Notepad not on "open with" list

[Menno Hershberger]

If I right click a file and use "open with", Notepad isn't on the list.
For instance, I'd like to permanently associate ".ini" files with Notepad.
If I browse for notepad.exe in c:\windows and the the box to always
associate this type of file with this program, nothing happens. It still
doesn't open in notepad.
txt extensions are about the only ones I've got that will open with
notepad. Of course I can always open notepad first and then go find the ini
file and open it that way.
So how do I get Notepad back on the "open with" list?

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Right click an *.ini file
Open With
Scroll down and
Select Notepad
Check: Always use the selected program to open this kind of file
OK

Once that's done, you should be able to double click any *.ini file and have
it open with Notepad.

 

[David Nimon]

Isn't that what the OP said he'd tried?

I'm having **exactly** the same problem with a .trc file which is created as
part of SQL server tools (profiler.exe is the required program).

I, too, try the 'open with', browse to the correct program and click on it.
Again, as with the OP's experience, profiler .exe does not appear on the
list of programs in the 'open with' window.

This assosciation failure has only started with the installation of SP2.
Worked fine with SP1. It is the only problem that **may** be SP2 related
that I've found in the last three weeks or so.

 

[Charles May]

I had this happen in SP1 but never messed with it since I was planning on a
re-install anyway. I did however find on a recently installed system a key
in the registry that might help.

In HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList there is a reference to notepad.exe

it is just a key inside OpenWithList called Notepad.exe I would be curious
if this key exists in your registry and if not, would adding it back fix the
problem.

Hope this helps

Charlie

 

[Star Fleet Admiral Q]

Well, you can always use the "Browse" button and go the program of choice
i.e. Notepad.exe and make sure that "Always use this program blah blah" box
is checked - it should associate the program with the file AND add it to the
list of programs so the next time the program shows up on the list.

 

[Malke]

I had this happen in SP1 but never messed with it since I was planning
on a re-install anyway. I did however find on a recently installed
system a key in the registry that might help.

In HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList there is a reference to
notepad.exe

it is just a key inside OpenWithList called Notepad.exe I would be
curious if this key exists in your registry and if not, would adding
it back fix the problem.

Hope this helps

Charlie

In my experience, when Notepad is missing or can't be associated with
file types, there is a virus. Scan you computer with a current version
(not earlier than 2003) antivirus using updated definitions in Safe
Mode. You will probably still have to restore Notepad to its two
locations: in C:/Windows (assuming that your installation is on the C:
drive) and in C:/Windows/System32.

Malke

 

[Kelly]

Hi Menno,

Open With Notepad for Files With No Extension (Line 25)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Restore Open With on the Right Click (Line 220)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Troubleshooting Open With in XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_o.htm#openwith

Clear Dynamic "Open With" Lists
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/OpenWithClear.zip

Check your settings here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications
Select the associated sub-key, if 'NoOpenWith' is listed, delete it.

Also here:

This setting allows you to control whether the checkbox to save the "Open
With" program is available when an unknown file type is opened.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command

and

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\openas\command

To restore Notepad download the zip on line 326:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

 

[Menno Hershberger]

Right click an *.ini file
Open With
Scroll down and
Select Notepad

That's the problem... Notepad isn't (wasn't) on the list.

 

[Menno Hershberger]

I had this happen in SP1 but never messed with it since I was planning
on a re-install anyway. I did however find on a recently installed
system a key in the registry that might help.

In HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList there is a reference to
notepad.exe

it is just a key inside OpenWithList called Notepad.exe I would be
curious if this key exists in your registry and if not, would adding
it back fix the problem.

Notepad.exe is there on the list.

 

[Menno Hershberger]

In my experience, when Notepad is missing or can't be associated with
file types, there is a virus. Scan you computer with a current version
(not earlier than 2003) antivirus using updated definitions in Safe
Mode. You will probably still have to restore Notepad to its two
locations: in C:/Windows (assuming that your installation is on the C:
drive) and in C:/Windows/System32.

OK... this one led to my final solution. Once upon a long time ago I DID
have a virus which presented problems with notepad. This was still back
under SP1. So, after reading this, I checked to see if notepad.exe was in
both folders. It was NOT in the System32 folder. So I copied the one from
the Windows folder into System32, and it is back on the list again! I
associated the ".ini" extension with it, checked the "always" box and it
worked just fine! Thanks for the clue!

 

[Menno Hershberger]

As noted in my original post, I'd already tried that. But I was
browsing to the copy in the Windows folder.

Star_Fleet_Admiral_Q(NOSPAM)@(SPAMNOT)hotmail.com> wrote in

 

[Menno Hershberger]

Well, I got it figured out before I got to your post, but you've pointed
me to some other helpful stuff... namely the first one about opening
files with no extensions (like HOSTS) in notepad will be helpful.
One trick I've been doing since Windows 98 is putting Notepad in my "Send
to" list. That's the way I had been opening the no extension files
before. So thank ya mam!

 

[Kelly]

Most welcome and glad to hear you have it all solved. <w>

 

[Alex Nichol]

Isn't that what the OP said he'd tried?

I'm having **exactly** the same problem with a .trc file which is created as
part of SQL server tools (profiler.exe is the required program).

I, too, try the 'open with', browse to the correct program and click on it.
Again, as with the OP's experience, profiler .exe does not appear on the
list of programs in the 'open with' window.

In Open With, use Choose Program, *browse* it to the one you want and
make sure to check the Always use box before accepting. That should get
over the idea you want it as default, and also add it to the main Open
With list for that extension