How to Replace Notepad.exe With Notepad2.exe

Notepad.exe – File Information

Notepad.exe is the executable file for Notepad that is the default text editor included in Windows.

Generally, the file notepad.exe is located in the %system% folder. The most common size of the notepad.exe file is 69,120 bytes. You may also find the file in 66,048, 70,656, and 151,040 bytes sizes.

Note: %system% is a variable that points to the system folder on your computer. By default for XP/Vista it is C:\windows\System32.

How do I replace notepad.exe with notepad2.exe?

If you want to replace notepad.exe with notepad2.exe, perform the following steps:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
2. Click the Tools menu and select Folder Options.
3. In the Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab.
4. Next, under Files and Folders section, clear the Hide protected operating system files checkbox.
5. Next, click the Start menu and select Search.
6. Click All files and folders.
7. Next, type notepad2.exe in All or part of the file name box and select Local Hard Drives from the Look in drop-down list.
8. Click Search.
9. Right-click notepad2.exe and click Rename.
10. Rename notepad2.exe to notepad.exe.
11. Right-click notepad.exe and select Copy.
12. Next, in the My Computer window, browse to %windir%/system32\dllcache, right-click on an empty area and click Paste.
13. Now, browse to %windir%/system32, right-click on an empty area and click Paste.
    Note: While pasting the notepad.exe file, if you receive a dialog box stating “If you want to replace the existing notepad.exe file”, click Yes
14. Repeat the steps 1, 2, and 3, and select Hide protected operating system files.
    Note: Here, %windir% is a variable that points to the path to the folder on which Windows is installed. By default, the folder is C:\Windows for Windows XP/Vista.

Notepad.exe Error in Windows XP

When you attempt to open a large text file in Notepad, it may stop responding. If you try to close Notepad, the following error is generated:

“NOTEPAD.EXE has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Cause of the Error

This issue occurs when you close Notepad while the application is trying to load a large file the size of which is close to or equal to the amount of available RAM (Random Access Memory)

Workaround Solution

To workaround this issue, you may use a WordPad to open large files.

Is notepad.exe a safe file?

Yes, the genuine notepad.exe is a safe file from Microsoft. However, many malware programs are also known to use a process that has same name as the genuine Microsoft file.

This phenomenon of malware programs using processes that have the same or similar names as genuine processes is not uncommon. Malware programs use these naming tactics to prevent easy detection and removal.

Shared below is a list of some known malware that are recorded to be associated with the malicious notepad.exe file:

Gen.Packed [Ikarus]
Win-Trojan/Agent.21504.NB [AhnLab]
W32/VB-DYZ [Sophos]
W32/Autorun.worm.h [McAfee]
W32.SillyFDC [Symantec]
TrojanClicker:Win32/Hatigh.C [Microsoft]
PE_ABI.A [Trend Micro]
Packed.Generic.233 [Symantec]
Mal/EncPk-KP [Sophos]
IM-Worm.Win32.VB.gd [Kaspersky Lab]
Generic.dx!fmw [McAfee]
Generic.dx!fml [McAfee]
WORM_ABI.B [Trend Micro]
Trojan.Zlob [Symantec]
Worm:Win32/VB.GB [Microsoft]
WORM_ABI.C [Trend Micro]
Trojan.Autorun.UA [Ikarus]
WORM_ABI.A [Trend Micro]
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.gen [Microsoft]
Trojan.Win32.Monder.gen [Kaspersky Lab]
Trojan.Peacomm [Symantec]
Trojan Horse [Symantec]
New Malware.u [McAfee]

How to ensure notepad.exe running is not a system threat

To ensure that only the genuine notepad.exe is present on your computer, perform a malware scan on your entire computer using advanced security programs, such as Antivirus Plus and StopZilla.

If malware infection is detected, do not forget to perform a registry scan after you remove the malware. Malware programs deliberately inject harmful and invalid entries into your system registry. To remove harmful, invalid, and corrupt registry entries, run a registry scan using a reliable registry cleaning tool, such as RegGenie.