A file association is simply the default program that opens a file type. When you double click a file in Windows Explorer, the association determines which program is launched. In a clean installation of Windows XP, you can expect most picture files to open in Paint for editing.
It’s possible to convert a file from one type to another if you open it in a program that supports both file types. For example, you could open a bitmap file in Paint and then resave it using Save As, changing the file type to JPEG. By doing this you have created two similar files of different type, but you haven’t altered the file association.
Things can get a bit more complicated when you have more than one program that could open a particular file type. A good example is if you install a photo editor like Paint Shop Pro. Photo file formats, such as JPEGs would now open in Paint Shop Pro instead of in Paint, as they would if that were your only picture editing program. The file association between JPEG and Paint was changed when you added the new software. When you install a new program, it often changes file associations in its favour. Well behaved applications ask what files you want to associate with them during their installation routines, but some sneaky programs don’t do this and just assume that you want them to take control of the relevant file types.
This can be a pain if you wanted to continue running your older program. However, you can edit the file association yourself to rectify the problem. In any Windows Explorer window click Tools, Folder Options and Switch to the File types tab. You may well be surprised by how many different file types your computer uses. In Vista, you can use the Preview option to view programs that could associate with the file type in question. Now click Change to alter its associated program. Select the program you want to use from the list and click OK. The walkthrough shows these steps in detail.
Different Association
Alter the default program that opens a particular file type in both Windows XP and Vista.
1
File associations are quite easy to alter in Windows XP or Vista. Right click a file of the type you want to alter and choose Properties. On the General tab, you’ll see the file type and the default application that it currently opens with. To alter this, click Change.
2
The resulting dialog in Vista shows a selection of programs. Choose the program that you want to use to open the file and click OK. You may need to click Browse and locate the program’s executable file. You can also get to this dialog by choosing Preview, Choose Default Program.
3
The dialog is slightly different in Windows XP, but it does the same job. Either select from the recommended programs or browse to the executable file as necessary. You can also get to this dialog in Windows Explorer by selecting Tools, Folder Options, File Types and clicking Change when you’ve highlighted the file type you want.
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