File associations - open with - context menu

I wished to amend a .BAT file, so opened it with OPEN WITH and selected my
editor (NoteTabPro). Now when I double click on BAT files it opens the file
in the editor instead of running the BAT file. I tried changing the OPEN WITH
to cmd.exe, but that just opens the DOS window. How can I set .BAT files to
run correctly? What should I OPEN WIT?? The old (XP) way to change file
associations doesn't seem to have any effect. Similarly, if I right-click an
HTML file and choose "edit", it opens MS WORD; but I want to use my own
editor (NoteTabPro) - how can I change this setting (again, file associations
don't take). I dare not use OPEN WITH !!!!

Download/apply the .BAT file association fix from here.

File association fixes for Windows Vista:
http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/105/1/

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


"Juan Herrero" <JuanHerrero@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:47BC4222-C461-49AA-95C2-5780677C8042@microsoft.com...
I wished to amend a .BAT file, so opened it with OPEN WITH and selected my
editor (NoteTabPro). Now when I double click on BAT files it opens the file
in the editor instead of running the BAT file. I tried changing the OPEN WITH
to cmd.exe, but that just opens the DOS window. How can I set .BAT files to
run correctly? What should I OPEN WIT?? The old (XP) way to change file
associations doesn't seem to have any effect. Similarly, if I right-click an
HTML file and choose "edit", it opens MS WORD; but I want to use my own
editor (NoteTabPro) - how can I change this setting (again, file associations
don't take). I dare not use OPEN WITH !!!!

Many thanks Ramesh.
I downloaded, unzipped and merged as instructed, and got this message...
"Cannot import C:/.../Desktop/batfix_vista.reg: Not all data was successfully
written to the registry. Some keys are open by the system or other processes."
But it seems to have worked anyway - I can run BAT files again!


"Ramesh, MS-MVP" wrote:

> Download/apply the .BAT file association fix from here.
>
> File association fixes for Windows Vista:
> http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/105/1/
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
> Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com
>
>
> "Juan Herrero" <JuanHerrero@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:47BC4222-C461-49AA-95C2-5780677C8042@microsoft.com...
> I wished to amend a .BAT file, so opened it with OPEN WITH and selected my
> editor (NoteTabPro). Now when I double click on BAT files it opens the file
> in the editor instead of running the BAT file. I tried changing the OPEN WITH
> to cmd.exe, but that just opens the DOS window. How can I set .BAT files to
> run correctly? What should I OPEN WIT?? The old (XP) way to change file
> associations doesn't seem to have any effect. Similarly, if I right-click an
> HTML file and choose "edit", it opens MS WORD; but I want to use my own
> editor (NoteTabPro) - how can I change this setting (again, file associations
> don't take). I dare not use OPEN WITH !!!!
>

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:14:02 -0700, Juan Herrero

>I wished to amend a .BAT file, so opened it with OPEN WITH and selected my
>editor (NoteTabPro).

Did you clear the "[x] Always open with..." checkbox?

>Now when I double click on BAT files it opens the file
>in the editor instead of running the BAT file. I tried changing the OPEN WITH
>to cmd.exe, but that just opens the DOS window.

..BAT isn't "opened" with CMD.EXE, even though that may be the
interpreter for it, and extra syntax is needed to pass a batch file to
Cmd.exe so that Cmd.exe will invoke it. Cmd.exe %1 won't do it.

Instead, the default is to open .BAT as itself, i.e. the "open" action
is simply %1 (the file itself), just as if it were an .EXE

You can re-assert this via Regedit, or this .REG should do it...

<paste>

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bat]
@="batfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile]
@="MS-DOS Batch File"
"EditFlags"=hex:30,04,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit\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,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00 ,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\

54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45 ,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,00,\
00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\YourEdit]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\YourEdit\command]
@="\"C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\Editor\\YourEdit.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

</paste>

You can edit the "YourEdit" section to taste, to integrate your editor
as a non-defaul rt-click action.

>Similarly, if I right-click an HTML file and choose "edit", it opens MS WORD

I know, and it's AWFUL when Word:
- makes it a "special" Word HTML file
- bloats it up several times in size
- drops stuff that triggers risk-management heuristics

Word is unfit for use as an HTML editor, because it just doesn't "get"
the idea behind HTML; great portability across platforms, and flexible
appearance. Instead, the Word team try to do DTP with it.

> but I want to use my own editor (NoteTabPro) - how can I change this
>setting (again, file associations don't take).

For HTML, it can be trickier - I know, I want to use Front Page
Express, but it takes a bit of tap-dancing to get it to appear as a
choice within IE's "Programs" list for editing HTML.

>I dare not use OPEN WITH !!!!

Yep, Open With (when [x] Always use...) is a stone-age club.



>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
Saws are too hard to use.
Be easier to use!
>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

Thanks for the extra info.

The "[x] Always open with..." checkbox has a habit of being greyed out and
unclearable!!!

The BAT problem was solved by Ramesh's download (see other messages).

As to context menus, I found a reference elsewhere which pointed me at
creativelement.com powertools, which does the job admirably, and I now have
"Edit" entries in context menus to my satisfaction. It also enabled me to
change the icons for filetypes, which I was about to give up on!


"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:14:02 -0700, Juan Herrero
>
> >I wished to amend a .BAT file, so opened it with OPEN WITH and selected my
> >editor (NoteTabPro).
>
> Did you clear the "[x] Always open with..." checkbox?
>
> >Now when I double click on BAT files it opens the file
> >in the editor instead of running the BAT file. I tried changing the OPEN WITH
> >to cmd.exe, but that just opens the DOS window.
>
> ..BAT isn't "opened" with CMD.EXE, even though that may be the
> interpreter for it, and extra syntax is needed to pass a batch file to
> Cmd.exe so that Cmd.exe will invoke it. Cmd.exe %1 won't do it.
>
> Instead, the default is to open .BAT as itself, i.e. the "open" action
> is simply %1 (the file itself), just as if it were an .EXE
>
> You can re-assert this via Regedit, or this .REG should do it...
>
> <paste>
>
> Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bat]
> @="batfile"
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile]
> @="MS-DOS Batch File"
> "EditFlags"=hex:30,04,00,00
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell]
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit]
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\edit\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,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00 ,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\
>
> 54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45 ,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,00,\
> 00
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\YourEdit]
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\YourEdit\command]
> @="\"C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\Editor\\YourEdit.exe\" \"%1\""
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open]
> "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00
>
> [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command]
> @="\"%1\" %*"
>
> </paste>
>
> You can edit the "YourEdit" section to taste, to integrate your editor
> as a non-defaul rt-click action.
>
> >Similarly, if I right-click an HTML file and choose "edit", it opens MS WORD
>
> I know, and it's AWFUL when Word:
> - makes it a "special" Word HTML file
> - bloats it up several times in size
> - drops stuff that triggers risk-management heuristics
>
> Word is unfit for use as an HTML editor, because it just doesn't "get"
> the idea behind HTML; great portability across platforms, and flexible
> appearance. Instead, the Word team try to do DTP with it.
>
> > but I want to use my own editor (NoteTabPro) - how can I change this
> >setting (again, file associations don't take).
>
> For HTML, it can be trickier - I know, I want to use Front Page
> Express, but it takes a bit of tap-dancing to get it to appear as a
> choice within IE's "Programs" list for editing HTML.
>
> >I dare not use OPEN WITH !!!!
>
> Yep, Open With (when [x] Always use...) is a stone-age club.
>
>
>
> >--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Saws are too hard to use.
> Be easier to use!
> >--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
>

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:00:01 -0700, Juan Herrero

>The "[x] Always open with..." checkbox has a habit of being greyed out and
>unclearable!!!

Hmmm... that could be a protective EditFlags setting...

>The BAT problem was solved by Ramesh's download (see other messages).

I see now, yes - good one!

>As to context menus, I found a reference elsewhere which pointed me at
>creativelement.com powertools, which does the job admirably, and I now have
>"Edit" entries in context menus to my satisfaction. It also enabled me to
>change the icons for filetypes, which I was about to give up on!

Regedit's tough for those things, and I miss the "old" File Types UI
in Vista... thanks for the link, I'm downloading it now :-)

File associations can get brittle, and they changed in XP from being a
single HKLM subtree that is mirrored as HKCR, to HKCR as a merging of
both HKLM and new-for-XP HKCU material.

Just how the HKCU and HKLM material interact, both as direct overlays
and across parent-child inheritance, may be hard to predict - so I'm
hoping that this toolset will be aware of these changes.

Hmm... very nice! I like the linkage down to Regedit. Could be a
must-have for Vista... I also like the way various tools can be
selected and deselected from the control panel, making it a bit safer
for tech-and-user scenarios.

Thanks!



>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
"We have captured lightning and used
it to teach sand how to think."
>--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -