pane. Click on an icon and its available sizes and resolutions will appear to the right. Right click on the icon you want and select Save to Bitmap. Perhaps surprisingly you can only save to the BMP image format so the icon background will not be saved with transparency like you would get with a PNG image.
Download MiTec Icon Explorer
4. IconViewer
IconViewer has not been updated since 2008 but it still works in the latest Windows 10 64-bit. It also works differently to other tools here because IconViewer needs installing and could be more useful to people that frequently need to extract icon images from executable or library files.
After installation simply right click on an executable or DLL, select Properties and then click the Icons tab. All embedded icons for that file will be shown in the window, highlight which one you want and all available sizes and bit depths are shown for the specific icon along with a preview. Highlight the required size and color depth then click the Save As button below. IconViewer supports both BMP and PNG image formats. You can also multi select files and get the icons listed from all of them in the same window. Separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available on the website.
Download IconViewer
5. Quick Any2Ico
Despite the name, Quick Any2Ico is able to extract icons from executable files and other binary files and save them to an image format, in this case PNG. It’s also easy to use and can be as simple as dropping a file onto the window and pressing the Extract It button. It’s also a portable executable.
On first use make sure to check the “Save as PNG instead of ICO” box. To extract an icon that is part of a set choose “Extract from binary file resource” before selecting Browse, this will auto fill the Icon Index box with the correct icon number. After choosing a save to location (drag and drop will auto choose) check the box for the image size. Note that saving as PNG will save to the largest checked size irrespective of the actual size of the icon. Click the button and the image will be saved.
Download Quick Any2Ico
Final Note: Another tool that can extract icons from EXE and DLL files mentioned around the internet is Icons From File. Although it has everything needed for a conversion there is a huge limitation of only being able to save small (16×16) or large (32×32) icon images. There are also icon creation and editing tools that can do the same, such as IcoFX Portable, although they are possibly a bit overkill for a simple and quick conversion.
You might also like:
5 Ways to Extract Video Frames and Save to Images7 Easy to Use Tools that Extract and Convert Audio from Video Files8 Free Tools to Repair and Extract Invalid ZIP Files10 Free Tools to Batch Convert and Resize your Images10 Free Tools To Save or Print a List of File and Folder ContentsThe best one from this like is Icon Viewer. Although it isn’t portable — it’s a the File Explorer extension, after all — it is capable of saving icons as transparent PNGs, which other tools can’t provide.
ReplyVery clear, very helpful.
One want?: Forgive me if I overlooked the information, but it would be a welcome addition if you were to indicate which are free, and the costs for the others (and trial terms, if any)
ReplyYou may have missed it, but we mention in paragraph three that these tools are all free. Although we say “here are 5 free tools to try out”, we don’t mean they are trials but they are all free and you can test each one to see what works best.
ReplyHi,
Thank you for these alternatives to IcoExtract and Resource Hacker because I was extracting an icon from Veritas Ev-Client and the .exe was “unknown”… With all these tools i tried and it was a success !!! Many thanks :)
I use IconsExtract from nirsoft.net/utils/iconsext.html.
This free utility lets you extract ALL icons to a folder – not just individual icons.
Extract Exe File Software
ReplyNice one. Resource Hacker is what I use, but I imagine you need to be more of an advanced user to use it.
Reply