Cannot assign "open with"

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Guest

I have just installed a new program and want to make it the default to open
certain types of files. In "Control Panel" I selected "Folder Options/File
Types" and the file extension, Since this new program is not installed in
the "Program Files" folder, I browsed to the corect folder and highlighted
the program .exe. But I do not have an "Apply" or "OK" button, only "Open"
or "Cancel", and if I select "Open", I am back at the "Open With..." box and
the new program is still not listed. What am I doing wrong, PLEASE!!

BTW - I have several other programs which do not show up in the "Program
Files" folder, but have had no problem assigning file types to them .
 
Maybe you need to reboot or something. When you right click on the file I
suppose you do not get an "Open With" option?

Clark
 
Do you see a box that says "Always use the selected program to open this
kind of file"? If so, be sure that it's checked. If it is not checked,
then you only get the Open dialog that you are seeing.

PattyL
 
You probably selected "Change" in File Types.
Select "Advanced" instead and edit an existing action or create a New
action and set it as the default.

....Alan
 
frogboss said:
I have just installed a new program and want to make it the default to open
certain types of files. In "Control Panel" I selected "Folder
Options/File
Types" and the file extension, Since this new program is not installed in
the "Program Files" folder, I browsed to the corect folder and highlighted
the program .exe. But I do not have an "Apply" or "OK" button, only
"Open"
or "Cancel", and if I select "Open", I am back at the "Open With..." box
and
the new program is still not listed. What am I doing wrong, PLEASE!!

BTW - I have several other programs which do not show up in the "Program
Files" folder, but have had no problem assigning file types to them .
Click to expand...

When you select Open With and then Choose Program you should a "Browse" box,
click on it and navigate to the exe.
 
PattyL said:
Do you see a box that says "Always use the selected program to open this
kind of file"? If so, be sure that it's checked. If it is not checked,
then you only get the Open dialog that you are seeing.

PattyL
Click to expand...

I don't follow your logic. You only get the choice to check "Always us the
selected program to open this kind of file" if you choose "Open With" and
then "Choose Program" so how could not checking that box cause you to only
get the Open prompt?
 
Stan said:
When you select Open With and then Choose Program you should a "Browse" box,
click on it and navigate to the exe.


(SEE ABOVE--...I browsed** to the corect folder and highlighted
Click to expand...
 
Clark said:
Maybe you need to reboot or something. When you right click on the file I
suppose you do not get an "Open With" option?

Clark
Click to expand...
I DO get the "Open With.." DB when I right click on the file, but I still
cannot make the selected program 'stick'. I have tried the re-boot route,
also, with no success. I am now working with a different computer (my
laptop) and having the same result here! Tnx. for answering. Any other
ideas?
 
I get the same "Open with..." DB whether the "Always use..." box is checked
or unchecked.

What would the "correct" DB look like?
 
Alan -

Tnx. for pointing me in the right direction -- I "edited" the "open"
function and found that it was still directing to the old program. When I
changed it to the new program, double-clicking TRIES to open in the new one.

BUT - I am getting the AutoCAD message "Cannot find the specified drawing
file. Please verify that the file exists". It also appears that it is
opening AutoCAD TWICE (with the same error message in both). Any idea where
else in the system I need to make adjustments?
 
You probably have the wrong information in file types.

What have you for "Application used to perform action:"?
(please copy and paste it so I can see exactly what it is)

Was there "Use DDE" checked by the previous application?
If so, then it is probably contains invalid information for AutoCAD.


....Alan
 
"Application used to perform action" (open) = {"C:\ACAD 2004\acad.exe" %1}.
This was {"C:\ACAD R14\acad.exe" %1} prior to the change. The "Use DDE" box
was, and still is , checked. (I had/have no idea what "Dynamic Data
Exchange" is.) The "DDE Message:" is blank, as is "DDE Message Not
Running:". "Application:" is "acad" and "Topic:" is "System"

The other listed "Action" is "print', but when I highlight it and click
"Edit", I get nothing; "open" is the default action.
 
I don't really know where to start.

'{"C:\ACAD 2004\acad.exe" %1} is obviously invalid.
The brackets {} are not part of normal syntax and I have no idea why
you put them in.
Get rid of them.

Try:
"C:\ACAD 2004\acad.exe" "%1"
(exactly, please)

There appears to be something you have not divulged.
i.e. You had a prior installation of an ACAD program.
If you have problems, (after correcting the error above) then try
unchecking DDE (this should not be necessary if the ACAD program is
only an update)

I didn't ask you to highlight 'print'
Please leave it alone.

....Alan
 
The key was to surround the %1 with double quotes! What I had (without the
"") was entered when I selected the .exe with the browse button. I assumed
XP knew what it was doing -- I sure don't!

Sorry for the confusion -- the{} was my attempt to delineate (in the
message) the exact content of the "Application to be used" field; they do not
actually appear on the entry.

You are correct that I did not divulge everything I have done -- only those
things which I thought were relevant to the problem (i.e. - I did not think
which program was replacing which program would matter to what is basically a
Windows XP Pro issue.) In fact, this is an installation of AutoCAD 2004
(properly licensed) to replace AutoCAD 14 (also licensed). If it matters, I
have actually had both programs running for some time, but did not want to
rely on (default to) 2004 and delete (uninstall) 14 until I was comfortable
and proficient with the new version.

I still do not know what DDE is.

Anyway, TNX!
 
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