XP File Associations.

[Mhtml]

My friend has given me his laptop and asked me to fix it windows xp without formatting it.

Now, the problem that he is having is the file associations for folder and drives are all messed up.

Like if you double click to open a folder you get the search windows because open and explore have been removed from the file assoc. and search has been made the default setting.

How can I fix this? It's the same with drives.

[Roy Sinclair]

Start > Run > Explorer to open a proper explorer window.

Tools > Folder Options > File Types > Scroll to File types "Folder" and select it > Click the "Advanced" button. From the "actions" listed pick "open" for the default view or "explore" for the explorer tree and files view and then click the "Set Default" button.

Please note that these instructions are derived from W2K so there might be some slight alterations required to get to the right spot but the basics should still be the same.

[Mhtml]

Yeah I tried that but those actions aren't listed. Only search is.

[Roy Sinclair]

Get TWEAKUI and try it's repair function. It sounds like something has removed the linkages, TWEAKUI may be able to fix them. Otherwise you may be looking at a re-install.

[liorean]

This should be fairly easy to do. Just get a copy of the folders and drives associations part from the registry of a computer that works (and has the same OS version, and preferably the same programs installed), change any file paths that need changing, and incorporate it in the comp that has problems. (Probably good to do a backup of the originals first. You might want to take parts from both in the end.)

I would guess these are the ones that you would want:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
> Device
> Drive

[Mhtml]

Well I'd do that but my computer blew up ;) ... Can someone post the contents of those registry keys please?

[vkidv]

Im used Windows XP, so i dont know if this will work for you.

Copy and paste this into notepad and save it as a filename.reg


Please note; If Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 will not work, Try REGEDIT4 instead.. (at the top)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000022
"ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000021

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,\
65,00,20,00,2f,00,65,00,2c,00,2f,00,69,00,64,00,6c,00,69,00,73,00,74,00,2c,\
00,25,00,49,00,2c,00,25,00,4c,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
"NoActivateHandler"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
@="Folders"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
@="[]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
@="AppProperties"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000010
"ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000012

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,\
65,00,20,00,2f,00,69,00,64,00,6c,00,69,00,73,00,74,00,2c,00,25,00,49,00,2c,\
00,25,00,4c,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
"NoActivateHandler"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
@="Folders"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
@="[]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
@="AppProperties"



Once its a REG FILE, Run it and add it to the registry.



If it DOES work then contact me here and i'll give you the drive one.

GOODLUCK!

[Mhtml]

Well things open now, not search as default. However everything opens in a new folder. I tried setting the option in the view tab of folder options but it had no effect. It's an improvement though!

[phantomx]

Hi, I had the same problem and I end like this:
I went to "HKCR" and deleted (yeap, deleted, previous backup 'course) the keys "Directory", "Folder" & "Shell". Then I restored "Folder" & "Shell" and all seems to work just fine, except for two little things:

"open" in a explorer window, opened a new window and viceversa; it doesn't set the default option to "explore" on explorer windows and "open" on a... ehm... "normal" window (no Folder View)
There's no "New" submenu (along with other options) :eek:

Because of the later, I restored the "Directory" key (having it the same way it was at the start) but I deleted every sub-key but the "Background". I still have some missing options in the contextual menu though :o

So... at the end, all this post comes to this: any solution to the "a" problem listed above? :p

[sweenster]

the answer to this is fairly simple, you reinstall windows BUT keep the old version. Let me explain...

Switch your PC off and when starting, put your windowsXP CD in the drive and boot from that device.

Then enter recovery console mode by pressing R when prompted.

This will bring up a DOS-like prompt. Now, rename the following 3 folders:

Windows -> win2
Program Files -> prog2
Documents & Settings -> doc2
(the new names arent really important)

Now restart your PC and install windows from the CD as you normally would. The system may ask you what location you wish to install windows in and present you the option of c:\win2. Override this by typing c:\windows and it will create an empty directory.

Then once the system has been reinstalled you can retrieve all the document and other files from your old operating system by accessing win2, prog2 or doc2.

Now you have a nicely re-formatted system without formatting your hard drive.

After windows has installed though, run disk defragmenter from the C: properties option. Then once you are happy that all the old files you need have been copied to the new version delete win2, prog2 and doc2.