RegFileExport Helps you Export Data from Offline Registry Hives

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RegFileExport is a useful console application from NirSoft, which helps you extract data from offline Registry hives that are not currently in use by the Operating System. RegFileExport reads the registry hive and then exports the specified branch or the entire branch to a .reg file.

Regedit.exe can do this too. What’s different?

We know that the Registry Editor in Windows lets you load a registry hive via the File menu – “Load Hive…” command, and extract data offline from the registry hive.

The advantage of RegFileExport over Regedit.exe is that RegFileExport can export data quickly using a single command-line, without needing to load the hive, export the branch, update the paths in the REG file using a text editor, and unload the hive manually… which you would otherwise do if you use Regedit.exe or Reg.exe.Read more

“Pin to Taskbar” and “Pin to Start Menu” Missing in Windows 7

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After deleting the IsShortcut registry value to remove the shortcut arrow overlay in shortcuts (.lnk) files, you may notice that the “Pin to Taskbar” and the “Pin to Start Menu” context menu items go missing when you right-click on a shortcut. Also, one or more of the context menu items may appear twice, as in the image below.Read more

How to Disable Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 7?

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Windows 7 doesn’t include an option wherein you can disable auto arrange in folders (icons view). Sometime back I created a magical registry hack (FFlags DWORD 43000001) that disabled the "Full Row Select" functionality in folders in Windows 7. I also posted some interesting observations in article How to Disable Full Row Select in Explorer in Windows 7 about the registry hack, which demonstrates that applying the hack also brings back the missing "Auto arrange" menu option in the View menu of folders when in Icons view.

Automate Using Script

Update: I just converted the registry edits to a Script file that does all the work. Works in Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10.

Check out my recent post How to Disable Full Row Select and Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 10?

To do this Manually

I hereby bring you a slightly tweaked version (sets FFlags to 43000000) of the same registry hack and provide some screenshots in this article. After applying this edit you can enable or disable auto arrange feature on a per-folder basis. Of course, an "Undo" REG file is provided in case you want to revert back to the factory default setting.Read more

[Fix] Explorer.exe Error “This file does not have an app associated”

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file explorer shortcut association error

When you click the Windows Explorer or File Explorer shortcut Pinned to the Taskbar, or when running explorer.exe directly, the following error message may be displayed:

This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Settings page.
Windows 10: File Explorer Pinned Taskbar shortcut error.

And the same error occurs when using the Win + E shortcut or running explorer.exe manually.

In earlier Operating Systems (e.g., Windows 8 and below), the following error is displayed:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Please install a program or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel.

And using the Win + E key sequence causes “Unspecified error”

However, Explorer may launch correctly when including additional switches such as /e or /n with explorer.exe, or double-click the This PC icon. Also, all other shortcuts for other applications Pinned to the Taskbar may work fine, thus implying that this is not a Shortcut (.lnk) file association problem.

Cause

This problem occurs due to missing data in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folders registry key. The File Explorer pinned shortcut located at the following path is a special shortcut that references a value under the “Folder” registry key:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

Information in this article applies to Windows Vista through Windows 10.Read more

How to Remove Pin to Taskbar Option For a Particular Application in Windows 7?

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If you have a host application that you don’t want to be pinned to the Windows 7 taskbar, you can do so by adding a registry value in the application registration area. By default Windows prevents the following host processes from being pinned to the taskbar.

  1. RUNDLL32.EXE
  2. MSHTA.EXE
  3. DLLHOST.EXE
  4. APPLAUNCH.EXE
  5. HH.EXE
  6. WINHLP32.EXE
  7. MMC.EXE

… and other file names defined in the following registry key in string values HostApps, AddRemoveApps and AddRemoveNames

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ FileAssociation

To remove the Pin to Taskbar (and "Pin this program to taskbar") context menu options for a particular application, use these steps:Read more

How to Add a Right-Click Menu Option to Run a Program Elevated

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take ownership right-click menu

From the Windows Taskbar, you can start a program elevated by holding the Ctrl & Shift keys and then clicking on a pinned shortcut. To launch a program elevated from the right-click menu, you can add custom entries and launch it using a script or using the NirCmd utility. Earlier we wrote about the new elevate command-line argument in NirCmd, which you can implement in the context menu.

This article tells you how to add a right-click menu option to run a program elevated.

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Error “Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file” When Playing DVD Movies

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When you insert a DVD media in the drive, right-click on the drive and choose Play from the context menu, the following error may occur. Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item. However, you may be able to play DVD movies via … Read more

How to Run System File Checker (SFC) Offline in Windows 10/11 & Earlier

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The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a useful tool that lets you scan the integrity of Windows system files and repair corrupt or missing system files. Numerous cases have been resolved by running the sfc.exe /scannow command.

However, there are situations wherein a corrupt or missing system file prevents Windows from booting normally or prevents Command Prompt and console programs like Sfc.exe from being launched. In such cases, Sfc.exe can be run offline via the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) in all versions of Windows, including Windows 11.Read more