Can't add to Open With for any file type

What the title says - see screen shots

Be aware that is NOT just an issue with ZIP files - its an issue with the Choose default program option on EVERY file type.


I tried the Remove & Restore Open With registry patches from here, and rebooted - didn't fix

I tried minimal Safe Boot - still exists

I tried the Default Programs Editor - same error message - NB: I've been using this for years, long before this problem showed up.

I tried sfc scannow and System Restore back to a few days ago - no luck.


I'm not sure what broke it - I don't use the Choose default program very often, so it could have been like this for a while, as in a few months, not more than six though.

Aside : If you're wondering why I have Firefox in the Open With for zips. I'm damned if I know, why would I wanna do that I ask myself. But I would have added Peazip as it's my secondary archiver.

pjd

I did a restore from my oldest (Dec 14 2013) system backup (macrium) looks like the problem was there then. I installed a couple of new things on October, gut feeling says it was one of them that caused this problem.

The next thing I'm thinking of trying is an inline repair of windows

Does anyone think an inline repair will NOT fix this problem - I'm not confident, but that's a gut feeling too.

I might as well do a new windows install to freshly formatted drive rather wast time on an inline repair and then find I have to do a fresh install anyway - I've not done a fresh install since I got this box in mid 2009.

pjd

Did you try going to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs and see if you can set defaults?

Britton30 said:

Did you try going to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs and see if you can set defaults?

How do you add/delete items to/from the shell menu Open With sub menu from there ?

pjd

Sorry mate, I thought the impetus of the post was to be able to set files defaults?

@Britton30 - no worries mate - because thanks to you I found something else that's probably related

The... Always use the selected program to open this kind of file... is greyed out on all file types, see attachment

Maybe that will give someone a clue

If there's a way to safely remove all file association stuff that would definitely restore that check box, and the ability to add/remove items from the Open With menu then I would be OK with rebuilding them all.

There's a number of wonky associations I'd like to get rid of - like Firefox for zip's and WinRAR for avi's - I am sure I didn't create those and I'd be surprised if Firefox or WinRAR did

pjd

To resolve the greyed out button, you can try this.

Open regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
Find your extension for which you are trying to change.
Delete the UserChoice key

Also, check out this tutorial.

Default File Type Associations - Restore

archer said:

To resolve the greyed out button, you can try this.

Open regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
Find your extension for which you are trying to change.
Delete the UserChoice key

The example I posted for .avi files has no User Choice key

The example I previously posted in post #1 was for .zip, did have one, pointing at vlc, I deleted it but the check box is still greyed out - and the Open With problem still exists

archer said:

Also, check out this tutorial.

Default File Type Associations - Restore

I tried the one for .zip, the - [u]Always use the selected program to open this kind of file[u] - check box is still greyed out and I still get the error when I try to add to anything to the Open With submenu

Fiddling around like this is making things worse - now I have to figure how to get anything but Windows to do anything with zips, I cant change the default to WinRAR, I can't add anything to open with - bottom line can't use WinRAR on zips any more. I tried restoring the registry to a couple of hours ago, did not do what I hoped

I'll try a System Restore



=========================================================================

Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether an inline repair of Windows will fix this

yes, no, maybe, dunno

pjd




pjd

Sir George said:

My guess is that you have already done this, but not mentioned it; checked for malware or virus infection?

I do full scans with MalwareBytes, Trend Micro, JRT and Adwclean every Sunday - any other suggestions are welcome. I run them hands off and just look at the logs, maybe I should run them by hand and see if there's a more aggressive setting I could use

I just discovered I can't do a System Restore - see attachment, tells me to turn off my AV - I did the Restore in minimal boot mode AFAIK there was no AV running :lol:

Maybe that will give someone a clue - bottom line that patch I did for zip has crippled WinRAR and so far I can't find a way to get it back as it was.

I saw something somewhere about registry items being locked because of ACL permissions - that sort of fits. If there's 'something' high up the food chain to do with associations, open with etc and it had the wrong ACL then it might generate this behaviour.

I'm more or less reconciled to the fact that I'm going to have to do a fresh install of everything. The problem has been on the system since before my oldest system image in December.

pjd