Adobe 9 takes Over Other Applications once installed

Question

Since I tried and failed to install some non-compatible software(not Adobe) on my Vista laptop, Adobe 9 has failed to work. In fact, it has taken over my other applications such as Explorer & Media player. The Laptop thinks these applications are Adobe related & tries to open them with Adobe. It does not give me the option to Open with another program and the file associations have not changed. What has changed is that the Target type of these applications has changed from "Application" to "EXE" and the icons change to the Adobe picture. I uninstalled Adobe to rectify the problem, but now I cannot install Adobe without the same thing happening.Have I deleted an important file from the Vista system which is vital for Adobe use? The upshot is I cannot read any PDFs for the forseeable future. Also, I cannot use system restore as I left it too late & my ideal restore point has gone.
Stand alone laptop/Vista home premium.
Regards
Brian

Answer 1

try this is you are comfortable working in the Registry. Your settings for exe files need to be re-established:
1. Launch Notepad by clicking on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad
2. Enter the following into Notepad:
Windows Registry Editor Version 6.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.exe]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.exe]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.exe\OpenWi thList]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.exe\OpenWi thProgids]
"exefile"=hex(0):
3. Click on the File Menu and select Save As
4. From the Save as Type drop down select All Files
5. Change the File Name to Exe.reg
6. Save the file to the Desktop and then close Notepad.
7. Double-click the Exe.reg file. Note: If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide proper confirmation.
8. Click Yes, and then click OK in response to the registry prompts.
9. Restart your Computer
10. You should be sure to delete the Exe.reg file after resolving this issue.