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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 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

Fix, Open and Manage PDF File Extensions with FILECURE!

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.

All my programs ask me what I want to open them with. How do I get them back to normal?

I have Windows Vista and accidentally used “open with” on some zip files and selected an inappropriate program. Now I can’t turn them back to the normal zipped up folder icon. I can’t extract anything from the zip files.

The “Open With” Option

This sounds like you accidentally told Windows to always use the alternate program for opening ZIP files. Whenever you use Open With and then browse for the default program, there’s a small option with a check box that says, “Always use the selected program to open this kind of file.” That check box most likely had a checkmark in it once you selected a program to open the ZIP file. If so, now, whenever you want to open a ZIP file, that program will attempt to open it. And, if the program selected is not capable of extracting ZIP files, it won’t work. So, you’ll need to set a new file association.

You should be able to do this by reversing the Open With process. However, Windows Vista uses its own built-in decompression function, so ZIP file associations are the exception to the general file association rules. Let’s try reversing Open With first. If that doesn’t work, you can try either using System Restore or editing the Windows Registry.

Reversing “Open With”

First, let’s get rid of the check mark in that “Always use the selected program” box. Right-click any one of the ZIP files and choose Open With> Choose Default Program. Now, clear the check mark. Normally, you would click Browse and search for an appropriate program for unzipping files such as Winzip (if so, you’d want to mark the check box), but in this case Windows Vista’s Windows Explorer is capable of unzipping compressed files.

Once the check mark is removed and you have clicked OK to confirm your decision, go back to the ZIP file and right-click it. Now, choose Extract All. This should extract your compressed files.

Problems Setting the ZIP File Association via Default Programs in Windows Vista

While you can set most file associations in Vista through the Default Programs icon, the ZIP file extension is absent from this list. Windows Vista has its own decompression functions built-into its Windows Explorer program. If reversing the Open With option didn’t work, then it’s time to either do a System Restore (if you have valid restore points from just before the accidental switch) or manually edit the Windows Registry. Hopefully you have a good restore point, because that’s the easiest and safest choice.

Resetting the ZIP File Association by Editing the Windows Registry

Note that editing the Windows Registry is always risky. Backup your registry by creating a restore point before attempting this tweak.

Go to Start and type regedit in the Search bar. Click the regedit.exe icon. Navigate to the following:

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

Delete the UserChoice subkey and exit Regedit.

Because the ZIP file association is an exception to the rule, please write back and let us know if any of these steps worked, and if so, which one it was. Future readers will appreciate it.

Microsoft Money uses OFX files when you download banking information from your bank. Normally, after the download completes, you’re prompted with a dialog box that asks you if you’d like to open the file. If so, Microsoft Money launches (if it is not already open) and imports the financial data contained within the OFX file.

However, other applications such as Microsoft Accounting also use OFX files. Some programs install onto computers and set themselves up as the default application for specific file types. So, in this particular case, once Microsoft Accounting was installed, the file association for OFX files was changed. Now, whenever you try to work with an OFX file or a Microsoft Money download from the bank, Microsoft Accounting automatically launches.

Since this is undesirable behavior and you would prefer to import your financial data into Microsoft Money, you will need to change the file association back so that Microsoft Money is the default application for opening OFX files.

This is fairly easy to do. First, open Windows Explorer by going to the Start button, right clicking it, and choosing Explore from the sub-menu. Next, find any .ofx file. If you aren’t sure where Microsoft Money stores OFX files, type *.ofx into the Search bar. This will display a list of any file found with the OFX file extension.

Now, right click the .ofx file and choose Open (or Open With) > Choose Default Program. Your computer will display a list of likely programs such as Microsoft Accounting and Microsoft Money Import Handler. Choose Microsoft Money Import Handler. Now, click a checkmark into the box that says, “Always use the selected program for this kind of file.” Click OK. This means that Microsoft Money is now the default application for opening OFX files, not Microsoft Accounting.

This problem isn’t unique to Microsoft Money and Microsoft Accounting. Many different applications change file associations. They do so in an effort to promote usage. After all, if you have several competing programs on your computer, it’s in the software developer’s best interest to promote their own product. Media players commonly do this as do Web browsers and e-mail clients. Some applications have options that allow them to automatically check to be sure that they are the default application. If the file association has been changed, the program will prompt you the next time you launch it with a notice along the lines of “Windows Mail is not currently the default e-mail program. Would you like to make it the default e-mail program?”

Now that you know how to deal with resetting file associations, you can set your own default file associations for common file types. Prefer to use PhotoShop Elements for editing .jpg files rather than MS Paint? Simply change the file association for .jpg images.