Windows 7: Batch File Running Issues

Here is the scenerio.



I wanted to use Notepad++ to edit my batch files, so I opened Default Programs and then selected Associate a file type or protocol with a program. Then proceeded to select Notepad++ and clicked the checkbox to "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file". After doing this, the default behavior for double-clicking the batch file was to open it in Notepad++. So I went back to the Default Programs dialog and tried to change it back, the only one that looked like a good fit for running the batch file was selecting Windows Command Processor.

Now after all that, when I double-click on a batch file it opens a command prompt window. But the weird side-effect of this is that when I try to go back and associate another program with the .bat extension the "Always Use" check box is empty and greyed out.

Does anyone have any ideas? Also why did MS decide to take away the control of the Open/Edit/Print shell controls from the user and make them manipulate registry entries instead????