SP2 changed the image default from "Preview" to "Open"

[David]

It used to be that two of the actions available when I
would click on an image file were "Preview", to open the
image with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and "Open", to
open it with Microsoft Photo Editor. Now, Preview was
always the default, which is the way I liked it. I
recently installed SP2, and I have just noticed that Open
is now the default for all images. I would like to restore
the previous behaviour.

I have looked around the resgitry for an way to do this
simple task, but was unable to figure out how to do this.
I have searched the newsgroups, but have only found
workarounds. For example, I have temporarily done one
simple workaround: I changed the default programme for
each image format to Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
However, this gives me the undesirable situation
where "Open" is gone, but I now have two instances
of "Preview". Luckily, this is easily undone.

So, I would like to know how properly to change the
default for all images from "Open" back to "Preview".

Thank you.

 

[afh3]

Same problem here. Re-reg'ing the shimgvw.dll used to restore this
capability if some other program installation hijacked it -- but that
doesn't do it after SP2 apparently.

It would be nice to have the Preview be the default action, with the preview
window's edit button responsible for launching the image editing software --
like it was before SP2...

 

[afh3]

OK. I just played around a little, and here is what worked for me.

If you add a "Preview" action to each of your image file-types (jpg, tif,
bmp, and so on) via the
"Tools"->"Folder Options"->"File Types" dialog, and set it to be the default
command, it restores the functionality that was pre-SP2 in nature.

Here is the "Preview" command to use:
rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1

Alternately, you can use the registry settings that I created to add the
"Preview" action to each of your image files types in the registry.

Here is the one for "jpegfile"

---------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell]
@="Preview"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\command]
@="rundll32.exe C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM32\\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec\Application]
@="shimgvw"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec\Topic]
@="System"
-------------------------------------

I applied this to my PNG, TIF, BMP and JPG files and now they open with the
Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Clicking on the "Edit" button launches my
default editor just as before.

Since this is a registry edit, the usual caveats apply, editing your
registry may cause any or all of the following to occur:

)Vitriol Mists
)Earthquakes
)Tidal Waves
)Polar Ice Melt
)Axial Bends
)Spiraling Out Of Orbit Into The Sun
)Spiraling Out Of Orbit Into Deep Space
)The Atmosphere Being Skimmed Off Into Space
)Collision With Mars
)Compression Of Earth To A Full-Stop Sized Point
)The Birth Of A New Moon
)The Birth Of Eighteen Hundred New Moons Which Orbit A Couple Of Dozen Times
At Most And Then Crash Straight Back Into The Planet
)Straightforward Evaporation
)The Rousing Of The
Suspended-In-A-Near-Dead-State-In-Radioactive-Mud-For-200-Million-Years-Teleschizophrenic-Castration-Lizards-From-The-Seabed-Near-Java
)Supersonic Volcanoes
)Addition Of 200 IQ Points To All Living Matter
)Acausal Pain Loops
)Lead-Lined Clouds
)Fisting
)Starfish-Headed Men
)Quantum Pointlessness
)Rayonification

YMMV...

-afh3

 

[David]

No, no, no. That is specifically NOT what I wanted to do.
This is a WORKAROUND. "Preview" is not supposed to be in
jpegfile, etc., but part of the general "image" file type,
created by shimgvw.dll. I already have "Preview", "Edit",
"Open", and everything else on my right-click menu, just
like before. I simple want to change the default from
"Open" to "Preview", as it was before. And yes, I tried
re-registering shimgvw.dll.

So, how do I perfom this simple task without adding
unnecessary hacks into the registry?

Thank you,
David.

-----Original Message-----
OK. I just played around a little, and here is what worked for me.

If you add a "Preview" action to each of your image file-types (jpg, tif,
bmp, and so on) via the
"Tools"->"Folder Options"->"File Types" dialog, and set it to be the default
command, it restores the functionality that was pre-SP2 in nature.

Here is the "Preview" command to use:
rundll32.exe

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1

Alternately, you can use the registry settings that I created to add the
"Preview" action to each of your image files types in the registry.

Here is the one for "jpegfile"

---------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell]
@="Preview"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\command]
@="rundll32.exe

C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM32\\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec\Application]
@="shimgvw"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\Preview\ddeexec\Topic]
@="System"
-------------------------------------

I applied this to my PNG, TIF, BMP and JPG files and now they open with the
Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Clicking on the "Edit" button launches my
default editor just as before.

Since this is a registry edit, the usual caveats apply, editing your
registry may cause any or all of the following to occur:

)Vitriol Mists
)Earthquakes
)Tidal Waves
)Polar Ice Melt
)Axial Bends
)Spiraling Out Of Orbit Into The Sun
)Spiraling Out Of Orbit Into Deep Space
)The Atmosphere Being Skimmed Off Into Space
)Collision With Mars
)Compression Of Earth To A Full-Stop Sized Point
)The Birth Of A New Moon
)The Birth Of Eighteen Hundred New Moons Which Orbit A Couple Of Dozen Times
At Most And Then Crash Straight Back Into The Planet
)Straightforward Evaporation
)The Rousing Of The
Suspended-In-A-Near-Dead-State-In-Radioactive-Mud-For-200-Million-Years-Teleschizophrenic-Castration-Lizards-From-The-Seabed-Near-Java
)Supersonic Volcanoes
)Addition Of 200 IQ Points To All Living Matter
)Acausal Pain Loops
)Lead-Lined Clouds
)Fisting
)Starfish-Headed Men
)Quantum Pointlessness
)Rayonification

YMMV...

-afh3

It used to be that two of the actions available when I
would click on an image file were "Preview", to open the
image with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and "Open", to
open it with Microsoft Photo Editor. Now, Preview was
always the default, which is the way I liked it. I
recently installed SP2, and I have just noticed that Open
is now the default for all images. I would like to restore
the previous behaviour.

I have looked around the resgitry for an way to do this
simple task, but was unable to figure out how to do this.
I have searched the newsgroups, but have only found
workarounds. For example, I have temporarily done one
simple workaround: I changed the default programme for
each image format to Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
However, this gives me the undesirable situation
where "Open" is gone, but I now have two instances
of "Preview". Luckily, this is easily undone.

So, I would like to know how properly to change the
default for all images from "Open" back to "Preview".

Thank you.

.