OpenWithAdd 1.2 – Supports Windows Vista

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openwithadd supports windows vista - screenshots

When you right-click a file and choose Open With, and click the Choose Program… option, the list of registered applications are displayed in the Open With dialog. Programs that are not already listed in the Open With dialog can be added manually using the Browse… option.

OpenWithAdd tool which I wrote, can be helpful in circumstances where, when you browse to locate an application, it does not get added to the Open With dialog. It can now (v1.2 onwards) run under Windows Vista as well. Here are some screenshots:Read more

How to Launch a Vbscript in Elevated Mode (Run as Administrator)

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automatically elevate vbscript runas

With the introduction of User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista, you usually open an elevated Command Prompt in order to run batch files and scripts that need administrative privileges. Applications can make use of manifest files (using the RequireAdministrator flag) to automatically run elevated.

For scripts, this article provides you some neat little tricks using which you can automatically elevate using the ShellExecute “runas” parameter.

(See also How to Automatically Elevate a Batch file to Run it as Administrator? for another auto-elevation method.)Read more

Desktop.ini file automatically opens when you start Windows

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When you start your computer, the desktop.ini file may automatically open (in Notepad) showing the following contents: [.ShellClassInfo] [email protected]%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21787 This happens if the hidden attribute for the desktop.ini file in the Startup folder is somehow removed. Enable the hidden attribute for desktop.ini in your Startup and Common Startup folders to resolve the issue. To do … Read more

Shell Commands to Access the Special Folders in Windows 10/11

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The shell: protocol can be used to open a special folder directly from the Start → Search or the Run dialog. For example, the command shell:sendto opens the “Send To” folder of your user profile. To launch the Documents folder of your user profile, you’d type shell:Personal. Below is a complete shell: commands listing for … Read more

[Fix] .EXE Files Open in Notepad or Other App when Double-clicked

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exe files open in notepad

Summary: Double-clicking .exe or .lnk (shortcut) files may open Notepad or any other application, displaying junk characters.

Did you accidentally use the Default Programs or Open With dialog to associate .exe file types with an application like Notepad? This causes every program to open in that chosen application. Unfortunately, Windows provides no option to reset the .exe file associations. You need to fix the association settings using a .reg file or script.Read more