This happens every once in a while, and I haven't seen any pattern
such as "just after Windows updates".

Sometimes, when I double-click a file, I get a popup "How do you want
to ope this file?" In every case, it's a file where I already have an
association set up. For instance, Irfanview is my program to open
..JPG, but this morning I got the popup. Irfanview was highlighted,
but a couple of other programs were listed below it. I checked
(ticked) the "Always" box at the bottom, and now when I double-click
a .JPG file Irfanview opens it. Also today, i double-clicked an .XLSX
file, and got the popup. So it doesn't seem likely that this is just
Windows trying to push us to use Microsoft software instead of third-
party applications.

Any way to tell Windows "no, I don't want random invitations to
change file associations?"

I googled, and most of the hits explained how to deal with this when
there wasn't actually a file association, but that's not my
situation. Of the minority that talked about this happening
repeatedly, they said either "this can happen after Windows updates"
(which doesn't seem to be my situation), or "could be a virus" (but I
have the default Win 10 antivirus running in real time and do
periodic scans), or "there's no cure for this" (ouch!).

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

"Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote

| Any way to tell Windows "no, I don't want random invitations to
| change file associations?"
| | I googled, and most of the hits explained how to deal with this when
| there wasn't actually a file association, but that's not my
| situation. Of the minority that talked about this happening
| repeatedly, they said either "this can happen after Windows updates"
| (which doesn't seem to be my situation), or "could be a virus" (but I
| have the default Win 10 antivirus running in real time and do
| periodic scans), or "there's no cure for this" (ouch!).
|

I don't have a specific answer, but a friend of mine recently
had trouble that was somewhat similar. She had all office files
associated with Libre Office. Then she installed Office365 for
work. At the end of the school year O365 refused to run,
presumably because the school she works for had a contract
only for the year. That was fine, but O365 butchered the
associations and didn't fix them. And she just got an O365
popup that said something like, "Sorry, but the program failed
to start" when she double-clicked a docx. It didn't even tell
her that she no longer had a subscription for the program! And
it didn't offer to uninstall.

If you're comfortable with the Registry you can do these
things directly. Under HKCR are extension keys. .jpg, .xlsx, etc.
The default value should be something like "IrfanView.jpg".
That's a pointer to a class name key. Under HKCR\IrfanView.jpg
you'll find various things, including
HKCR\IrfanView.jpg\Shell\open\command

That should be pointing to the IV EXE path. Typically
something like: "C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe" "%1"

If it malfunctions, either key may be faulty. Make sure the .jpg
key has the correct entry, then make sure the class key is
properly set up. For example, with the O365 debacle I didn't
mess with class name keys. I just switched HKCR\.docx to
LibreOffice.Docx. Nothing else was needed because LO already
has the class name keys configured. I just had to make it point
to the right one.

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> This happens every once in a while, and I haven't seen any pattern
> such as "just after Windows updates".
>
> Sometimes, when I double-click a file, I get a popup "How do you want
> to ope this file?" In every case, it's a file where I already have an
> association set up. For instance, Irfanview is my program to open
> .JPG, but this morning I got the popup. Irfanview was highlighted,
> but a couple of other programs were listed below it. I checked
> (ticked) the "Always" box at the bottom, and now when I double-click
> a .JPG file Irfanview opens it. Also today, i double-clicked an .XLSX
> file, and got the popup. So it doesn't seem likely that this is just
> Windows trying to push us to use Microsoft software instead of third-
> party applications.
>
> Any way to tell Windows "no, I don't want random invitations to
> change file associations?"
>
> I googled, and most of the hits explained how to deal with this when
> there wasn't actually a file association, but that's not my
> situation. Of the minority that talked about this happening
> repeatedly, they said either "this can happen after Windows updates"
> (which doesn't seem to be my situation), or "could be a virus" (but I
> have the default Win 10 antivirus running in real time and do
> periodic scans), or "there's no cure for this" (ouch!).

Are you having the program change the filetype associations? Or are you
going into the Windows settings to change the filetype associations?

As a security measure against malware changing filetype associations,
you have to use the wizard in Windows to change the associations. That
wizard has permissions to change the associations. Programs don't.

Win+I (settings) -> Apps -> Default apps

From there, you can choose to setup filetype associations (Choose
default apps by file type) or by app (set defaults by app).

If you manage by default apps, click on an app to get the Manage button,
and click on the button. You'll see various filetypes which are
assigned to that handler (app). You might want to change all, or just
some.

If you choose to setup by file type, you scroll or page to find the
filetype (extension) and click on the app button to select or change to
a handler (app). When you click on a filetype, more than one handler
may be listed for that filetype. That's because programs will register
the filetypes they support. For example, .avi will list multiple
handlers. For me, they are: MPC-HC (media player included in K-Lite
Codec Pack), Movies & TV (a Windows bundled app), Photos (Windows
bundled app), VLC media player, Windows Media Player, and Look for app
in MS Store. Multiple apps can register as handlers for the same
filetype. In the registry, using the .avi example:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.avi

lists several handlers. Alas, Microsoft decided to change from program
paths to AppIDs or CIDs. For me, one of those listed is
AppX6eg8h5sxqq90pv53845wmnbewywdqq5h which is defined under:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppX6eg8h5sxqq90pv53845wmnbewywdqq5h

Easier is to use Nirsoft's Filetypes Manager. You can right-click on a
filetype to look at Properties, or jump to the registry entry.

When you right-click on a file, like .jpg, in File Manager and select
Open With in the context menu, you see a list of candidate handlers.
Those used to be listed in a MRU (most recently used) entry in the
registry, but now the same-filetype handlers are collected when the
registry gets read on Window startup. If you click on a filetype in
Nirsoft FileTypes Manager, the bottom panel shows all the handlers that
registered for a filetype. After uninstalling a program, the installer
was incomplete, and left behind some filetype associations, so I have to
delete them from the registry to get them out of the MRU list you see
when right-clicking on a filetype in File Manager.

Filetype associations are scattered all over the registry. When it gets
read on Windows startup, these are collected, like all the VLC entries:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VLC.{filetype}

It's a mess. Wasn't so bad back in Windows XP, but it's gotten much
worse, especially now with Windows 7, and up, protecting some filetype
associations to prevent malware from changing them. You can't change
the filetype within an app, but have to use the wizard in Windows which
has permissions to make the changes.

On 02/09/23 19:07, Stan Brown wrote:
> This happens every once in a while, and I haven't seen any pattern
> such as "just after Windows updates".

It happened to me when I installed PaintShopPro years ago and I still
haven't recovered from all the file-association changes PSP made on me.

--
Peter Moylin

Thanks to those who responded, but from the responses I
see I must not have made the problem clear.

The problem is that occasionally, when I double-click a
file, or some type that has an associated program,
Windows 10 pops up a "How do you want to open this
file?" dialog for no apparent reason. My existing
associated program is highlighted, below that are
several other choices including Windows Store, and
below them is a check box for "Always open with this
program" (quoted from memory, so probably not the exact
words). I tick "Always" and click OK. Double-clicking
that file works just fine again, until some days or
weeks later I get that annoying pop-up again.

That is the issue: that gratuitous pop-up. It's not
just Irfanview and Excel; I gave those as examples.
(The point of the Excel example is that I think it
shows this isn't just Microsoft trying to nag me to
switch to their software from a third-party
application.) And my file association is not lost,
because Windows 10 always highlights the program I had
previously chosen. It's as though Windows is trying to
get me to change file associations, for some reason I
can't fathom.

I don't need help with setting file associations; I
need help in stopping this stupid pop-up.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA
https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> Thanks to those who responded, but from the responses I
> see I must not have made the problem clear.
>
> The problem is that occasionally, when I double-click a
> file, or some type that has an associated program,
> Windows 10 pops up a "How do you want to open this
> file?" dialog for no apparent reason. My existing
> associated program is highlighted, below that are
> several other choices including Windows Store, and
> below them is a check box for "Always open with this
> program" (quoted from memory, so probably not the exact
> words). I tick "Always" and click OK. Double-clicking
> that file works just fine again, until some days or
> weeks later I get that annoying pop-up again.
>
> That is the issue: that gratuitous pop-up. It's not
> just Irfanview and Excel; I gave those as examples.
> (The point of the Excel example is that I think it
> shows this isn't just Microsoft trying to nag me to
> switch to their software from a third-party
> application.) And my file association is not lost,
> because Windows 10 always highlights the program I had
> previously chosen. It's as though Windows is trying to
> get me to change file associations, for some reason I
> can't fathom.
>
> I don't need help with setting file associations; I
> need help in stopping this stupid pop-up.

(Cause might be due to filetype protection mentioned at the end of this
post which I mentioned earlier. Check that part first. If not the
cause, read the rest.)

Since the choice popup doesn't always occur, wait until it does show up.
Don't select always. Close the popup (abort the file open), and go look
in Default Apps to see the filetype associations. When the popup
appears, check if there is an association for that filetype. I'm
wondering if the choice popup appears because, at that moment, there is
no association versus a bogus popup when the association is defined at
that moment.
You supposedly keep resetting the filetype association when the popup
appears, so there's no way to then check if the association was actually
defined at that moment. Maybe it wasn't defined at that moment, you
redefine it, so looking later just has you see what you selected in the
popup. When the popup appears, is that filetype association defined at
that moment?

At the moment the popup appears, if the association is missing then
something is deleting it. Could be another program you run that
attempts to create or change the association. Peter mentioned PaintShop
Pro being rude in trying to change associations to point to itself.
RealPlayer had that rude behavior for a long time: everytime you loaded
RealPlayer, it modified the filetype associations.

I wish I could remember the product, but there was a security program
that would alert you when filetype associations got changed. I forget
why I quit using it. As I recall, it generated too many alerts, and
some were bogus in that it was supposed to alert when there was a
filetype change, but seemed to pend up the alerts until the next time it
was loaded (as a startup program) whereupon I'd get a ton of alerts.
Some were no longer valid by then. The free version polled for the
changes. I think the minimum polling interval was 1 minute. The
payware version ran in the background to constantly monitor for changes,
so something couldn't make a change, do something, and change back
before the 1-minute polling interval. I just cannot remember the name
of this product, but it was popular in its heyday.

Ooh, update. While hunting around for registry monitor tools, I came
across an article that mentioned the old one I used: WinPatrol (by
Bill P).

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/winpatrol/

Says last updated in 2018. As I recall, because of the pending
alerts with the free version, I quit using it a few years before
that. I think I saw in some forums that it had been discontinued,
and my pleas to fix the pending alerts was ignored, so I quit using
it. Bill P had a dodgy reputation, because he had been a prior black
hat hacker who decided to go legit, and use his expertise to make
money the honest way by selling his software. Bill P sold off
WinPatrol to Bret Lowry. The winpatrol.com web site got changed to
Ruiware owned by Bret who decided not to move forward with the
Bill's programs, dropped them, and killed the Ruiware web site.

https://www.corporationwiki.com/p/2f45j6/bret-lowry

Since the Ruiware web site disappeared, if you want to try
WinPatrol you'll need to find it at some download site, like:

https://www.softpedia.com/dyn-search.php?search_term=winpatrol

However, if you can't find the payware version (for free) then you'll
probably incur the pending alerts problem that I encounted in the
freeware version. Unlike other security tools, like anti-virus
software, WinPatrol never relied on signatures. It monitored
untoward events, like filetype association changes.

With SysInternals ProcMon (Process Monitor), you can define a filter
that would look for changes under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key, and
specifically on the .ext subkey that you're noticing the filetype
association is getting lost. However, ProcMon records *all* events.
Adding a filter to watch some level of registry change is just changing
the view you see of which events you want to monitor. All events are
still getting monitored, and the log can get quite large. So large, in
fact, that Windows will slow down, and eventually slow to a crawl that
you'd think Windows had hung. Periodically you need to stop the logging
in ProcMon, clear its log, and restarting logging. I've not done
registry monitoring using ProcMon, and, from what I see of defining
event filters in it, you can select registry operations, like RegOpen,
but not select a particular key to view events on it, or its subkeys.
Maybe someone else knows how to use ProcMon to filter its event logs to
show change (create, rename, change data item value) on a particular
registry key.

I remember looking briefly at Process Hacker, but I can't tell you if it
will monitor registry change events. My recollection is it was more an
alternative of SysInternals Process Explorer (which I use occasionally,
and enabled its lookup on processes at VirusTotal to see if a process
might be suspicious).

https://sourceforge.net/projects/processhacker/

I've heard of, but never used, Registry Live Watch. However, it is old
(last update was 2009, and not tested as of Windows 8, and beyond). It
is supposed to monitor a user-defined registry key for changes, and any
changes to its subkeys.

http://leelusoft.altervista.org/registry-live-watch.html

However, depending on how long it takes for the filetype association to
disappear (causing the choice popup), you might get nuisanced with the
GUI for this tool for a long time. Perhaps it can be minimized, but I
don't know if it will restore its window, or show a popup, when it
detects the monitored registry key got changed.

https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/registry_live_watch.html

That says Registry Live works on Windows XP to 10, but the product site
says there has been no testing on Windows 8, or higher. MajorGeeks says
it ran okay under Windows 10.

Another I've heard of, but not use, is MJ Registry Watcher found at:

https://jacobsm.com/mjsoft.htm#rgwtchr

_Windows 10 filetype association protection "feature"_

Hmm, here's something interesting about how Windows 10 itself will reset
filetype associations should it discover an incompatible program is
making registry changes to effect filetype association changes. I
alluded to that earlier where I mention not to have the program try to
edit the registry to define filetype associations, but instead use the
Default Apps wizard in Windows 10. Some filetypes are protected, and
those use an OS-generated hash to store with the filetype association.
Programs don't know and cannot generate the hash.

https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/windows-10-resetting-file-associations/

Perhaps you are trying to get a program to change filetype associations,
those are protected, so Windows 10 disallows the change, and resets it.
I forget the app, but it had an option to change a filetype to use that
program as the handler. No matter how many times you tried to set that
option, it never stuck. You had to go into the Default Apps wizard to
set the filetype association which also added the correct hash value to
the registry key. Eventually the offending app changed its behavior.
Instead of it trying to modify the filetype association, it merely
opened the Default Apps wizard where you had to navigate the wizard to
set the filetype association to that program.

The article says I will see an "App default was reset" notification, but
I don't recall ever seeing that popup or toast notification when a
program tried to directly edit the registry to change a filetype
association. Not all filetypes are protected with the OS-generated
hash. Only some of the major ones incorporate the hash protection.

On Sun, 3 Sep 2023 14:47:17 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:
>
> Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
>
> > Thanks to those who responded, but from the responses I
> > see I must not have made the problem clear.
> >
> > The problem is that occasionally, when I double-click a
> > file, or some type that has an associated program,
> > Windows 10 pops up a "How do you want to open this
> > file?" dialog for no apparent reason. My existing
> > associated program is highlighted, below that are
> > several other choices including Windows Store, and
> > below them is a check box for "Always open with this
> > program" (quoted from memory, so probably not the exact
> > words). I tick "Always" and click OK. Double-clicking
> > that file works just fine again, until some days or
> > weeks later I get that annoying pop-up again.
> >
> > That is the issue: that gratuitous pop-up. It's not
> > just Irfanview and Excel; I gave those as examples.
> > (The point of the Excel example is that I think it
> > shows this isn't just Microsoft trying to nag me to
> > switch to their software from a third-party
> > application.) And my file association is not lost,
> > because Windows 10 always highlights the program I had
> > previously chosen. It's as though Windows is trying to
> > get me to change file associations, for some reason I
> > can't fathom.
> >
> > I don't need help with setting file associations; I
> > need help in stopping this stupid pop-up.
>
> (Cause might be due to filetype protection ...
> https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/windows-10-resetting-file-associations/

I did look at this first, as you suggested. I don't think this
applies to me, because I never got the "An App Default Was Reset"
popup. But then, you say you never got it either. I guess I can look
at Event Viewer for a 62441 the next time this happens.

But the other reason I don't think it applies is that I'm getting the
"How do you want to open?" for too many file types. The latest, as I
think I mentioned, was .xlsx. I can't imagine any program I have,
except the MS Office installer, that would attempt to set that
filetype. Yes, I know, "I can't imagine it" doesn't prove it can't
happen.
> Since the choice popup doesn't always occur, wait until it does show up.
> Don't select always. Close the popup (abort the file open), and go look
> in Default Apps to see the filetype associations. When the popup
> appears, check if there is an association for that filetype. I'm
> wondering if the choice popup appears because, at that moment, there is
> no association versus a bogus popup when the association is defined at
> that moment.

I will follow this advice (and also look in Event Viewer). The other
thing I'll try, after dismissing the "How would you like to open?" as
opposed to OK, is just double-clicking the file again. Maybe there's
some weird timing thing goring on.

But I'll be extremely surprised if the file association is flat-out
missing, because every time I get this prompt, the program I've been
using all along is the first one listed, and it's highlighted.

> ...
> At the moment the popup appears, if the association is missing then
> something is deleting it. Could be another program you run that
> attempts to create or change the association. Peter mentioned PaintShop
> Pro being rude in trying to change associations to point to itself.
> RealPlayer had that rude behavior for a long time: everytime you loaded
> RealPlayer, it modified the filetype associations.

WinPatrol:
> there was a security program
> that would alert you when filetype associations got changed.
> As I recall, it generated too many alerts, and
> some were bogus in that it was supposed to alert when there was a
> filetype change, but seemed to pend up the alerts until the next time it
> was loaded (as a startup program) whereupon I'd get a ton of alerts.
> Some were no longer valid by then. The free version polled for the
> changes.

I couldn't find the payware version, and the one at Softpedia was
even older than the one at bleepingcomputer. The latter says Windows
XP/Vista/7/8, nothing about 10. But if all it's doing is passively
monitoring, the worst that could happen in Windows 10 is it would
fail to report an event.

> https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/winpatrol/
> https://www.softpedia.com/dyn-search.php?search_term=winpatrol
>
> However, if you can't find the payware version (for free) then you'll
> probably incur the pending alerts problem

I can maybe get around that in the short term by always shutting down
Windows instead of hibernating. Did you ever try shutting down the
program and restarting it without rebooting?

I'll save the list below until I've tried the things above. This
problem doesn't occur on a particular schedule, as far as I've
noticed, but it's not more than once a week on average.

It's been going on for moths, though, so I think that probably rules
out a virus. Windows' virus checking has been through many updates
since then, so I'd think, or hope, a virus would have been caught.

Anyway, I'll report back when I have more data as indicated above.

> With SysInternals ProcMon (Process Monitor), you can define a filter ...
> I've not done
> registry monitoring using ProcMon, and, from what I see of defining
> event filters in it, you can select registry operations, like RegOpen,
> but not select a particular key to view events on it, or its subkeys.
> Maybe someone else knows how to use ProcMon to filter its event logs to
> show change (create, rename, change data item value) on a particular
> registry key.
>
> I remember looking briefly at Process Hacker, but I can't tell you if it
> will monitor registry change events. My recollection is it was more an
> alternative of SysInternals Process Explorer (which I use occasionally,
> and enabled its lookup on processes at VirusTotal to see if a process
> might be suspicious).
>
> https://sourceforge.net/projects/processhacker/
>
> I've heard of, but never used, Registry Live Watch. However, it is old
> (last update was 2009, and not tested as of Windows 8, and beyond). It
> is supposed to monitor a user-defined registry key for changes, and any
> changes to its subkeys.
>
> http://leelusoft.altervista.org/registry-live-watch.html
>
> However, depending on how long it takes for the filetype association to
> disappear (causing the choice popup), you might get nuisanced with the
> GUI for this tool for a long time. Perhaps it can be minimized, but I
> don't know if it will restore its window, or show a popup, when it
> detects the monitored registry key got changed.
>
> https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/registry_live_watch.html
>
> That says Registry Live works on Windows XP to 10, but the product site
> says there has been no testing on Windows 8, or higher. MajorGeeks says
> it ran okay under Windows 10.
>
> Another I've heard of, but not use, is MJ Registry Watcher found at:
>
> https://jacobsm.com/mjsoft.htm#rgwtchr

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> But I'll be extremely surprised if the file association is flat-out
> missing, because every time I get this prompt, the program I've been
> using all along is the first one listed, and it's highlighted.

That's the MRU (Most Recently Used) list also in the registry. It
records which programs were used on a filetype in last-used order. The
program you used before will be at the top of the list. When you look
at MRU registry entries, the order they are listed is not what is
presented to you in the popup dialog. Instead they are assigned an
alphabetic weighting. Entries may have cdeab. The one with c will be
in the list as the 3rd entry - if a and b are listed. When I've
uninstalled software, I've found these MRUs, deleted the remnant one for
the uninstalled program, and changed the alphabetic assignments. If it
were c that got removed, I leave a and b as they were, and reassign d
and e as c and d.

> I can maybe get around that in the short term by always shutting down
> Windows instead of hibernating. Did you ever try shutting down the
> program and restarting it without rebooting?

I don't hibernate nor shutdown (the latter only in case of testing, or
there was a power outage lasting longer than the UPS). I leave my
computer up 24x7, don't use any power-saving modes, and just have the
screen saver trigger after about 20 minutes. In the rare event that I
deliberately restarted Windows was when I saw a bunch of pending
WinPatrol alerts. They should've been within the minute-long poll
interval while Windows was up, but something jams up the notifications,
and I wouldn't see them until much later after a restart, but by then
the notifications were way too late to let me know which process made
the filetype change.

As for which is the older version, Softpedia lists WinPatrol 35.5.2017.8
(c.2017) while BleepingComputer lists version 33.1.2015.0 (c.2015). The
"Last update" data shown at the download site is when the file got
uploaded to the site, not when the program version got released. The
BleepingComputer page says nothing about Windows 10. The Softpedia page
mentions fixes for Windows 10. The 2015 version at BleepingComputer was
likely uploaded before Windows 10 was released which was also 2015.
Unless you find a later version (not upload date to a download site)
somewhere else, I'd try the one at Softpedia. At Softpedia, be damn
careful on which "Download" link you click. They shove links into
product pages where "Download" points elsewhere. I got rid of that crap
by using an adblocker (uBlock Origin).

There is a lot of WinPatrol that has become irrelevant. It had the
defect that I mentioned of pending notifications until it was exited or
killed and later reloaded (whether you killed/exited it yourself and
simply reploaded it, or logged out and in, or restarted Windows and
logged in). I only mentioned it because, as I recall, it alerted on
filetype changes.

"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote

| > But I'll be extremely surprised if the file association is flat-out
| > missing, because every time I get this prompt, the program I've been
| > using all along is the first one listed, and it's highlighted.
| | That's the MRU (Most Recently Used) list also in the registry.

Actually I think that's the OpensWithProgIDs or some such.
It's a subkey under the extension key that tells Windows what
to suggest. Probably program installers put the entries there.

Unfortunately, Stan seems to be uncomfortable with the Registry,
so there's not much to be done.

Newyana2 <Newyana2@invalid.nospam> wrote:

> "VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote
>
>|> But I'll be extremely surprised if the file association is flat-out
>|> missing, because every time I get this prompt, the program I've been
>|> using all along is the first one listed, and it's highlighted.
>|
>| That's the MRU (Most Recently Used) list also in the registry.
>
> Actually I think that's the OpensWithProgIDs or some such.
> It's a subkey under the extension key that tells Windows what
> to suggest. Probably program installers put the entries there.
>
> Unfortunately, Stan seems to be uncomfortable with the Registry,
> so there's not much to be done.

Since I schedule daily image backups, I can recover from my fuckups in
the registry. Yeah, I could export the registry, or just the key that
I'll edit, but the daily backup is already there, and it restores fast.

In article <ucvp30$fsvl$1@dont-email.me>, Newyana2 wrote...
>
> "Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote
>
> | Any way to tell Windows "no, I don't want random invitations to
> | change file associations?"
> |
> | I googled, and most of the hits explained how to deal with this when
> | there wasn't actually a file association, but that's not my
> | situation. Of the minority that talked about this happening
> | repeatedly, they said either "this can happen after Windows updates"
> | (which doesn't seem to be my situation), or "could be a virus" (but I
> | have the default Win 10 antivirus running in real time and do
> | periodic scans), or "there's no cure for this" (ouch!).
> |
>
> I don't have a specific answer, but a friend of mine recently
> had trouble that was somewhat similar. She had all office files
> associated with Libre Office. Then she installed Office365 for
> work. At the end of the school year O365 refused to run,
> presumably because the school she works for had a contract
> only for the year. That was fine, but O365 butchered the
> associations and didn't fix them. And she just got an O365
> popup that said something like, "Sorry, but the program failed
> to start" when she double-clicked a docx. It didn't even tell
> her that she no longer had a subscription for the program! And
> it didn't offer to uninstall.
>
> If you're comfortable with the Registry you can do these
> things directly. Under HKCR are extension keys. .jpg, .xlsx, etc.
> The default value should be something like "IrfanView.jpg".
> That's a pointer to a class name key. Under HKCR\IrfanView.jpg
> you'll find various things, including
> HKCR\IrfanView.jpg\Shell\open\command
>
> That should be pointing to the IV EXE path. Typically
> something like: "C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe" "%1"
>
> If it malfunctions, either key may be faulty. Make sure the .jpg
> key has the correct entry, then make sure the class key is
> properly set up. For example, with the O365 debacle I didn't
> mess with class name keys. I just switched HKCR\.docx to
> LibreOffice.Docx. Nothing else was needed because LO already
> has the class name keys configured. I just had to make it point
> to the right one.

I see the Windows 10 command interpreter still has the ASSOC and FTYPE
commands. Are these obsolete now (or restricted in applicability)?

--

Phil, London

On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 21:04:14 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:
>
> Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
>
> > But I'll be extremely surprised if the file association is flat-out
> > missing, because every time I get this prompt, the program I've been
> > using all along is the first one listed, and it's highlighted.
>
> That's the MRU (Most Recently Used) list also in the registry. It
> records which programs were used on a filetype in last-used order. The
> program you used before will be at the top of the list.

Thanks -- I had no idea, but that explanation makes sense.
> As for which is the older version, Softpedia lists WinPatrol 35.5.2017.8
> (c.2017) while BleepingComputer lists version 33.1.2015.0 (c.2015). The
> "Last update" data shown at the download site is when the file got
> uploaded to the site, not when the program version got released.

Oops! I was not observant, though I think sites could use better
language. Anyway, I now understand why you recommended the one at
Softpedia.

> At Softpedia, be damn
> careful on which "Download" link you click. They shove links into
> product pages where "Download" points elsewhere. I got rid of that crap
> by using an adblocker (uBlock Origin).

Thanks! I am using uBlock Origin, as it happens.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

"Philip Herlihy" <PhillipHerlihy@SlashDevNull.invalid> wrote

| I see the Windows 10 command interpreter still has the ASSOC and FTYPE
| commands. Are these obsolete now (or restricted in applicability)?

Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about.
Setting file associations in a console window? I'm
not familiar with anything like that.

In article <ud8aam$259kb$1@dont-email.me>, Newyana2 wrote...
>
> "Philip Herlihy" <PhillipHerlihy@SlashDevNull.invalid> wrote
>
> | I see the Windows 10 command interpreter still has the ASSOC and FTYPE
> | commands. Are these obsolete now (or restricted in applicability)?
>
> Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about.
> Setting file associations in a console window? I'm
> not familiar with anything like that.

Here's a tip. If someone mentions something you're not familiar with, try
Googling it. Or maybe just try the following, in a command interpreter (not
Powershell):

FTYPE /?
ASSOC /?

~~~

Of course it could be argued that the same rebuke could be levelled at me, and
I confess I was lazily asking the experts here to save me some research. In
penance, here's what I (fairly easily!) found.

Linking a file extension to a command to be run when a file of that type is
double-clicked was always a two-stage process. A particular extension has been
associated with a "code" called a "filetype". So on most systems a .TXT file
will be associated with "txtfile". (This allows multiple extensions to resolve
to the same filetype, for example you may want a .LOG file to open in notepad
too. The ASSOC command displays the association. Try it with the .txt
extension.

Those filetypes are linked to a command line. The FTYPE command displays the
command line that is set. Try "FTYPE txtfile" for example.

Now, it seems that up to Windows 7, the ASSOC and FTYPE command line utilities
were all you needed to muck about with your associations, but since Windows 8
they can no longer be used (normally) to _set_ those associations - for
security reasons. A different mechanism now applies, which (from a hurried
reading) appears to override the original mechanism, though I've seen articles
which go into this in more detail than I personally need.

Here are the best overall articles I found on ASSOC/FTYPE and the newer XML-
based mechanism.

https://www.fileformat.info/tip/microsoft/assocftype.htm

https://bit.ly/485H2PS

And I can answer my own question now: Yes - they are (all but) obsolete now,
and certainly restricted in applicability.

--

Phil, London

On Wed, 6 Sep 2023 13:37:29 +0100, Philip Herlihy wrote:
> Linking a file extension to a command to be run when a file of that type is
> double-clicked was always a two-stage process. A particular extension has been
> associated with a "code" called a "filetype". So on most systems a .TXT file
> will be associated with "txtfile". (This allows multiple extensions to resolve
> to the same filetype, for example you may want a .LOG file to open in notepad
> too. The ASSOC command displays the association. Try it with the .txt
> extension.
>
> Those filetypes are linked to a command line. The FTYPE command displays the
> command line that is set. Try "FTYPE txtfile" for example.
>
> Now, it seems that up to Windows 7, the ASSOC and FTYPE command line utilities
> were all you needed to muck about with your associations, but since Windows 8
> they can no longer be used (normally) to _set_ those associations - for
> security reasons. A different mechanism now applies, which (from a hurried
> reading) appears to override the original mechanism, though I've seen articles
> which go into this in more detail than I personally need.
>
> Here are the best overall articles I found on ASSOC/FTYPE and the newer XML-
> based mechanism.
>
> https://www.fileformat.info/tip/microsoft/assocftype.htm
>
> https://bit.ly/485H2PS
>
> And I can answer my own question now: Yes - they are (all but) obsolete now,
> and certainly restricted in applicability.

But interesting nonetheless -- thanks for putting them on my radar. I
think of myself as being good with the command line, but these were
new to me.

Since I always have a (non-admin) command window open, typing a
command is faster than answering an elevation prompt and then
navigating the registry.

I tried "assoc .png" and got
..png=IrfanView.png
Then typed "ftype Irfanview.png" and got
Irfanview.png="C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\i_view32.exe" "%1"
So that was accurate.

This will be handy for quickly checking whether a file association is
actually missing, the next time I get one of the "How do you want to
open this file?" popups.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
[...]

> But interesting nonetheless -- thanks for putting them on my radar. I
> think of myself as being good with the command line, but these were
> new to me.

You might be interested in this reference:

'Microsoft DOS and Windows command line'
<https://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm>

[...]

"Philip Herlihy" <PhillipHerlihy@SlashDevNull.invalid> wrote

| > Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about.
| > Setting file associations in a console window? I'm
| > not familiar with anything like that.
| | Here's a tip. If someone mentions something you're not familiar with, try
| Googling it. Or maybe just try the following, in a command interpreter
(not
| Powershell):
|

I didn't do either because I don't use console windows
any more than absolutely necessary. So I was telling you
politely that I couldn't care less. :)

The last time I remember really needing a console window
was when I upgraded my XP box to a dual-core CPU and
needed to swap out hal.dll. That was probably 10 years
ago.

I'd much rather just go straight to the Registry for
this kind of thing. That's where the file association is stored.

SB> But interesting nonetheless -- thanks for putting them on my radar. I
SB> think of myself as being good with the command line, but these were
SB> new to me.

Who knew usenet could teach you something?

SB> This will be handy for quickly checking whether a file association is
SB> actually missing, the next time I get one of the "How do you want to
SB> open this file?" popups.

I think Windows does that when it detects you installed a new app for that
filetype.

--
user is generated from /dev/urandom

In article <udanug$2l1ok$1@dont-email.me>, Newyana2 wrote...
>
> "Philip Herlihy" <PhillipHerlihy@SlashDevNull.invalid> wrote
>
> | > Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about.
> | > Setting file associations in a console window? I'm
> | > not familiar with anything like that.
> |
> | Here's a tip. If someone mentions something you're not familiar with, try
> | Googling it. Or maybe just try the following, in a command interpreter
> (not
> | Powershell):
> |
>
> I didn't do either because I don't use console windows
> any more than absolutely necessary. So I was telling you
> politely that I couldn't care less. :)
>
> The last time I remember really needing a console window
> was when I upgraded my XP box to a dual-core CPU and
> needed to swap out hal.dll. That was probably 10 years
> ago.
>
> I'd much rather just go straight to the Registry for
> this kind of thing. That's where the file association is stored.

All valid, but here's another tip:

If you aren't interested in something, there'd have to be some very special
reason why anyone else would be remotely interested in that fact. So if you
divert (however momentarily) the group's attention merely to attest that lack
of interest, you can expect the occasional narky response.

--

Phil, London

On Sun, 3 Sep 2023 05:41:06 -0700, Stan Brown wrote:
>
> Thanks to those who responded, but from the responses I
> see I must not have made the problem clear.
>
> The problem is that occasionally, when I double-click a
> file, or some type that has an associated program,
> Windows 10 pops up a "How do you want to open this
> file?" dialog for no apparent reason. My existing
> associated program is highlighted, below that are
> several other choices including Windows Store, and
> below them is a check box for "Always open with this
> program" (quoted from memory, so probably not the exact
> words). I tick "Always" and click OK. Double-clicking
> that file works just fine again, until some days or
> weeks later I get that annoying pop-up again.
>
> That is the issue: that gratuitous pop-up. It's not
> just Irfanview and Excel; I gave those as examples.
> (The point of the Excel example is that I think it
> shows this isn't just Microsoft trying to nag me to
> switch to their software from a third-party
> application.) And my file association is not lost,
> because Windows 10 always highlights the program I had
> previously chosen. It's as though Windows is trying to
> get me to change file associations, for some reason I
> can't fathom.
>
> I don't need help with setting file associations; I
> need help in stopping this stupid pop-up.

I first posted about this on 2 Sept, and a couple of
people, especially Vanguard, made helpful suggestions.
I promised to report back with the results of those
suggestions. But I haven't had a chance to try any of
them because the problem hasn't occurred again in the
ensuing 2½ weeks.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA
https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...