Something's gone awry (again)

[MikeB]

OK, here is my short question: Is there a way in Windows Vista
(Ultimate, SP2) that I can edit and alter file associations other than
the method outlined in the Help file (which is to right-click on a
file, then click on Open With ...)?

Long explanation.

I'm having network troubles, so I reboot my router and my Windows,
just to make sure everything is clean.

During startup, a file opens on my desktop in in TextPad (a utility
that I have installed since December, but have not used or made
changes to in recent months). This file is in C:\Users\Mike\AppData
\Local\Temp and is named nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat

It seems to be a part of an Adobe installation cleanup:

@echo off
:again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll" >> NUL
sleep 1
if exist "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll"
goto again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat"

Now I'm trying to run this and I just can't. If I right-click on the
file, there is no Open With... in the context menu. THe default action
seems to be to open the file with TextPad. However, if I check
TextPad's Preferences, there are no filetypes associated with TextPad
(this is how I recall I installed it) Furthermore, I'm not so silly as
to associate a .bat file by default with a text editor, though I can
see how a person might make such a mistake.

If I click on Edit in the context menu, Textpad also opens the file.

I tried Run from the Start menu, typing in the path and filename and
lo and behold, Textpad again.

What the heck happened and is going on here?

Oh BTW. Yes, I am Admin and have Admin rights.

{Omitted obligatory anti-Vista rant}

Thanks for any help or pointers.

 

[Dave-UK]

OK, here is my short question: Is there a way in Windows Vista
(Ultimate, SP2) that I can edit and alter file associations other than
the method outlined in the Help file (which is to right-click on a
file, then click on Open With ...)?

Long explanation.

I'm having network troubles, so I reboot my router and my Windows,
just to make sure everything is clean.

During startup, a file opens on my desktop in in TextPad (a utility
that I have installed since December, but have not used or made
changes to in recent months). This file is in C:\Users\Mike\AppData
\Local\Temp and is named nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat

It seems to be a part of an Adobe installation cleanup:

@echo off
:again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll" >> NUL
sleep 1
if exist "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll"
goto again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat"

Now I'm trying to run this and I just can't. If I right-click on the
file, there is no Open With... in the context menu. THe default action
seems to be to open the file with TextPad. However, if I check
TextPad's Preferences, there are no filetypes associated with TextPad
(this is how I recall I installed it) Furthermore, I'm not so silly as
to associate a .bat file by default with a text editor, though I can
see how a person might make such a mistake.

If I click on Edit in the context menu, Textpad also opens the file.

I tried Run from the Start menu, typing in the path and filename and
lo and behold, Textpad again.

What the heck happened and is going on here?

Oh BTW. Yes, I am Admin and have Admin rights.

{Omitted obligatory anti-Vista rant}

Thanks for any help or pointers.

First, I think Shift-right-click may give you the 'Open with...' option.
But I don't think that will help with a bat file.
Have a look at the batfile registry entry.

My registry has this for Edit:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit\command
In the right pane: (Default) REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemRoot%\System32\NOTEPAD.EXE %1

and this for Open:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command
In the right pane: (Default) REG_SZ "%1" %*

 

[MikeB]

First, I think Shift-right-click may give you the 'Open with...' option.
But I don't think that will help with a bat file.
Have a look at the batfile registry entry.

My registry has this for Edit:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit\command
In the right pane: (Default)  REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemRoot%\System32\NOTEPAD.EXE %1

and this for Open:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command
In the right pane: (Default)  REG_SZ  "%1" %*

Dave, thanks for your reply.

I *did* try Shift-right-click (and Alt-right-click and ctrl-right-
click for good luck as well), with no effect.

Interestingly enough, my registry entries correspond *exactly* with
yours.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[Dave-UK]

Dave, thanks for your reply.

I *did* try Shift-right-click (and Alt-right-click and ctrl-right-
click for good luck as well), with no effect.

Interestingly enough, my registry entries correspond *exactly* with
yours.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Yes, download and run the bat file association fix from Ramesh's site:
http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/105/1/File-association-fixes-for-Windows-Vista.html

 

[MikeB]

Yes, download and run the bat file association fix from Ramesh's site:http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/105/1/File-association-fixes-fo...

Ok, right. Who is Ramesh? Is this a common problem for something to
hose Vista file associations? If so why is the fix on a 3rd party site
and not on the MS support site? Inquiring minds want to know, since if
possible I'd rather not screw up like this and then have to spend a
bunch of time fixing Windows. It's bad enough if I screw up and have
to fix things. It's bad enough that I can't even get Vista to leave my
arrangement of desktop icons alone or to maintain a persistent WiFi
Internet connection, but this is really just another PITA.

I looked at that fix and it seems like a rather major registry update
and I'm not entirely comfortable doing this, there are enough dire
warnings out there about messing with the registry and somewhere along
the line something might come back and bite me.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Ok, right. Who is Ramesh? Is this a common problem for something to
hose Vista file associations? If so why is the fix on a 3rd party site
and not on the MS support site? Inquiring minds want to know, since if
possible I'd rather not screw up like this and then have to spend a
bunch of time fixing Windows. It's bad enough if I screw up and have
to fix things. It's bad enough that I can't even get Vista to leave my
arrangement of desktop icons alone or to maintain a persistent WiFi
Internet connection, but this is really just another PITA.

I looked at that fix and it seems like a rather major registry update
and I'm not entirely comfortable doing this, there are enough dire
warnings out there about messing with the registry and somewhere along
the line something might come back and bite me.

Install Autoruns (free at Microsoft's site), run it, and search for a
start-up command containing the name of the batch file (Autoruns has a
search command). If found, it should be informative (and you can
disable it while you're at it).

 

[Dave-UK]

Ok, right. Who is Ramesh? Is this a common problem for something to
hose Vista file associations? If so why is the fix on a 3rd party site
and not on the MS support site? Inquiring minds want to know, since if
possible I'd rather not screw up like this and then have to spend a
bunch of time fixing Windows. It's bad enough if I screw up and have
to fix things. It's bad enough that I can't even get Vista to leave my
arrangement of desktop icons alone or to maintain a persistent WiFi
Internet connection, but this is really just another PITA.

I looked at that fix and it seems like a rather major registry update
and I'm not entirely comfortable doing this, there are enough dire
warnings out there about messing with the registry and somewhere along
the line something might come back and bite me.

I said it was Ramesh's site. If you had bothered to look at
the home page you would see who Ramesh is.

If you do not like the free help given to you then take your
computer to a computer repair shop and pay someone to look
at it or contact Microsoft directly and try and talk to them.

I hope you get your problems fixed somehow.

 

[MikeB]

I said it was Ramesh's site. If you had bothered to look at
the home page you would see who Ramesh is.

If you do not like the free help given to you then take your
computer to a computer repair shop and pay someone to look
at it or contact Microsoft directly and try and talk to them.

I hope you get your problems fixed somehow.

Well, I'm sorry I offended you. I find the newsgroups on the whole
more useful than a "computer repair" shop where I don't really know
the qualifications and the quality of work performed. I'm just leery
of the seemingly never-ending spiral of "fixes" I have to apply to get
Vista to behave. I don't know if every fix I apply doesn't break
something else that only becomes apparent some way down the road.

On the other hand, being uncomfortable with one particular answer
provided on a newsgroup does not mean that I should stop asking. Often-
times a person with different insight might respond.

I guess the problem I have, or concern, more accurately, with your
answer is that you tell me to do something, but you gave no clue as to
what might have gone wrong, or what I'm trying to fix. I like to have
a little reasoning behind fixing stuff.

I know the registry is complicated, but I don't understand why it
would break in this manner. I looked at that fix and it has a lot of
stuff translated into hexadecimal that seems to be not necessary, so
it looks more obscure than it has to be. Some of the syntax I don't
understand, either and that also makes me uncomfortable.

But regardless of that, thank you for helping. It is appreciated. I
think you have been kind enough to help me on previous occasions as
well.

 

[Bill Sharpe]

OK, here is my short question: Is there a way in Windows Vista
(Ultimate, SP2) that I can edit and alter file associations other than
the method outlined in the Help file (which is to right-click on a
file, then click on Open With ...)?

Long explanation.

I'm having network troubles, so I reboot my router and my Windows,
just to make sure everything is clean.

During startup, a file opens on my desktop in in TextPad (a utility
that I have installed since December, but have not used or made
changes to in recent months). This file is in C:\Users\Mike\AppData
\Local\Temp and is named nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat

It seems to be a part of an Adobe installation cleanup:

@echo off
:again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll" >> NUL
sleep 1
if exist "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.dll"
goto again
del "C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat"

Now I'm trying to run this and I just can't. If I right-click on the
file, there is no Open With... in the context menu. THe default action
seems to be to open the file with TextPad. However, if I check
TextPad's Preferences, there are no filetypes associated with TextPad
(this is how I recall I installed it) Furthermore, I'm not so silly as
to associate a .bat file by default with a text editor, though I can
see how a person might make such a mistake.

If I click on Edit in the context menu, Textpad also opens the file.

I tried Run from the Start menu, typing in the path and filename and
lo and behold, Textpad again.

What the heck happened and is going on here?

Oh BTW. Yes, I am Admin and have Admin rights.

{Omitted obligatory anti-Vista rant}

Thanks for any help or pointers.

Have you tried running the batch file from a command prompt?

Bill

 

[MikeB]

Have you tried running the batch file from a command prompt?

Bill

This is what happened. I guess that's the end of that particular
file....

C:\Users\Mike>C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp\nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat
'sleep' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
The batch file cannot be found.

C:\Users\Mike>type C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\Temp
\nos_uninstall_Adobe.bat
The system cannot find the file specified.

C:\Users\Mike>

 

[Dave-UK]

Well, I'm sorry I offended you. I find the newsgroups on the whole
more useful than a "computer repair" shop where I don't really know
the qualifications and the quality of work performed. I'm just leery
of the seemingly never-ending spiral of "fixes" I have to apply to get
Vista to behave. I don't know if every fix I apply doesn't break
something else that only becomes apparent some way down the road.

On the other hand, being uncomfortable with one particular answer
provided on a newsgroup does not mean that I should stop asking. Often-
times a person with different insight might respond.

I guess the problem I have, or concern, more accurately, with your
answer is that you tell me to do something, but you gave no clue as to
what might have gone wrong, or what I'm trying to fix. I like to have
a little reasoning behind fixing stuff.

I know the registry is complicated, but I don't understand why it
would break in this manner. I looked at that fix and it has a lot of
stuff translated into hexadecimal that seems to be not necessary, so
it looks more obscure than it has to be. Some of the syntax I don't
understand, either and that also makes me uncomfortable.

But regardless of that, thank you for helping. It is appreciated. I
think you have been kind enough to help me on previous occasions as
well.

Don't worry, you haven't offended me.
Ramesh Srinivasan is a well-respected Microsoft MVP who sometimes posts
on this newsgroup and he and his website must have helped thousands
of people, probably more.

I have found the quickest and most reliable way to repair a file association
problem is to use one of Ramesh's fixes, that's why I suggested it.

To get back to your current problem, presumably when your Vista was first
installed batch files ran when double-clicked but now they don't so something
or someone has changed the default behaviour for double-clicking on a batch file.

Perhaps an antivirus program changed the default action, if you didn't.

The way forward is for you to right-click the batfix_vista reg file you downloaded
and select 'Edit'. It should open up in Notepad, or in your case TextPad.
Next run Regedit and have the two windows, Regedit and Textpad, side by side so
you can see both.

Now you can compare your registry data with the batfix file data.
Some entries like 'FriendlyTypeName' are different,
mine says' @%SystemRoot%\System32\acppage.dll,-6002 ' whereas the reg file
has a load of hex. I think having expandable data (%system%) is the reason
for the hex instead of words.
Anyway, you may see a clue somewhere in the list.

One important line in the batfix file is:
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.bat\UserChoice]

The negative sign at the beginning means that this key will be deleted.
I haven't got a UserChoice key as I haven't altered my bat file association.
You may find that you have this key and deleting it will fix your problem.

To stop this batch file from running at start-up, as Gene Bloch suggested, an excellent
program is Autoruns:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

Good luck.