Wrong File Type Association?, Part 2

After sorting through and reviewing nearly 300 emails in preparation for yesterday's article on "[How to] receive phone calls while using a dial-up Internet connection*", I decided today that it was time to clean out my Inbox and get a bit more organized.

Side note: if you missed out on yesterday's article, you can read it online:

Receive Phone calls when using Dialup Internet?

As it turns out, I came across a bunch of old emails dating back to January of this year. The emails were from Infopackets Readers, who answered an old newsletter question pertaining to Windows File Association management.

From the original newsletter, Douglas L. asked me the following question:

" I recently received an e-mail with an attachment, and [incorrectly] chose to open it with Windows Media Player. Now Windows assumes that *every* attachment of this type requires Media Player, when in fact, it's the wrong association! How do I change it to the correct program for these files? "

After providing a solution to Douglas' dilemma, I asked Readers if they knew of a freeware program which could manipulate / correct Windows File Associations -- and require little effort from the user.

Wrong File Type Association

That brings us up to par with things, and below are some of the suggestions I received.

Infopackets Reader Thomas E. recommended a program called Freedom of Association, from the PC Magazine web site:

" Freedom of Association lets you manage your file associations, offering many features that Windows lacks. You can view registered extensions and the file types associated with them, clean up invalid entries, correct erroneous associations, and add extensions to existing file types. "

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,37764,00.asp

And, Dennis T. suggested using the "File Association Repair" function in Microsoft's TweakUI utility. TweakUI also comes bundled with Microsoft's PowerToys.

PowerToys for Windows NT, 9x, ME, and 2000:

http://www.infopackets.com/articles/powertoys.htm

To start TweakUI, go to the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel).

PowerToys For Windows XP:

http://www.infopackets.com/articles/powertoys_xp.htm

To start TweakUI, use the TweakUI shortcut in your Start Menu (not the Control Panel), or run \windows\system32\tweakui.exe.

And lastly, Howard H. Jr. recommended a program called OpenExpert:

" OpenExpert doesn't correct / identify file types, as such, but it does make creating a file association extremely easy. OpenExpert is free for personal use, and is my favorite utility of all time! PS: Keep up the excellent effort writing your newsletter. "

http://www.baxbex.com/products.html

Side note: OpenExpert is located second from the bottom of the page.

Thanks for the (long overdue) suggestions!