-----Original Message----- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 18:07:44 -0500 From: Ron Smith <[log in to unmask]> Subject: 'Open With' jammed I have accidentally altered the settings in my computer (AMD Sempron, WIN= XP) so that most of the programs in Control Panel open in WordPad, in Co= de, making them inaccessible. System Restore, which I hoped to use to esc= ape this mess, also opens in WordPad, in code; and if I select RUN AS, I'= m told I haven't got security clearance (this is a home PC, no network). When I reboot, a Wordpad windoe appears superimposed on the desktop, actu= ally a whole stack of them, each showing a different file in code, such a= s qttask, swdoctor, SOUNDMAN, etc, and each must be deleted by mouse clic= k. This happened, apparently, as I was deleting some old Compaq Diagnostics = files from a floppy; one (DIAG.EXE) would not delete, so I opened it in W= ordPad to see if a clue could be found - this led to an MSDOS screen app= earing which I exited from, using A for abort. Now, Wordpad is the only d= evice which opens nearly all programs. How can I return to the normal setup for opening ( and making use of) pro= grams? (In Control Panel, Administrative tools will open normally, but no= t System which comes up in WP). Help desperately needed! ------------------------------ I experienced this type of problem recently because of a popular anti-spyware app. Somehow on re-boot, it denied some registry 'changes' and I was unable to open any program unless I navigated to the program folder and selected the *.exe file and then 'run as' from within that file. Apparently, the association of *.exe files has been replaced with Wordpad. Every single program you have will need to be reassociated with the *.exe file that runs it. There may be a way to alter this in the registry, but I could not find it with my PC. If you have recent backups of your documents and programs, you might need to re-install Windows if a repair installation does not work. Do you own a Windows disk? Maybe another member will have a solution that would prove less drastic. Chris Ryan [log in to unmask] "Hold No Punches.." Rode brings you great shareware/freeware programs with his honest opinions in this weekly column. http://freepctech.com/rode