Cannot find itunes.exe file.

Question

Cannot find itunes.exe file.

I receive an error similar to what was described earlier, "Windows cannot find c: program files (x86)\itunes\itunes.exe.

The shortcut is visible on my desktop. If I navigate to the folder, it shows it's there, but even if I click on the exe file, it tells me it's not there. I have uninstalled everything, including all Apple applications, and re-installed it, and it does not work. I have even tried using another itunes.exe file from an identical computer that works, and it still tells me that it cannot find the itunes.exe file.

Am I missing something here?

Windows 7

Posted on Jan 16, 2011 7:36 PM

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Answer 1

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jan 20, 2011 3:01 PM in response to Superfrustrated

The shortcut is visible on my desktop. If I navigate to the folder, it shows it's there, but even if I click on the exe file, it tells me it's not there.

Eerie ... I wonder if you've lost a permission in the registry in your usual user account?

Using a "normal" version of the itunes.exe, right-click on the iTunes.exe and select "Run as administrator".

Does it launch without the error?

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Answer 2

Jan 21, 2011 11:13 AM in response to b noir

No, I've tried everything I can think of. Even right off the exe file in the itunes directory, it tells me it can't find the itunes.exe file, whether I click on it, or try to run it as the administrator. I even tried to install an older version of itunes, and it still tells me the same results... Every other program on my computer still works, as I was fearful it was some type of virus...

Short of me launching it off a balcony, I'm out of ideas.

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Answer 3

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jan 21, 2011 1:11 PM in response to Superfrustrated

No, I've tried everything I can think of.

Doublechecking ... have you tried creating a new user account and logging into that and then seeing if you can launch iTunes from there?

(That's not intended as a cure in itself, but whether or not it launches in the other user account might give us a heads-up on what might be causing the trouble.)

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Answer 4

Jan 21, 2011 1:36 PM in response to b noir

I tried setting it up with a new profile. When I click on itunes, it says setting up itunes. After I added about 20 years to my life, nothing happened, and nothing appeared in my task menu as running except itunes helper. I clicked on itunes.exe again, and it gave me the same error, that it cannot find itunes.exe.

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Answer 5

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jan 21, 2011 1:42 PM in response to Superfrustrated

Systemwide issue.

... Okay, if something is messing with the CurrentVersion Run keys down in your HKEY LOCALMACHINE, that could conceivably do that.

Try downloading and installing the free version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware. Update your MBAM definitions and then run a complete scan of the PC. (Takes about 2 hour on my Lenovo.)

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Does the scan find any infections? If so, please paste the contents of the log file for the scan in a reply here so we can have a look.

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Answer 6

Jan 22, 2011 5:28 PM in response to b noir

I seriously would buy you a "beverage" for fixing this... I literally tried everything, and no other software I had, picked that up. This was the only infection found on my computer... Once I got rid of it, everything is working again.

Thank you so much.

Registry Keys Infected:
HKEY LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\itunes.exe (Security.Hijack) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

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Answer 7

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jan 23, 2011 1:54 PM in response to Superfrustrated

Woohoo!

HKEY LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\itunes.exe (Security.Hijack) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

Good gracious ... okay, it might also be worth while being cautious with iTunes Store purchases and so forth for a while ... have a look at your purchase history to see if there are any unexpected charges, etc. (I don't know what that this particular exploit aims to do, but heightening your security seems prudent.)

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Answer 8

Jan 30, 2011 1:38 PM in response to b noir

Again a big thanks to you... Is there a way I can "reward points" in this forum??

I really do appreciate the help...

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Answer 9

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jan 30, 2011 3:59 PM in response to Superfrustrated

Is there a way I can "reward points" in this forum??

🙂 It's the thought that counts. In this case there isn't a way of awarding points, because your topic isn't marked as a question.

(If I'm recalling correctly, I asked the hosts to branch out your original post out of a different topic, because I thought the things we needed to try with you were quite different to the things we needed to try with the original poster in that topic (and vice versa). So I felt it was best to try to deal with you seperately. When posts are branched out by the Hosts like that, they can't be marked as questions, and so you can't assign any points.)

There's information on assigning points (under more standard circumstances) in the following few sections of the help and terms of use:

http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa#questions

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