(soft) file associations lost

[PGA]

So that's why I am seeing two entries for Audacity? I had assumed they were for the two versions that I have installed (on Win 7, of course, in my case). How can I confirm that my two entries do, indeed, relate to the two different Registry entries?

[steve]

So that's why I am seeing two entries for Audacity?

Well that's the thing, Windows 7 does not have the same options in the "Folder Options control panel" so you couldn't have done it exactly like this.
How did you set up the file associations?

[PGA]

The file associations with WAV and MP3 have always been done via Open With... Browse to desired program... make sure the "always" box is ticked... and OK everything. They have usually been stolen away from Windows Media Player - although on one previous system I had them associated with VLC prior to associating them with Audacity.

I have no recollection of having to set file associations manually for the .aup files. Nor, as an aside but related to this subject, have I ever had to set file associations manually for the .pte files associated with PicturesToExe software. Indeed, when that software goes through its regular beta programme, the Install Wizard gives the user the option to move the file association to the new beta version. Each beta version and each official version installs into its own folder structure so you can have all beta versions co-existing with all your "official" versions.

I have no idea whether this next info is relevant or not but it seems prudent to declare it so you can build a clearer and more detailed mental picture. Once each week I run Iobit's Advanced System Care Pro to clean up the PC's environment. This process includes what Iobit call a "Deep Registry Clean": how deep and how clean I have no idea. Once each month I run Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. The "always on" anti-invasion software is Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows Firewall is the active firewall and the PC sits behind a wireless router providing hardware firewall capability.

[Gale Andrews]

If you don't, and never have installed Audacity, using "Open With" does not create a permanent file association. The file will open that one time, but to make the file association "stick" Windows tells the user to use "Folder Options control panel"

I thought you might have meant the case where a file type has no associated program, but testing that on XP here, the association does "stick" for me using "Open with" to set an unzipped version of Audacity to (try to) open a "UVW" file - no versions of Audacity installed, registry wiped of Audacity* keys but not values or data.

By using the Folder Options control panel it IS possible to create multiple file associations from one file type to multiple instances of Audacity with identical file names. However, for this to work the user must work around a bug in Windows and manually enter "%1" after the path to the executable.

To be clear, this is entering the "%1" using the Folder Options > "Advanced" route, and the identical audacity.exe app name is in both application paths? And this is therefore not using the "Open with" dialogue, although you named the context menu items "Open with"?

Somewhat confusingly there will be a maximum of 2 icons in the "Open with" list - one of which refers to the registry key

audacity.exe > shell > open
and the other (if there is a second icon) refers to the registry key
aup_auto_file > shell > name > command

OK. though that is yet another reason not to use Folder Options . Windows Vista/7 just does not have that File Types functionality built in. You have to use a third-party tool like http://defaultprogramseditor.com/ .

@PGA, you can check easily whether different Audacity versions open with each icon in "open with" - look at Help > About Audacity. I suspect, since right-click over the file > Open with only produces one icon, you are opening different Audacity versions. The registry cleaner you use could be relevant if it is completing or adding quotes to give correct syntax.



Gale

[PGA]

@PGA, you can check easily whether different Audacity versions open with each icon in "open with" - look at Help > About Audacity. I suspect, since right-click over the file > Open with only produces one icon, you are opening different Audacity versions. The registry cleaner you use could be relevant if it is completing or adding quotes to give correct syntax.

Both entries in the "Open With..." list launch the MP3 file into Audacity 2.0. This means that, at present, the registry cleaner is irrelevant? I think this result confirms Steve's findings: i.e. there are two different Registry keys influencing behaviour of "Open With..." and both are set to use the same version of Audacity.

[levanter]

I was once having a problem with associating an .aup file to audacity 2.0.2.
Before, I was using Audacity 1.3.7 until I had problems recording. I then installed audacity 2.0.2 and uninstalled 1.3.7 but then I could not associate my previous .aup files to the new program so I searched the web and got myself here.

I admit, I did not read everything (there are just too many). But while reading this thread, I thought of installing the 1.3.7 and then I noticed a checkbox to associate .aup and didn't remember seeing that when I installed the 2.0.2. I finished the installation anyway. Then I uninstalled all of my audacity programs (some 1.3.7 files were not deleted so I deleted the entire folder from the programs folder) and re-installed 2.0.2 and noticed a checkbox to reset all preferences and checked that. Now, all my previous .aup files are associated to the audacity 2.0.2 and I only have one audacity installed in my computer.

wahaha...

i dunno... did this help?

anyways... I'm so happy today.
i hope you all are.

[levanter]

Even if you do what i did, i don't think you still wouldn't associate .wav or .mp3 to audacity 2.0.2 cuz i wasn't able to do that myself. hehe... I always do this step instead: open audacity program, then drag and drop to the program whatever audio file i am trying to edit.

[steve]

Even if you do what i did, i don't think you still wouldn't associate .wav or .mp3 to audacity 2.0.2 cuz i wasn't able to do that myself. hehe

If you want to be able to associate WAV / MP3 files with Audacity, you need to remove the old registry settings. See here for an easy way to do that: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 46&t=65062 (short thread - read all 6 posts.)

[Gale Andrews]

I thought of installing the 1.3.7 and then I noticed a checkbox to associate .aup and didn't remember seeing that when I installed the 2.0.2. I finished the installation anyway. Then I uninstalled all of my audacity programs (some 1.3.7 files were not deleted so I deleted the entire folder from the programs folder) and re-installed 2.0.2 and noticed a checkbox to reset all preferences and checked that. Now, all my previous .aup files are associated to the audacity 2.0.2 and I only have one audacity installed in my computer.

The Audacity 2.x installers automatically associate AUP files with Audacity, so no longer offer this as an option.


Gale