Adding to Open With "Other Programs" list

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6137

Ok, maybe it was simple all along, but I've never been able to find the registry entry (or instructions that didn't make me a little scared) to add notepad to the Open With list permanently, when I wanted to look inside various files. Sometimes it would be there at the top list of defaults. But when it wasn't, I always had to browse for it, because I didn't want to set notepad as the default for unusual files...just in case.

I started another quest today and I finally found something that did it, simply. Other tools I found seemed to be more complicated than I wanted to do, or actually changed the way Window's Open With worked, by substituting their own version of Open With.

Today I found this. And it doesn't install, which is icing on the cake.

Quote:

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 utility can be helpful in circumstances where, when you browse to locate an application, it does not get added to the Open With dialog.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/openwithadd.htm

Success! It added notepad to "other programs" so I don't have to browse to it anymore.

Just thought I'd share this in case it could be useful to someone else.

rovingcowboy · Joined: Jan 26, 2003 Posts: 1216

glad you got it working a way you can use.

but the old freeware version 6 of XTEQ still found on majorgeeks.com
has a simple plugin that allows you to add anything you want to use with the open with. link on the context menu.

it also has a plugin where you can add and remove things on there by checking a box.

but since it is no longer supported by the xteq devleopers the old free version has no more updates of plugins.

still the ones that come with it should do the job for you.
not sure if it is unsupported because of vista errors or not?
but the new version is purchess only.

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6137

Thanks for the tip. I'd forgotten about that program.

I'd looked at it in the past, especially when I was new to computers and didn't know my way around; how to change things through the registry or script writing to do things. I played around with it some, way back when. TweakUI comes to mind too. But if memory serves, if you want to uninstall them, then you have to be careful to remove any tweaks you don't want to keep before uninstalling. (They may have "go backs" built in now. I don't know.)

But I've never been a big fan of programs like that. I've just never been fond of the idea of installing something that does a hundred things just so I could do the one or two things I'm looking for. Besides, having all those "goodies" in one place is too much of a temptation for me, anyway. I'd tend to tweak my way into a reinstall of Windows by doing stuff I don't really understand. lol!

I guess it's all in one's personal preferences. I just love finally finding that registry fix or those little tools and utilities (most of which you don't have to install) floating around the net. It might take me awhile to find them, but when I do, it really gives me a kick.

I appreciate your feedback though. I'm sure there are others reading this thread who'll find it useful for them. Thanks again.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3751

Another possibility is to add a shortcut to notepad (or any other program) in the "send to" menu (instructions here). I have to use that method at work because the administrators, in their infinite "wisdom" prevent me from even adding a file association!