lesson 3 – file types · lesson 3 - file types.doc 3.5 1/31/2012 you can edit the actions for a...

LESSON 3 – File Types

Objective Learn different methods to create a

shortcut on your desktop. Learn how to set your default

program for default file types Learn how to change your Autoplay

setting

Table of ContentsLESSON 3 – File Types ................................................................................. 1

Default Program and File Type .................................................................. 1Override the Default ................................................................................... 1View your File Type ................................................................................... 2Common File Extensions............................................................................ 3Change File Association ............................................................................. 3Change Program Association with Open With........................................... 4AutoPlay ..................................................................................................... 6

Installing New Applications ................................................................... 6Configure the AutoPlay .......................................................................... 6

Setting Autoplay for CD and DVD media.................................................. 7Disable Autoplay for Removable Device ................................................... 8

Lesson 3 - File Types.doc 3.1 1/31/2012

Default Program and File Type

When you directly double-click on a file to open it automatically launchesthe appropriate program. Windows is able to do this because it examines thefile name extension in the name (ie sample.doc for Word). If Windowsrecognizes the file name extension, the program that is associated with thatfile name extension launches (file association). But, what if more that oneprogram is able to open the same file. The program that launches is the“Default Program”.

But what if you want to change the default program that opens when youdouble-click a file that has a certain file name extension? For example, a textfile that has a .txt file name extension typically opens in Notepad. What ifyou want to open the file in Microsoft Word instead? How would you dothat?

This situation usually occur most often with photo editing or viewerapplications. Windows comes with is own photo viewer, but if you loadedanother one on your computer such as Picasa or Photoshop, the defaultusually changes to the latest program that was loaded.

Override the Default1. Right-click on a file for which you want to change the program that

opens that file type, and then use either of the following methods tochange which program starts:

2. Click Open With to choose the program that you want.3. Point to Open With, and then click Choose Program to choose the

program that you want.4. Notice that the Open With dialog box appears. Use one of the

following methods to select the program that you want to use to openthis kind of file:

5. In the Programs list, click the program that you want.6. Click Browse, locate and then click the program that you want to use,

and then click OK.7. Click to select the Always use the selected program to open this kind

of file check box if it is not already selected.8. Click OK.


Note From now on, Windows XP will open all files that have this file nameextension in the associated program. To change this, you would have tofollow these steps again and associate a different program with this filename extension.View your File TypeHow to display all file name extensions for installed programsDepending on your settings in Folder Options, you may be unable to see thefile name extensions of your files. To display the file name extensions ofyour files if they are not displayed, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer2. On the Organize menu , click Folder and Search Options.3. Click the View tab.4. Click to clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box.


Common File ExtensionsWindows uses the file extension to determine the file type which is how itdetermine the default program. The file extension also informs Windowwhich icon to display to represent the default program.

TXT – Text File created by NotepadRTF – Rich Txt Format created by WordpadDOC – Microsoft Word DocumentBMP – Bitmap created by MS PaintJPG - Jpeg image file (Digital Camera)GIF – Gif image fileWMA- Windows Media AudioWMV- Windows Media VideoMP3 – Compressed audio fileEXE- Executable program fileXLS – Microsoft Excel SpreadsheetPPT – Powerpoint presentationTTF – True Type Font

Change File AssociationThe software that is assigned to do some action with or to a file is said to beassociated. More than one program may be associated with a givenextension, each carrying out a different (or at least differently named) action.For example, .html or .htm files can have Internet Explorer associated to open(i.e., display) the file and Notepad or FrontPage associated to edit thefile.Look at the list of file types and their associations for your computer.

1. In Control Panel, click Programs and click DefaultPrograms>Associate a file type or protocol with aprogram.

2. The following dialog box window (see Figure 4.2) will appear:


Figure 4.2 File Types list

A refrain that constantly echoes throughout the Newsgroups and otherdiscussion forums is “I can’t open my XYZ files with my favorite programanymore. Some other program keeps popping up instead. What happened?”Or, “I have XYZ files and Windows won’t open them. What do I do?” Overand over these and related questions are encountered in personal discussionswith PC users and with students in classes. In all these cases, anunderstanding of how Windows decides which software is supposed to carryout a particular action with a file would provide the answer. Software that isassigned to do something with or to a particular type of file is said to be“associated”. Learning how to manage these file associations is not difficultand allows the average user to deal with many common Windows problems.

Change Program Association with Open WithMany of you have had the experience of installing some new software onlyto find that, without asking, the installation has changed your fileassociations so that some of your favorite programs no longer work.Knowing how to manage file associations will allow you regain control ofyour computer. One way to manage file associations is with the File Typeslist .


You can edit the actions for a file type.

If you are only interested in an occasional use of a program to open a file or want aquick way to change the default action, there is a simple procedure.

1. In Window Explorer, select (highlight) the file to bechanged then right click the file icon.

2. Right-click on the file and select to Open With and thenselect and click Choose Default Program…

If the list does not contain the desired program there is aBrowse button which will allow you to look for theappropriate executable from all the files on the computer.

There is a box to check if you “Always use the selectedprogram to open this kind of file”. Checking this box willchange the default file association.


AutoPlayThe AutoPlay is a feature introduced inWindows XP. It examines newlydiscovered removable media (CD, DVD,Flash Drive, Digital Camera…) based oncontent such as pictures, music or videofiles, launches an appropriate applicationto play or display the content.

For example, when you insert a DVDmovie into the DVD drive, it will play itusing Windows Media Play. Or, when youconnect a Digital Camera, it will ask youto import it into your PC using WindowImport tool or Window Live PhotoGallery. .

Installing New ApplicationsInstalling a new application on your system can not only change your defaultfile association but also your default Autoplay setting. A common problemwhen you have multiple programs that perform the same function on yoursystem. For example, after you install Adobe Photoshop Elements, youAutoplay default may change to use Abobe Picture Downloader instead ofWindow Picture Importer utility. Although most applications give you theopportunity to customize this during the installation process, most usersbypass or ignore this by clicking on the Next button.

Configure the AutoPlayWindows Vista makes it easy to adjust what happens when you want totransfer media file to your computer or just play or view them, be it Music,Pictures, Video or DVD’s. The secret is in the AutoPlay settings. Lets take alook at how to adjust them.

Start Menu>Default ProgramsORControl Panel (Classic View)>AutoplayORControl Panel>Hardware and Sound>Play CDs or other mediaautomatically


The default is the use AutoPlay for all media and devices, indicated by thecheck box in the upper left corner of the dialog box.

That is why the Autoplay screen appears when you insert a CD or flashdrive.

Setting Autoplay for CD and DVD media.You can choose a setting in the drop-down menu for a single type of meda,for instance Audio CD in this example. For this to work you’ll have to makesure to keep the global autoplay option on, and then choose the specificsetting in the drop-down menu. When an audio CD is inserted, you canchoose to automatically play it using Media Player or take no action.


Disable Autoplay for Removable DeviceDisable for just Removable (flash) Drives

The problem here is that while there are settings for AudioCDs and DVDs, there's nothing specifically for USB flashdrives. Windows will determine the drive type based on thecontent it finds on the flash drive itself, so that's what we'llneed to change.

In order to disable AutoPlay for the removable drives, you should change allof the following to Take no action: Software and games, Pictures, Videofiles, Audio files, and Mixed content.


Notes:

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