How to disable the Windows 7 picture viewer?

[cwaiii]

I installed windows 7 last week, and my graphics editor. I set the file associations in the graphics program to 'select all', yet when I click on a .jpg file, it opens in Windows photo viewer. I would like to disable the Windows photo viewer altogether, as it adds nothing to how I want my image files to open. Any ideas? Thanks, cwaiii

 

[whs]

You have to change the file association in Default Programs ( Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations ).

 

[cwaiii]

In "Default Programs ( Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations )", my graphics program does not come up, and if I try to change the Windows Photo Viewer file associations, they are selected and greyed out... Is there a way to disable the photo viewer in its entirety or uninstall it? Thanks

 

[whs]

In "Default Programs ( Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations )", my graphics program does not come up, and if I try to change the Windows Photo Viewer file associations, they are selected and greyed out... Is there a way to disable the photo viewer in its entirety or uninstall it? Thanks

You have to browse to your program files on C and pick up the .exe of your graphics program. It works, believe me.
To remove Photo Viewer, you have to run Regedit. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / SystemFileAssociations / image / ShellEx / ContextMenuHandlers and delete the key ShellImagePreview. Make sure you backup your registry before you do that - just in case you mess it up.

 

[cwaiii]

There is no browse option in (my) Default Programs, so I went through each extension in "Control Panel/Default Programs/Associate a file type or protocol with a program", setting the default opening program from Windows Photo Viewer to my graphics program. Unfortunately, it's entirely possible that when I get an update from Microsoft, those file associations will probably revert? At least my system works the way I want it to for now. Thanks for your help, cwaiii