File-associations editor

[J44xm]

Can anyone recommend a program that can handle file associations in
Windows XP? (It's a plus if it can "lock" associations, making them
unchangeable to applications.) Thanks much.

 

[Uri Rymland]

Can anyone recommend a program that can handle file associations in
Windows XP? (It's a plus if it can "lock" associations, making them
unchangeable to applications.) Thanks much.

Fast Explorer
http://thesoftpro.tripod.com/downloads/fe/

For some reason, though, Microsoft's Media Player's extensions are immune
to it... :-(

 

[Dan Marko]

Can anyone recommend a program that can handle file associations in
Windows XP? (It's a plus if it can "lock" associations, making them
unchangeable to applications.) Thanks much.

Right click on any document with the extension type that you want to
change choose open with and check always use.

If you set this as Administrator and then login as a regular user the
program will not have the rights to change the association

Dan

 

[Bob Adkins]

Can anyone recommend a program that can handle file associations in
Windows XP? (It's a plus if it can "lock" associations, making them
unchangeable to applications.) Thanks much.

Association Manager

http://ftp.pcworld.com/pub/new/utilities/file_management/associate.zip



Bob

 

[J44xm]

["Bob Adkins"; Mon, 08 Dec 2003 16:41:22 GMT]

Association Manager

For the record:

"Do you want your .bmp files to always open in Photoshop? Your .mp3 files
in Winamp? This utility helps you organize the association between file
types and the applications that open them. You can permanently save your
settings so that programs don't change them without your knowledge, and
you can modify the file icon for each file type. If you want to see what
your current settings are, you can print an HTML list of all of your
associations."
-- PC World, www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,8150,00.asp

I think I'll check out Fast Explorer, though, because it mentions Windows
XP whereas Association Manager doesn't. Thanks to all.

 

[omega]

For the record:

-- PC World, www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,8150,00.asp

Associate.exe
Alexander Peckover
ver 1.3

STAY AWAY!

Trashes everything!

I took notes on it, but don't have time to post them, will later. In
meantime, be warned.

 

[My Name]

Google groups shows that it's been recommended here a
number of times, and never with one complaint that I saw.
Must be no one monitored what it does...

The readme.txt says it is _not_ for NT!

 

[My Name]

I should have posted about that, wasn't thinking. My
testing was on w98SE.

Hmm, I'm on 98.
I got 15 keys & 11 values added by just executing the program,
not changing anything however.

 

[My Name]

The very first time you ran it?

Yes!

 

[My Name]

Just executing, and doing nothing else, that's probably
where it's registering itself? These keys, and their
subkeys:

[HKCU\Software\Local AppWizard-Generated
Applications\Associate] [HKCU\Software\WeyounSoft]
[HKCR\.asc]
[HKCR\Associate.Document]

If you want to witness the damage, and since you've not run
it before, it would be by doing the "Get Settings" followed
by the "Apply Changes." TUN will undo that stuff easily,
although I used separate monitors at the same time in order
to get a readable report. I'm sure that the more filetypes
you have, the bigger the numbers will be. And then the more
orphans and stuff, normally harmless, that's where it
really goes whirling...

I kinda thought you must've done something further than I had.
Normally, I just take a regshot. Run & Close the program without
changing anything. Then take my second regshot & compare the
changes reported by RegShot to see if I then want to run
UnDoReg.

The big mess is if you run this, not knowing, and have to
try to clean up all of that debris and the invalid keys
months later. Not even the best reg cleaners are equipped
for dealing with some of the weird stuff it adds in.

Well thank you all for the warnings.
Think I'll dump it!

 

[My Name]

My Name <no@e/-\mail.com>:

Turns out I musta did the "get settings" thing with it as I have
an html record of file associations in the program folder.
Probably on a second run. Only spotted it just before moving it
to my storage area. Guess I didn't do the "apply changes" thing
though, as I didn't make any, thankfully!

Regshot+UndoReg will take care of most program installs,
with their removal of new keys. But, the nested doings from
running the commands of this program, it includes changed
values and added values, so you'd need something else, such
as TUN, to undo that type of change.

I did find Regshot useful during my monitoring of this,
because while trying to learn at which point it wrote all
that stuff, I took a number of consecutive snapshots.
Regshot has that feature. For example: load snapshot #2,
compare it against snapshot #5.

Just for the record: I run an older version of Regshot 1.53
because it has the "Monitor" the registry function which for
some reason the author removed in later versions. Point being my
version doesn't have the multiple shot thing, however one could
easily run multiple versions of Regshot.

 

[omega]

Association Manager

http:\\www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,8150,00.asp

Alexander Peckover
Associate.exe
version 1.3.0.1

STAY AWAY!

1. Run Associate.exe
2. Settings > Get Current Settings
3. Settings > Apply Changes

Note, the above steps were as first run. No saved .asc file. No stored
settings anywhere. Note also: Step 3 was immediately following Step 2,
no other action taken.

REGISTRY REPORT
---------------
KEYS ADDED: 122
VALUES ADDED: 84
VALUES CHANGED: 30

Those keys are not the kind stored off in some HKCU\sofware\programABC
locale, where it doesn't matter. THOSE ARE THE ROOT ASSOCIATION KEYS.
That huge tidalwave to that important section, it is astounding.


Sample excerpts...

Keys added: 122
---------------
HKCR\2nkfile\DefaultIcon
HKCR\2nkfile\shell
HKCR\2nkfile\shell\open
HKCR\2nkfile\shell\open\command
HKCR\drvfile\DefaultIcon
HKCR\drvfile\shell\open
HKCR\drvfile\shell\open\command
HKCR\HTTfile\shell\open
HKCR\HTTfile\shell\open\command
HKCR\IrfanView\DefaultIcon
HKCR\sysfile\shell\open
HKCR\sysfile\shell\open\command
HKCR\vxdfile\shell
HKCR\vxdfile\shell\open
HKCR\vxdfile\shell\open\command

The thing wildly adds shell\open\command, and \DefaultIcon subkeys
everywhere. It adds them where they're not wanted, idiotically. All
with no kind of permission at all. Furthermore, what an irony. You
run an associations program to get these filetype keys under control,
and then that very program adds a ton of confusing garbage.

Values added: 84
----------------
HKCR\.dck @ scpfile
HKCR\.eml @ scpfile
HKCR\.htc @ scpfile
HKCR\.jav @ scpfile
HKCR\.knl @ scpfile
HKCR\.knm @ scpfile
HKCR\.msg @ scpfile
HKCR\.vcf @ scpfile

There were some other types of entries here, too, but the section I'm
excerpting shows the one pattern that I noticed. The extensions above,
it targeted them because they had no default values. The .xxx extensions
to whom it did the weird stuff, they're orphans on my system, hadn't
got around to deleting (nor assigning) them.

As they were, they open with notepad, under my settings, the case with
orphan (no filetype value) and unknown (not in the registry) extensions.

The weird entries this program added in, however, breaks them. This was
the second part of the values it added in:

Values added: [continued]
----------------

HKCR\scpfile @ quoi
HKCR\scpfile\DefaultIcon @ quoi
HKCR\scpfile\shell\open\command @ quoi

Result. When I click on a file with one of those orphaned extensions,
instead of notepad opening them, I got a message from Windows...

Windows cannot find quoi.exe.

This program is needed for opening files of type "quoi."

Location of quoi.exe:
[C:\_______________]
[OK] [Cancel] [Locate...]

When I'd first tested out this program, my .log extension was one of the
ones without a default value, and it was one I was actively using while
doing the testing, so that dialog box kept popping up...making me feel
really cross-eyed.

The scpfile, it chose that at random, is all I can say. And the quoi, again
it had to be random. I forget where it would have found it, some filetype
where I put that for a default value years ago, harmlessly. Someone running
the steps with this program and taking a log, they'll have similar results,
I'm sure. Only the random values, scpfile and quoi, will be different.

Values changed: 30
------------------
Key Val Data Before Data After
HKCR\.avi @ "avifile" "movfile"
HKCR\.CTR @ "Cntr.Document" "scpfile"
HKCR\.DCB @ "DCB File" "scpfile"
HKCR\.dp @ "DatePad.Document" "scpfile"
HKCR\.hpp @ "hPlusfile" "scpfile"
HKCR\.jpeg @ "IrfanView.JPG" "IrfanView.jpg"
HKCR\.JSE @ "JSEFile" "JSFile"
HKCR\.x @ "x Document" "scpfile"

On which extensions it's targeting to change, it seems to be mainly trying
to do those that it sees as lacking a valid filetype key paired up. Hmmm.
In effect, where it decided I've lapsed on the state of some of my
extensions, it decides to always hit me with a "Windows can't find quoi.exe"
dialog box as a punishment? A ruler on the knuckles or something?

Note the main issue. This thing never put itself forward as an "association
repair" program, at which it would fail miserably, as shown with this
logging.
It added garbage subkeys, and broke functionalities.

VERY IMPORTANT. Repeat. The two simple steps, one, then the other...

1. Run Associate.exe
2. Settings > Get Current Settings
3. Settings > Apply Changes

Who'd have expected all the damage from just that?

 

[My Name]

I didn't know about that, the earlier version. Does its
monitor have filters?

Yeppers!
Would ya like me to zip ya copy and post it in abf?
Otherwise I'd have to try & find the original off a CD.

Speculation on why he removed it: might be complaints about
crashing. There are some programs that I cannot run at the
same time. Inctrl processing the registry, and
Sysinternal's Regmon, and also, my registry editor, because
it updates in real time.... I find that I can only reliably
run one of those at a time. Else they have a big shoot-out
in the OK corral, with sometimes no one left standing.

He got me, Wyatt ...

Hmm, "my registry editor" ...

Are you Karen of Karenware fame, or do you refer to regedit.exe?

 

[omega]

(e-mail address removed) (Dan Marko):

Right click on any document with the extension type that you want to
change choose open with and check always use.

If you set this as Administrator and then login as a regular user the
program will not have the rights to change the association

I've never used XP, so have no idea here, but I somehow have ~memory
of hearing that some program installers require you to log in as
administrator before they will proceed ??

 

[My Name]

My Name <no@e/-\mail.com>:

Yes, please. I'd like to look at it. Plus there might be a
few others who'd want to pick it up there, too. Those who
already like Regmon, as I do, might be curious to try
something similar.

True enough.
I prefer it to the last edition of Regmon that I'd tried.

And this will finally get me going on what's been on my
todo: Finding a newsserver for abf. I'd done step 1, sub'd
to alt.free.newsservers. Now time to read up...

Ok, done, or doing it at least.
Binaries don't hang around long usually especially on free
newservers, so you can also download it here:
http://webpages.charter.net/pipe9178/NewDir/RegShot1.53.zip

Oh, I had no reason to omit its name. RegMagik. Very fond
of it. Esp after long time endurance of the messy & bloated
Registrar Lite. And before that, the riskily buggy
$Reghance.

OK, I'll Google for RegMagik.
Probably had looked at it in the past.
Don't recall it now, however.

 

[omega]

Did ShellXpert sail off the end of the earth?

I find its interface way more pleasant and direct than the dozen other
such association managers I've tried (only weakness is its non-resizable
window). It's fast and clear to use, and importantly, does deal with a
few of the important things beyond only the "open" values. It doesn't
delete, unfortunately, but it's a speedy, easy way to change values.

The old website was www.systemutilites.com and the program developer
was "Flexy Computing." Google doesn't seem to have much to say to
me about this disappearance. Anyone here know the story?



<readme.txt>

: Welcome to ShellXpert 1.0b!
: ---------------------------
:
: ShellXpert is a single purpose tool intended to aid in the
: easy customization of Explorer's Context (Right-Click) menus.
: ShellXpert facilitates the maintenance of context menu associations,
: allowing one to easily edit, remove, or create new entries using
: an attractive, intuitive interface. ShellXpert will allow you to
: gain control over which programs appear in context menus when when
: you right click on various associated file extensions.
:
: Why settle for default, or rogue programs when you can have your
: favorite, or multiple favorite programs instead?
</readme.txt>


The exe I have installed has a date of 2001.03.14, version 1.0b. In
that directory I also have several htm pages dated July of that year,
with a release history indicating a slightly later version.


<whatsnew.htm>

: Version Release History
:
: Version 1.10
:
: Redesigned interface.
: Added splash screen.
: Added "View" menu.
:
: Version 1.0
:
: Added Windows NT/2000 support
: Miscellaneous bugfixing.
:
: Version 1.0b
:
: First public version.
</whatsnew.htm>


Don't know why I don't have the 1.10 exe. Or where it can even be found.
Unless, wild guess, it went payware ? And then died shortly after ?

 

[omega]

Did ShellXpert sail off the end of the earth?

Worse than dead. I'd never until now looked at the license file.
Mea-Culpa! Shareware. I'm going to cancel the post for that 1% of
servers that process cancels, but for the rest, can't do but retreat
with tail between the legs.

 

[Bob Adkins]

STAY AWAY!

Trashes everything!

I took notes on it, but don't have time to post them, will later. In
meantime, be warned.

You are correct! Damn! My apologies to anyone who may have tried this
software with Windows XP.

Bob

 

[omega]

You are correct! Damn! My apologies to anyone who may have tried this
software with Windows XP.

Google groups shows that it's been recommended here a number of times,
and never with one complaint that I saw. Must be no one monitored what
it does...

I did re-run it after posting, this time first deleting my quoi value
and spcfile key, which it was throwing back at me in such a bizarre
manner. After that, no "Where is Quoi" dialogs. It still added the
huge tonnage of keys to the root, though. Created a mass of invalid
and nutty stuff. Including filetype name entries as icon file values
and open commands (entries that should be pointing to files, it put
in confused words instead). And all this, the main point, without
your even having the least warning that it was designed to rewrite
your registry.

It makes sense that the author no longer maintain a web site... As
to PCWorld keeping the program up, they are asleep at the wheel.

 

[omega]

The readme.txt says it is _not_ for NT!

I should have posted about that, wasn't thinking. My testing was
on w98SE.