Portable version of program 'invisible'

[occam]

I tried to put the portable version of PDF-Xchange Viewer program (see
link) on my Vista Biz


http://www.docu-track.com/downloads/users/

When I unzip the thing into a folder (say, C:/Program Files/PDF-XViewer)
I can actually launch the program and it works well...

....however, when I try to associate all .PDF files with the program by:
<right click> > 'Open With..' > <select> (on any existing PDF file)

....I cannot see PDF-Xchange Viewer as a viable alternative program. I
have tried to 'browse' my way there and select the PDF-XViewer.exe, but
it refuses to register, i.e. it never appears in the list of possible
alternative programs. Why is this?

How can I force a portable program to become part of the approved set of
progrms offered under 'Open With'?

(PS- the installed version of the same program has no problem. The issue
arises with the /Portable/ (uninstalled) version of PDF-XChange Viewer.)

thanks

 

[Big D]

...I cannot see PDF-Xchange Viewer as a viable alternative program. I
have tried to 'browse' my way there and select the PDF-XViewer.exe, but
it refuses to register, i.e. it never appears in the list of possible
alternative programs. Why is this?

Probably because Windows has no record of it ever having been
installed. All that you've done is unzip it to its present location.

 

[occam]

Probably because Windows has no record of it ever having been
installed. All that you've done is unzip it to its present location.

That much I grasped.
How can I link '.PDF' with the program.

(This is no problem with XP Pro, where you go into 'Folder Options' and
assign any program - installed or uninstalled - to a file type.

I am missing this facility in Vista.

Solutions?

 

[Big D]

That much I grasped.
How can I link '.PDF' with the program.

(This is no problem with XP Pro, where you go into 'Folder Options' and
assign any program - installed or uninstalled - to a file type.

I am missing this facility in Vista.

Solutions?

I just downloaded the program and unzipped it to Program Files. I had
no problem setting it to be the default reader of .PDF files.

I merely right-clicked a .PDF file, chose to "Open With" and browsed
to the .EXE file - selected the file and made sure the tick-box was
ticked to make it the default.

Closed that. Opened several others without a problem.

 

[occam]

I just downloaded the program and unzipped it to Program Files. I had
no problem setting it to be the default reader of .PDF files.

I merely right-clicked a .PDF file, chose to "Open With" and browsed
to the .EXE file - selected the file and made sure the tick-box was
ticked to make it the default.

Closed that. Opened several others without a problem.

Hmm... you are describing exactly the same sequence I went through,
except Vista appears to ignore my selected .exe completely.

I am wondering if this is because I have disabled one of the default
services (I have been playing with run > services.msc recently)

Thanks in any case.