Different file associations per user account

[Guest]

Is it possible to have different file associations (ie default program to
open a particular filetype with) for each XP (Home) user account? The reason
is that I need to open mp3s with SonicStage for transferring to my Minidisc,
but my sister needs to use Windows Media Player for her flash-based player,
and it's a real pain to have to Right click--> Open With every time. Can
anyone help? (even if it involves running a script of some kind on startup)

 

[RC]

Is it possible to have different file associations (ie default program to
open a particular filetype with) for each XP (Home) user account? The reason
is that I need to open mp3s with SonicStage for transferring to my Minidisc,
but my sister needs to use Windows Media Player for her flash-based player,
and it's a real pain to have to Right click--> Open With every time. Can
anyone help? (even if it involves running a script of some kind on startup)

You can make SonicStage as default player for mp3 files.
I don't have SonicStage, don't know how to config that.
But in Windows Media Player,
You can click Tools->Options->File Types
uncheck mp3, click Apply, OK buttons.

 

[Stan Brown]

Is it possible to have different file associations (ie default program to
open a particular filetype with) for each XP (Home) user account?

I'm upwards of 90% certain that the answer is No. The file
associations are stored in Registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,
and there's only one of those per machine.

I'm not aware of any Registry keys that override file associations
for only the current user, but there might be -- hence only
"upwards of 90%" rather than "100%".

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"To put it bluntly but fairly, anyone today who doubts that the
variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of
evolution is simply ignorant -- inexcusably ignorant, in a world
where three out of four people have learned to read and write."
--Daniel Dennett, /Darwin's Dangerous Idea/ (1995), page 46

 

[Guest]

I had a feeling that would be the case. Ah well, I can put up with Open With
I suppose

 

[... et al.]

I'm upwards of 90% certain that the answer is No. The file
associations are stored in Registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,
and there's only one of those per machine.

I'm not aware of any Registry keys that override file associations
for only the current user, but there might be -- hence only
"upwards of 90%" rather than "100%".

For HKey_Users\S-1-5-19, -20 & -21* i have corresponding
HKey_Users\S-1-5-##_Classes keys.
Under the HKey_Users\S-1-5-21*_Classes key i have what appears to be
filetype association keys similar to what one sees under HKey_Classes_Root.

Without having looked closer, i had assumed that this was for the
ability to have per-user specific filetype associations. Now, looking at
the key a little, it seems like all the association-keys there have been
put there by BSPlayer, a media-player i use, so perhaps this is specific
for this program and not something generic to WinNT, but might be worth
testing. Or trying out BSPlayer instead of WMP if that program is unique
in offering that ability (if that is what these subkeys are there for).

Webteh d.o.o. BSPlayer @ <http://www.bsplayer.org/>

 

[Guest]

Yes. It is definitely possible to do this, but you will have to grant
Administrator status to each of the accounts you want to affect, just
temporarily, in order to set the file associations in each of the accounts. I
assume you know how to go to the control panel or use the Explorer tools menu
to set file associations. If not, respond to this post and I'll review it
with you. But despite what one of the posts here states, in WIN XP it is
definitely possible for each user account to have its own association
preferences, because entries in a section of HKCU will override the default
entries in HKCR. I know it works because my machine has multiple users with
different settings specifically to accommodate my kids' different audio
player choices, too.