Can't launch graphics editor by double-clicking on image file name in Explorer

[Jerry Rivers]

I am knowledgeable in Win 98 but a rank amateur with Win XP.
Last night, I helped my daughter set up her new Dell 4600, which
came with Windows XP Home. Installation went fine.

I installed my favorite graphics editor, Jasc's Paint Shop Pro,
and set file format preferences in Paint Shop Pro for all of the
most common graphics file types, including: BMP, RLE, JPG, TIF,
PCX, WMF, CGM, etc.

I checked Windows Explorer-Tools-Folder Options, and the
graphics file types I described above are all associated to
Paint Shop Pro 8.

But, if I double-click on a graphics file in Windows Explorer, I
get the Windows Picture Viewer, NOT Paint Shop Pro 8, as I would
expect (and, how it works in Win 98). The only way I could get
Paint Shop Pro 8 to launch a selected file name from Explorer,
was to right-click on the name and select Open.

I have been told that the Windows Picture Viewer overrides ALL
file format associations for graphics files so as to support
thumbnail pictures in Explorer.

I apologize if this issue has already been discussed in this (or
another Microsoft) news group. I can't find anything about the
Picture Viewer in Win XP Help or in the Microsoft Knowledge
base.

Here is my basic question: How can I DISABLE the Picture Viewer
from taking over my graphics file types? I want to be able to
double-click on a graphics file name in Explorer or My Computer
and have it launch Paint Shop Pro 8.

BTW, non-graphics file types DO properly launch their "owned"
applications correctly. And, lest anyone think this is a Paint
Shop Pro 8 bug, I later installed Adobe Photo Shop 5.0 LE and
re-set file format associations for types such as BMP, TIF, and
JPG to Photo Shop, but the Picture Viewer overrode those too!

Please tell me how to disable this annoying feature and return
Explorer to operate in the way I am familiar. Thanks to
everyone in advance.

-- Jerry Rivers

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Jerry.

In Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs, click the icon for the new
option, Set Program Access and Defaults.

If this icon does not appear on her computer, she probably needs to visit
Windows Update. It was not included in the original version of WinXP, but
was added later.

RC

 

[Jerry Rivers]

Hi, RC.

I tried your suggestion. Unfortunately, it did NOT work on my
daughter's new Dell PC. She is fully up-to-date on the MS
updates, and the option in Control Panel Add/Remove Programs was
there as you pointed out, it just didn't fix the problem

Thanks to a PSP 8 user on Jasc's news groups, I found two
suggestions to fix this known Win XP annoyance. One involves
actually disabling the Picture Viewer by killing its Win XP DLL,
and the other is making some changes to the Registry.

-- Jerry Rivers

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Jerry.

Thanks for the report on the Jasc newsgroups. Did one of them work for your
daughter? Maybe Jasc will read the newsgroup and put some fixes into a PSP
8 update. After all, I'm sure they want to keep selling PSP to all the
WinXP users out here.

RC

 

[Jerry Rivers]

I don't know if you monitor the Jasc news groups or not. If you
don't, and want to, here is the server name:
userforums.jasc.com. It is on Jasc's server and is not Usenet.

As to features/fixes, there is always a LOT of discussion about
that stuff on the Jasc news groups. And, a lot of debate about
what is a "bug" and what is a "feature".

Jasc made a terrific effort in expanding the capabilities of
Paint Shop Pro when they went from PSP 7 to PSP 8. Naturally,
the PSP 8 betas (which I participated in) were just fraught with
problems. And, the original PSP 8.0 that came out in May, 2003,
was full of bugs. But, Jasc fixed some in PSP 8.01 and a lot
more in PSP 8.1 (which was just released a couple of weeks ago).
They also added some new features.

I doubt that anybody's software will ever be completely free of
bugs and annoyances, nor will it ever satisfy all of the users.
I only use a small portion of PSP 8's awesome functionality, but
I am VERY happy with it. I used to use Photo Shop 5.0 LE that
came with my scanner but found it very hard to use. And, I sure
don't want to part with $650 to buy PS 7 (and, I don't use
bootleg software, even though PS is available from the bootleg
sites).

If you like PSP, you'll get a lot out of Jasc's news groups.
Give them a try.

-- Jerry Rivers

 

[Jerry Rivers]

Yes, I got a fix which worked OK.

-- Jerry Rivers