ScriptPad Strangeness

[Box134]

I do a little VBScript ( more modifying than writing ) so I looked for a
freeware script editor. I found one through Google called ScriptPad from
http://www.hartwaretech.com/ScriptPadUpdates.htm.

I installed it and it looked really good. While mucking about it asked if I
wanted ScriptPad to be the default source viewer. I thought it meant for
HTML pages so I said yes. To my surprise it took over TXT files. This I
didn't want so I asked ScriptPad to re-instate NotePad. No way, it wouldn't
change back to NotePad.

After a bit of swearing I un-installed ScriptPad. Click on a TXT file and
ScriptPad still opens. I searched my hard drive for anything like script*
but I couldn't find it anywhere. I went ballistic trying to find where this
effing thing was coming from.

Finally, after searching the registry for ScriptPad entries I found it in
windows\system32. Only it wasn't called ScriptPad.exe it was notepad.exe.
Beats me why someone would use the name of a standard Windows software and
hide it that way. I'm not sure whether to attribute this to bad programming
or some nefarious purpose.

Thinking I had pushed the wrong buttons the first time around I re-installed
it and it took over TXT files again without permission and converted itself
to notepad.exe again.

Anyway, I would caution anyone against using this software which is too bad
because it has a good look and good features.

 

[Simon]

To my surprise it took over TXT files. This I didn't want so I asked
ScriptPad to re-instate NotePad. No way, it wouldn't change back to
NotePad.

don't be discouraged, you may be able to rescue the stuation yet...

To correct the association, from explorer by Shift + right click on a text
file, then select 'open with' from the context menu. Navigate to the app
you want to associate text files with (in this case notepad) in the drop
down list, or use the browse button to locate the appropriate app, then ok
out...

S

 

[Box134]

Yeah, I tried that and I learned something new about Windows XP, and by
extension about other versions of Windows. I did the "open with" procedure
with the GUI and navigated to c:\windows\notepad.exe but it wouldn't change
back to the real Notepad. I suspect that as long as the file names of the
executables are the same, Windows discards the change. I think the way
around this is to specify the file by typing in the path to the executable.

After I deleted Scriptpad Windows asked me what program to use with TXT
files and I restored Notepad.

It seems the author made it difficult to change the association on purpose.
Makes me wonder why. I sent him an e-mail but haven't received a reply.

 

[Bjorn Simonsen]

For future ref/use:

WAssociate (freeware)
<http://www.xs4all.nl/~wstudios/Associate/>

<http://www.xs4all.nl/~wstudios/Associate/Associations.html>
"This page gives some background on how the Windows shell handles
file name extensions"

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen