Solved Cannot change default file association

Hello everyone-

When I installed a graphics viewer (Irfanview) I elected the majority of image extensions to be opened by Irfanview by default. I then installed an image editor (Gimp 2.6.8) and changed the image file associations to Gimp with the exception of .gif files. So by default Irfanview has been opening .gif's for the past 6 months.
I wanted to change the file association of .gif's to Gimp so I did what I've been doing since Windows 98. Right click > Open With > Change Default Program... and then browse to the executable I want as the default. In this case I browse to Gimp.exe and click it, however, Gimp (the icon) does not appear in the "Open With" window for me to select. Why it is not being recognized when I select it is beyond me. The only way I can open a .gif file in Gimp is to open the program first and then the File > Open method.
The only thing that is somewhat different with the Gimp install is that I always create an installation folder in C:\ versus the usual C:\Program Files. So when I browse for the .exe the path is C:\Gimp2.6.8\bin\Gimp2.6.exe. But when I click on it, nothing happens.
I did have .tif files associated with Irfanview as well, but I was able to change the default program to Gimp in the manner described above.
Using Vista Home Premium SP2 and have installed all Windows updates.
Any help in changing the default file association to Gimp would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Hi markaz,

Where exactly is the gimp.exe file you mentioned located - or did you really mean that other name? You may just be using the wrong locaion or executable file (even if you did it for .tif files - maybe you did it different).

You say when you click on Gimp2.6.exe nothing happens, yet you said you could upen Gimp. I don't understand. What is this Gimp thing in C:\ and why isn't it in Program Files and are you sure there isn't another set of Gimp folders that is installed in Program Files? How are you opening Gimp? If a shortcut, right click on it and click on properties and tell me the precise target path and filename. That path and filename are what you should be using to establish the association.

Go to Start / Default Programs / Associate a file or protocol with a program. Then scroll to something using gimp and see what it says about the location of the default if it is Gimp. Now scroll to .gif and see what's the default. Click on change and see if Gimp appears. If not, click on browse and go to the gimp.exe file that is opening the Gimp program (from the shortcut or from wherever else you can find it) and choose that file and make it the default for .gif files. That should take care of the problem if you're using the correct exectutable file.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Thanks for the quick reply Lorien. I'll answer some of your questions then do what you suggest.
"Where exactly is the gimp.exe file you mentioned located": In the folder C:\
"You say when you click on Gimp2.5.exe nothing happens": After I right click the .gif > Open With from the menu then you have the window with the selections of programs used to open the file or browse to the .exe you want to use. When I navigate to Gimp2.6.exe and click on it, it does not appear in the Open With window for me to select.
"What is this Gimp thing in C:\ and why isn't it in Program Files": Gimp is the image editor and I always install this program in a folder I create in C:\. It doesn't need to be installed in the Program File folders.
"are you sure there isn't another set of Gimp folders that is installed in Program Files": Excellent question. No there isn't. I use Everything to create a database of all file on the drive and nothing appears there. I also checked the registry for any entries other than those for Gimp 2.6.8.

Hi markaz,

If gimp.exe opens the program, why are you trying to use gimp2.6.exe to do so? I really don't understand that.

But you need only answer that if the options I provided don't work. If they do, yippee! If not, then please answer the above along with explaining what happened when you tried what I suggested and the name and location of the shortcut target file and anything else you think might help.

I realize that programs don't have to be installed in Program Files, but sometimes installing them in the root directory can cause permission issues - though I don't believe that's the case here (especially if it worked for .tif files and is working for other files) even though it is very remotely possible (but highly unlikely).

Also, if it doesn't work, try changing .gif to any other program (use Paint if necessary) and then after confirming it did change, then try again to change it to Gimp - maybe another change will remove whatever is blocking it from happening.

Even if it works, This may not fix the "Open With" problem - just allow you to double-click on .gif files and get them to open with Gimp. The "Open With" issue may be an entirely different issue.

If the above don't work and/or you have problems with "Open With", then check out the following tutorials which explain things a lot better than I can:

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/126340-open-add-program.html

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/69758-default-programs.html

I hope this helps (or isn't necessary).

Good luck!

The exact name of the executable is gimp-2.6.exe. Any variant I may have stated would be due to rushing while typing, shortening, etc. Sorry for any confusion.
What you offered did not work. But like right-clicking and then clicking on Open With, both methods result in the Open With window opening with Recommended programs' and Other programs' icons. From here when I browse to C:\Gimp_2.6.8\bin\gimp-2.6.exe and click on it the Gimp icon SHOULD appear in the Open With window available to be clicked on....but it does not appear.
I changed jpg's and bmp's to open with Photo Gallery and then back to Gimp. It worked as it should with Gimp being made available in the Open With window.
You may be right.....it may be a bug with the Open With function and only occurs with gif's.
I will probably try a re-install of Gimp where you are given the option during setup to select file associations. Only this time I will select GIF.

Hi markaz,

I believe re-installing will fix the problem. It shouldn't need to be that complicated, but if none of the other suggestions worked and they do work for other file types, then somehow .gif may be locked up. It's not the most elegant solution and is more involved than I'd prefer, but it sounds to me like it will solve the problem (and unlike many other programs, this one probably didn't involve a lot of customization or upgrading/updating so it shouldn't be all that difficult - and almost certainly will take less time than we'd need to spend trying to figure out how to resolve the .gif problem another way).

I hope this helps and that it works (it certainly should).

Good luck!

It worked. While the problem is solved I will still be left with the dissatisfaction of not knowing exactly why the default couldn't be changed by conventiaonal means. C'est la vie!

Thanks for your assistance, Lorien.

Hi markaz,

Excellent news. Sorry it had to be done that way, but we'd have probably spent hours trying to find another solution and ended up here anyway. I too am left perplexed by why it did not work and have no explanation - I've never actually seen it happen before with a single filetype like that (and hope I never see it again - LOL!).

Thanks for the feedback and info about the solution - it is appreciated.

I am going to request that this thread be marked as solved (even if the method wasn't what either of us hoped for when we started).

Good luck and best wishes!