Solved Windows 7 won't let me change .rar file association

I've been trying to fix this problem myself for a few days. At some point my .rar file association got changed to use explorer.exe, now no matter what method I try I can't change it to use 7zip instead. This is a problem because any time I click a .rar file explorer keeps trying to open it over and over again and stacks up hundreds and hundreds of copies of the explorer process and I can't get it to stop unless I delete or move the file, which is impossible when it's trying to open. I've tried using the 'open with' option, going through the control panel, and even changing the association in the registry but it absolutely refuses to change even after a restart. Any help would be much appreciated.

You didn't mention if you tried from within 7-zip, are .rar associations checked in 7-zip options?

Have you tried a fresh install of 7-zip?

I just tried reinstalling 7zip and changing the associations inside the program, it didn't work immediately but I'll try restarting and see what happens

Wouldn't hurt to run an anti-virus/ anti-malware scan too, just to be sure.

Did you try this method in the registry?
(Back up the registry)
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Applications/
Find explorer.exe.
On the right side, you will see a few "NoOpenWith".
Right click the NoOpenWith entry and "delete"
Close Registry Editor.
Find a .rar files on your computer, right-click, and select Properties. Under the General Tab you will see "Opens with". and a "Change..." button to the right. Click the button, and choose your new default program.

Thank you very much davehc, that let me fix the problem. I'm pretty familiar with the registry but I don't know the better portion of what can be done. Again thank you very much.