A computer virus is a software code or program that piggybacks on other programs. For instance, a particular virus could be specifically meant for the spreadsheet program. When you attempt to open a spreadsheet, the virus may automatically run and reproduce itself. Some viruses might wreak havoc and ultimately, require you to format your hard drive. This would render all the partition data inaccessible and hence, result in a huge data loss. To overcome this problem, you need to go for partition recovery through a reliable third-party utility.

Let’s take a real time scenario. Suppose, when you try to  run an executable file in your Windows XP-based system, you may encounter any of the following error messages on your screen:

“Windows cannot find FILES32.VXD. This program is needed for opening files of type “Application”.” OR “Path to program is not a valid Windows application”

These error messages are normally seen at the system startup.

Cause: The above errors occur because your system is infected with the Pretty Park virus. This virus is responsible for the creation of the ‘Files32.vxd’ file, which is then copied to the ‘Windows\System’ folder. This file is automatically run each time you try to invoke an executable file.

In such instances, you may require formatting your hard drive. This might cause severe data loss, if do not backup your hard drive. Alternatively, you may try the below mentioned resolution to fix the issue.

Resolution: To easily get away with this problem, follow the procedure as described below:

• Login to your system using the ‘Safe Mode’ and then open up the ‘Registry Editor’.

• You need to modify the following registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\Exefile\Shell\Open\Command

• Now, delete ‘files32.vxd’ from this entry: < NO NAME>: REG_SZ: “files32.vxd” “%1″ %*

• Close the ‘Registry Editor’ window and search ‘files32.vxd’ file in your system.

• When the specified file is found , you should permanently delete this file.

If the problem still persists, you should take help of efficient partition recovery software. These third-party tools can effectively scan your entire hard drive for retrieving every bit of lost, deleted, or formatted data from the system. They support recovery from all internal as well as external storage media, including hard disks, USB drives, Memory Cards etc. Moreover, they are compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4 (SP6).