does anybody know how to fix/change this please...?

[the_solidshadow]

at the moment, when i right click a file, like an image file (as shown below) the menu in the pic comes up, and the "open with ->" isnt there :(. before, it used to be there and now its gone, its really getting quite inconvenient. does anybody know how to change this? please, it would mean a lot to me.
thanks in advance :)

[the_solidshadow]

sorry, forgot to post the pic:

[Buonarroti]

hmmmm...well if you`ve recently installed an image program ie: photoshop......and during the install....you told photoshop...or whatever app to read all image files....then you won`t get the choose program tab...as the app you installed..will just open the file by default....

[TheOne]

Hold down the "shift" key, while right-clicking on it...this might help.

[Buonarroti]

or you can do a reg-edit




The Open With context menu is only available when you Shift+right-click a file. But there is a way to add this option automatically to the menu every time you right-click a file. Launch the registry editor and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command\. This subkey is actually the action to open the "Open With" box for "unknown" files when windows can't find the suitable application to open a file with.

To add this action to every file, we must copy out the value of the Default string on the right pane. Press Ctrl+C or right-click and select Copy.

Now go back to the top of the list and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*. Right-click on it and choose New Key. Name this subkey shell. Right-click on shell key and add a new subkey named openas. Right-click this key and add a new subkey named command. Now double-click the default string value in the right-hand pane. A dialog box will pop up. Press Ctrl-V to paste the complicated command line you copied earlier. Click OK.

In case you haven't noticed, we have made an exact copy of the subtree in the \Unknown tree. Now, every time you right-click a file, you will have an "Open With" option.

[the_solidshadow]

thanks, but that doesnt seem to work, and neither does the shift+rightclick method. any ideas guys? or anyone else?

[Ironbuket]

Try this:

Just do "open" on some file type that your system doesnt know. Make a text file with .123 at the end if you have to.

When you try to open it, it will ask what program to use. Choose notepad and not to remember your choice.

After you have done this the "open with" option should now appear on your right-click menu.

I dont know why this happens, or why doing this fixes it, but ive seen it happen before and thats what I did.

[USED]

here is all you guys ever wanted to know about right click menus in windows... EDIT: MAKE SURE U ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR REG BEFORE U DO ANYTHING WITH IT!!!
feast your geekdome on this :D http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/ui_cntxt.html
this will let you know how to fix your problems shadow
ps you can do some very cool things if you can follow these instructions, like make all unknow files types open in notepad.. very useful for techs (Ironbucket, and Buonarroti ;)

[Ironbuket]

If you are just wanting a easy way to open things in notepad you dont have to associate them like that. What I do is in your "C:\Documents and Settings\...\send to" directory, just paste a shortcut to notepad.

Then you can simply right-click and "send to" on any file you want to open in notepad.

[USED]

yeah.. but that is only kind of geeky IB... my way is ubergeeky :D
hey I get bored at work LOL I have nothing else to do sometimes...

[Buonarroti]

geeks..lol...hey USED ...didn`t we have this discussion on MSN ha ha ha....I`m not sure if I`ve reached the level of ubergeek yet....!!!damn pocket protector keeps slipping!!!....uuuuggggg :D