[How-To] Change File Association Types in Windows XP

With Windows, when you double-click ( by default, you can definitely always modify the click properties to enable file opening on single click) a file to open it, Windows XP examines the file name extension. If Windows XP recognizes the file name extension, it opens the file in the program that is associated with that file name extension. This is called as Files Associations. It is in short, an association between File extension and the application which opens those types of files. For example, when you double click on .doc extension files, if you have windows word installed, windows by default opens .doc files with Microsoft Word. This happens because of a file association set in the background. However, there always can be multiple programs which can handle a specific file extension and if you wish to change to a specific file extension from the current association, this post is what you need to read till the end.

In order to change the File extension and Application association, follow the steps mentioned below

1.) Double click on “My Computer” or open up Windows Explorer view. Open Windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start button, and then click Explore.

2.) From the menu, select Tools –> Folder Options.

3.) From the Folder Options menu, select the submenu titled File Types. This then opens up a list with all the current file association mappings.

4.) Lets assume we wish to change the file association type for file extension .zip which opens up in WinZip by default. From the list, select the file extension zip. This tell you that the current association of zip file extension is WinRAR. Now if you wish to change this to Winzip, Click the button named Change and select appropriate program from the list that comes. In this case, select WinZip. 

5.) Press Close. 

Next time you open a file extension .zip file ( or for that matter the file extension for which you just changed ) it will open with WinZip.

 

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