Member Avatar for GriffIT34

right click, choose open with, the program i need isn't listed so i browse find the program in program files and open..............but it isn't part of the open list? This works fine on other pc's in office, what the _____ is going on.


Anybody with any experince with something like this?

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Quick, practical troubleshooting for when the "Open With" dialog won't stick (context: reported the behaviour and had suggested using the dialog). The symptom usually means Windows cannot write or update the per-user association data rather than the UI being broken. The checklist below shows safe, reversible steps to diagnose and fix it on Windows 2000/XP.

Why this happens: Windows stores per-user "open with" records under
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\<.ext>\
(in particular OpenWithList and OpenWithProgIDs). If those keys are missing, locked by permissions/policy, or the program did not register a ProgID, the Browse+OK action will appear to work but won't persist. Antivirus, roaming-profile issues, or broken installer registration can also be culprits.

Non-destructive fixes to try first

  • Back up the registry key for the extension (Regedit: File > Export).
  • Open Regedit and navigate to:
    HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\<.ext>\
    Remove only the OpenWithList and OpenWithProgIDs subkeys (Windows will rebuild them).
  • Use the GUI alternative: Control Panel -> Folder Options -> File Types -> (find your extension) -> Change/Advanced -> Add.
  • Command-line: set or check associations with assoc / ftype. Example:
assoc .xyz
assoc .xyz=MyApp.Document
ftype MyApp.Document="C:\Program Files\MyApp\MyApp.exe" "%1"
assoc .xyz
ftype MyApp.Document

If nothing changes, check for registry permission restrictions or group policy (corporate machines often lock association changes). Test with a new local user account to see if the problem is profile-scoped. Always export any registry keys before editing and avoid deleting keys you do not explicitly back up.

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Member Avatar for Dortz

as in, it does not add itself to the open list?

if that is the case, you can try checking the box: always use this program to open files of this type' in the 'choose program...' menu.

Member Avatar for GriffIT34

true it doesn't add itself to the list, and i did try checking the box first and it still won't add the program to the open list.

Member Avatar for GriffIT34

Problem solved:
I uninstalled the specific program and re-installed it, and bingo the program was in my open with list.

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