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I have a file with .daa extension. I don’t know the associated program to open this file. Can you please tell me how to open or use this file?

The DAA File Extension

The DAA file extension stands for “Direct Access Archive.” It is used for disk image files, or ISO image files, which are images of CDs or DVDs. For example, if you wanted to run a CD-ROM from your hard drive rather than constantly having to insert the actual disc, you could make a disk image file of the CD, store the file on your hard drive, and mount the file directly from the hard drive rather than from the CD.

The DAA Format

However, disk image formats such as the .daa format, often require specific software. In this case, the .daa format is a proprietary format than can only be opened with PowerISO which is an image file processing utility.

The .daa format is more advanced than some of its contemporary image file formats. It supports password protection, compression, and splitting into multiple volumes. Because it supports password protection, if the file that want to open happens to be password protected, you will need to have the appropriate password as well as PowerISO in order to open it.

Opening DAA Files

You will need to purchase PowerISO, a commercial product that retails for about $30 US. Before buying the full product, download the trial version as it should allow you to open the .daa file if it is under 300 MB. The trial version does not allow you to create or edit image files over 300 MB, but you may be able to open your existing one. Try the trial first to find out for sure.

PowerISO is compatible with Windows 98 through Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit versions) though the internal virtual drive requires Windows 2000 or above. You will also need at least 10 MB of free hard disk space, 64 MB of RAM, and an Intel Pentium 166MHz or above.

Converting DAA Files

Another option is to convert your .daa file to a more universal image file format using a tool such as MagicISO. MagicISO is also a commercial product. A tutorial by TechZilo discusses using other tools such as DAA 2 ISO.

I cannot get any Power Point viewer show to show through my Outlook Express. I always have to save it through my documents in order to open it. Can you help me?

Set File Associations

There are things you can do to set file associations so that your email client can open the PowerPoint files you want, but in this case I might first suggest that you update your web browser and your email program.

Outlook Express vs. Windows Live Mail

Outlook Express is the mail client associated with Internet Explorer versions up until version 4 and was bundled with Microsoft XP. Since then, Microsoft released a new mail client called Windows Mail with Vista. Incorporating aspects of both, there is now Windows Live Mail, which is supported by both Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and Vista. You would also need to upgrade to Internet Explorer version 6 or later.

Update your Software Programs

Newer software programs are more likely to be compatible with other applications and programs. It’s a good idea to keep your software updated for optimal functioning. If you want to use newer versions, you can update your operating system with Service Packs here, get the latest version of Internet Explorer here, and download Windows Live Mail here.

Set File Associations in XP

That said - you might not want to change your programs, or you might still have file assignment issues with the latest programs. If you are running XP, here are the steps to change the file associations for PowerPoint Viewer (.PPV) and PowerPoint Presentation (.PPT) files

1. Click Start, then Run
2. In the Search box, type in CONTROL FOLDERS
3. From the screen that opens, choose the File Types tab
4. Scroll to the PPS Microsoft PowerPoint Slideshow entry
5. Choose Advanced, then New
6. In the Action text bar, type in Open
7. Now, in the Application Used to Perform Action bar, type
   • “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\PowerPoint Viewer\pptview.exe” “%1″ for PowerPoint Viewer 2003
   • “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\pptview.exe” “%1″ for PowerPoint Viewer 2007
8. Click to remove the check from the Use DDE box
9. Click OK, then OK again
10. Close the window

If you are also having problems with PowerPoint Presentation (.PPT) files, repeat the same steps for the PPT   (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation) Entry.

Set File Associations in Vista

If you are running Vista, here are some steps to assign associations for PowerPoint Slideshow (.PPS)

1. Click the Start button
2. In the search box, type in regedit.exe and press Enter
3. Find the following entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11\shell\Show
4. Right click Show, then choose Rename
5. Now type in Open so that Open replaces Show
6. If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007, find the entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.12\shell\Show and repeat the same steps as above to change Show to Open
7. Close the Registry Editor window

For PowerPoint Presentation (.PPT) files

1. Follow the same steps as above and find the registry entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.11\shell\Show
2. Change Show to Open using the same process, then close the window

I cannot open PDF attachments. The comment I get is that I need a “Set Association Control Panel.”

Download Adobe Reader

Sounds like your computer doesn’t yet understand how to open PDF files. It is telling you that it does not know what program to use to open the file. In fact, your computer may not have the program installed, so let’s start there. PDF files are portable document files that require Adobe Reader in order to view them. The idea behind PDF files is that it is a more universal format. Not everyone has Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Quickbooks, or other programs. Therefore, not everyone can read the documents created by these programs. However, if the documents are published as PDF files, then they are more easily shared.

Set File Associations

Once you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, your computer most likely will know to use it whenever a PDF file is clicked. If it does not, then you will need to manually set the file association. This is a simple matter of right-clicking a PDF file and choosing Open With. Windows will display several suggested programs. If Adobe Reader is suggested, select it. If not, you’ll need to browse your computer (Choose Default Program > Browse) and select it that way. Once Adobe Reader is selected, place a check mark in the box that says, “Always use the selected program to open this type of file.”

If you have Windows Vista, you can also use the Default Programs icon in the Control Panel to perform this action. Go to the Start button and type “Default Programs” in the Search bar. Click the Default Programs icon once it appears. Click the “Associate a file type or protocol with a program” link. Find PDF in the list, highlight it, and click “Change.” Select Adobe Reader as the program for opening the file and place a check mark in the box that will make it the default program for PDF files.

Windows installed an update and now my .lnk and .exe files don’t work. Anytime I try to download a fix from the Internet, it’s, of course, an .exe file and won’t run. I’ve fixed some by right clicking and assigning the proper programs, but I’m afraid I incorrectly applied Internet Explorer to the wrong set of files when I tried to get the program to work, and I believe that complicated the problem. What should I do?

Resetting EXE Files

It’s frustrating when .exe files no longer work because, as you’ve found out, you often need to be able to run executable programs in order to troubleshoot the problem. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy (if you have Windows XP that is) to manually reset the .exe file association. In Windows XP, go to My Computer and click on the Tools menu. Choose Folder Options and click the File Types tab. Look for the .exe file extension in the list. If it’s not there, don’t be alarmed; you can add it manually.

If you see .exe, click it to highlight it and then change the file association to “application.” This tells Windows that .exe files are application files. If it had previously been labeled “HTML document,” then Internet Explorer would have launched in an attempt to open the file. By changing it back to application, Windows will now know what to do when you click an .exe file.

If .exe is not in your list, click on New and enter EXE in the file extension text box. Select “application” from the dropdown Associated File Type list. Click OK (or Restore depending on your computer).

For those who are running Windows Vista, the process is more complicated. View this Restoring EXE File Association article for more information.

Resetting LNK Files

LNK files are link files such as shortcuts. When you click a .lnk icon, it redirects you to the underlying .exe file for which it is linked. When everything is as it should be, the .exe file then launches. However, if the .exe file association is broken, then the .lnk file will not work. If you were having trouble opening an .exe file via a .lnk shortcut, then it’s likely that once you restore the .exe file association, the shortcut will work as expected.

Let us know if your .lnk files do not work after restoring your .exe file association because if they don’t, there’s a registry edit that you can make that might solve the problem.

I have an attachment sent to me. When I try to open the attachment, the pop up window asks me to create an association with the association control panel. The only option is to answer OK. I had no luck creating an association and sent the email back to my friend who had no problem opening it on her end. The attachment is a confirmation letter.

When you get this message when you try to open an attachment, it means that the computer thinks that you don’t have the program that is associated with it. For example, if someone sends you a PowerPoint file with the extension PPL, and you don’t have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you will get this message. It can also happen when you actually do have the program installed, but the computer isn’t associating that file with that program by default or simply isn’t recognizing that the program is present.

Convert to PDF

If you are sent a file and you don’t have the program on your computer, you will need to purchase and/or download that program in order to be able to open the attachment. If you don’t want to purchase a particular program just to view a file, you can often turn it into a PDF file and open it with Adobe Acrobat that you can download for free. In order to covert the file to PDF, you need to get the free download from PDF Online Server. Once it is converted, you will be able to open the file, but you won’t be able to make any changes to it. This is usually a good solution for something that you will only need to read once - it can be a hassle if it is something you are going to do regularly.

Create an Association

If you do have the program that the file is using installed on your computer, you can create an association by going to Start and then All Programs. Click on Default and then click on “Associate a file type or protocol with a program”. Then click on the extension you need and change the program button to select the program you want to open it.

Saving the File and Opening it Outside of the E-mail Client 

If you do have the appropriate application for opening the file, sometimes saving the file to your hard drive and then opening it manually from within the application works. For example, if the letter is a .doc file and you have Microsoft Word, save the file to the My Documents folder and then open Word. Try opening the file that you just saved.

If you know that you have the program, but creating an association still won’t let you open the attachment, you may have to reinstall or repair the program in question.

How do I open a TCX file created by Garmin ForeRunner 50 into a format that can be printed?

What are TCX Files?

TCX files are XML data files that are used with Garmin fitness devices such as your ForeRunner device. Your device should have come with software called the Garmin Training Center. If it did not, then you’ll want to make sure to head to Garmin.com/forerunner to download this software. When the ForeRunner device is within range of your computer, it wirelessly connects to this training center where you can view detailed information about your workouts.

Using the Garmin Training Center to Open and Print TCX Files

You can’t! I went ahead and downloaded the current version of the Garmin Training Center in the hopes of finding a print feature. After working in the software for a few minutes, I certainly understand your dilemma. There’s no print feature whatsoever!

Exporting Data and Opening the TCX File

Next, I looked for other export options other than exporting to a TCX file. No such luck. I created a dummy workout and exported it as a TCX file to see what other options I could find. Because it’s a data file, you can use Notepad to open it. Since I do not have a device, I couldn’t gauge the usefulness of using Notepad to view the data. I think a better option is to use Excel to open the TCX file.

With that in mind, I did. In this case, I had exported a test workout with very little information. Excel broke the data into various columns. Try using Excel and see if the data is laid out in a manner that makes sense.

Other Options

Why the Garmin Training Center lacks a print feature is beyond me as this seems like something people would want to use. If using Notepad and Excel don’t work well, the next best option that I can think of is to use the Print Screen function of your computer and then copy and paste the screenshot into a document or Microsoft Paint where you can print it out.

To use Print Screen, find the key on your keyboard labeled PrtSc. Pressing this key will create a screenshot. Now use the Edit > Paste command in Word, Microsoft Paint, or a similar program to paste the screenshot. From there, you can use the application’s print command to print it out.