How do remove programs from the "Open With..." context menu?

I could swear that doing this is real simple, but I cannot figure it out.


I want to remove all but one program from the "Open With..." context menu for TIF and TIFF files. I could swear that you could do this with the "Folder Options" control panel, but I cannot. I have even tried deleting the file types, and recreating them. But the other applications automatically reappear. Is this information in the registry? If so, where?

 

Hi Close Hauled
One way of doing it

Right click file
In the context menu choose open with
Select the choose program option
Select the program and tick the box Always use this program
to open this kind of file

Hope this helps

 

is this what youre looking for:

Show Programs in the Open With Selection Box (All Windows) at Registry Guide for Windows

 

What I want to do is remove the other programs in the list except one.

The OpenWithList key for TIF files can be found here:

Code:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.tif

Windows insists on adding "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer", "Internet Explorer", and "Paint" to the list. I just want one program in there, which is a company internal program for viewing TIF files.

This is close, but I need to be specific to TIF files only. This approach will stop that application from showing up at all for all files.

 

why do u need apps removed from the open with dialog box for .tiff files? just associate a program with .tiff and you wont have to worry about open with.

 

For some reason the program will not open the TIF files if other applications are in the context menu. It comes up with an error message that says "Cannot Open File". I do not know why it does this, but I have confirmed that that is the way it works.

The one guy that I know who knows how to fix it is on vacation. So I am trying to figure it out on my own.

 

so if even you recreate the .tiff file type (in folder options), it still wont open properly with the program?

 

Hey CH,

Have you attempted to look in the below reg location where .tif file extensions Open With entries are stored

HKCR\.tif\OpenWithList

 

maybe u can go to HKCR and delete the .tif and .tiff. then open a tiff picture with the program u want. see if itll work then.

u can also see if opening .tiff with a different program works properly.

 

Another alternative might be to add a new listing to the Context menu.
You could have your company program listed as the top item in the Context menu.

 

this probably won't do it, but i can't try it out because i've stopped using Windows
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shell_menu_view.html

 

This is because the programs automatically install a filetype in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\

Whereupon Windows builds the Open With key on startup by scanning all of the shell\open\command registry keys.

An old trick is to to add a NoOpenWith REG_SZ value name to the application's subkey. For example, the following sample registry entry excludes MyProgram.exe from the Open With Dialog box:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
...
Applications
...
MyProgram.exe ---> add new String Value - NoOpenWith

Windows will bypass this key and it will not appear in the Open With Menu.

regards,

rich

 

i suggested that, but Close_Haul only wanted teh programs removed in the Open With box for one file type. that method removes it from the Open With dialog for all files.

 

OK - I see that now.

I would then try GroverH's solution.

 

Close_Hauled:
Troubleshooting:
1. The number of programs (or their names) listed in the "Open With" context menu should have no bearing on whether the programs function.
2. From the Start/programs menu, open your company program. Then from inside the program, do a "file open" and browse to and open the image in question. If it fails to open, then either the program or the image has a problem. If it fails to open, then open another image editing program and re-open the same image again with the alternate program. If the image opens, then it would appear that the company program is at fault. If the image fails to open with the alternate program, then the image is at fault.
3. It is also possible that the syntax is wrong on the "open with" option listing the company program". The command line program info should be enclosed in quotes and have a suffix of "%1" also inclosed in quotes--such as sample below:
"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\PhotoshopElements.exe" "%1"
Note the "%1" may or maynot require quotes--depending upon the program.
4. All of the above changes are accessible thru the "Folder Options/File type/.tif extension/advanced" options You can make the Company program as the default value by clicking the program name and the default option setting.