@mcc I did something similar but on Windows when I was about 15. It was a system I was going to reformat anyway (funnily enough to install Linux on it). Instead of deleting files I opened the registry editor and started deleting things randomly. Most things kept working, but eventually I managed to delete whatever associated exe files with the program loader. You couldn't start any programs anymore, whenever you tried you'd just get the "what program do you want to open this file with" dialog.
Johannes Häggqvist
@johvist@mastodon.gamedev.place