Read error on a bunch of old EXEs??

I am looking through files on my old computer (IBM Aptiva with Windows 98 SE installed). I have a bunch of old MMFX, and MMF applications on there. It's quite a trip down memory lane.

However, I am noticing that a number of my stand-alone MMFX and MMF applications have a "Read error" when I try to run them. Others work as expected. The error is obviously not at all helpful to me in terms of understanding what's going on.

I decided to open an unprotected CCA file in the MMF 1.2 that is installed. I then created a new stand-alone EXE for that particular CCA file. I noticed the new EXE was much larger than the old one, so I opened them up side-by-side in a hex editor to see why. The new EXE includes several COX files at the end. Everything else is exactly the same. My guess is the other project EXEs that produce the "Read error" are also missing their extensions. I know for a fact that at least a few of these *used* to work years ago, so I don't understand what the issue is now all of a sudden.

Question: Why would the old EXE (and I am guessing the situation is the same for the others that have the "Read error") be missing these extensions? Is this a normal situation? And how can I get these old EXEs to run without having to recreate them?

Quote from Joshtek

One of the only reasons an executable might be modified after release is if it was harmed by a virus such as CIH. The particular virus might have the side-effect of losing some of the extensions, I can't say.

For more general advice on running old Klik games is available at Please login to see this link. - for example you might need to install the correct DLL files.

Do you happen to have old third-party freeware Klik games? If so, you should consider contributing them to Kliktopia via Please login to see this link. - but if you have any concern that they might have been corrupted somehow then please note this in the upload notice.

I never even considered a virus. But looking now at all the affected executables, they *all* have a modified date of 11/16/2003, across multiple locations on the drive. I don't think that's some coincidence. Either a virus, or perhaps a virus scanner that falsely identified them as having a virus and attempted to sanitize them.

Do you know if CNC/MMF games are easy targets for this kind of thing, be it virus activity or false positives? My computer has many other executables not related to Clickteam products that seem untouched, yet are probably just as old.

Is there a way to fix these executables?

Anyway, thanks for the input. That really helps clear things up. And I'll likely be uploading a bunch of this stuff as soon as I can sort through what's what.