Show HTML file in default browser no longer working

[Starship]

Hi all,
I have UEStudio 10. I have been using it for a few weeks now in developing an html website. The button for "Show file in default browser " was working perfectly until now. Quite suddenly, all that happens is that the file to be displayed in my browser just opens in a new tab in UEStudio as e.g. "f1dgf~ue.html".

Is it possible that I have accidentally changed some settings? How do I fix this?

NOTE: If I change the default browser to Chrome, all is good again. But it does not work with Firefox anymore.

Thanks!

[Mofi]

You have obviously assigned UEStudio / UltraEdit as default application for opening files with extension HTML. All browsers have the option to register themselves as default application for opening HTML files and therefore you can overwrite the current registration of HTM, HTML, XHTML, ... files with the browser settings and it looks like you have done this now already with Chrome.

But it would be best to remove the registration of UEStudio / UltraEdit as default opening application for HTML. If you have made this assocation with UEStudio / UltraEdit itself, you can undo it also with UEStudio / UltraEdit by opening Advanced - Configuration - File Associations, select file extension HTML and press button Delete. UEStudio / UltraEdit deletes its file association with files with extension HTML and restores the remembered previous association (obviously Firefox).

If file extenion HTML is not listed in the file associations dialog of UEStudio / UltraEdit, the association was not done with UEStudio / UltraEdit or UES / UE detects already that the association was changed by you to Chrome.

Note: During a standard installation every browser associates itself as default browser (= opening application for various file extensions and protocol types like http, ftp, ...). Therefore when working with multiple browsers as good webpage developers do, you should install the browsers always with custom installation because during a custom installation you can uncheck the option to register the browser as default browser. Of course all browsers offer this option also in the configuration settings somewhere. So it is possible to change that also after installation.

And last but not least you can change the file associations also with Windows Explorer in Tools - Folder Options - File Types.

Changing file associations with any application requires administrator privileges.

[Starship]

Thank you, Mofi. Very good and comprehensive explanation. All fixed

[TFU_2011]

I do not know what went wrong with the configuration of UltraEdit, but now when I click on a hyperlink in some program (Foxit Reader for example), it opens not in a web browser but in UltraEdit (often as an "incorrect pass" error).

Please advise.

[Mofi]

Okay, I could see on your screenshot (already deleted) that you have not registered any file association with UltraEdit itself. But according to the problems there are file types or protocols nevertheless associated with UltraEdit, perhaps done with Windows Explorer directly or indirectly. Many Windows users click on button OK without knowing what they confirmed here with that button click.

I suggest you start Internet Explorer, open Tools - Internet Options - Programs, check the option Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser and close the dialog with button OK. Next exit Internet Explorer and restart it. Confirm that Internet Explorer registers itself now as default browser to restore Windows default settings. Open Tools - Internet Options - Programs, uncheck the option Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser, close the dialog with OK and exit IE.

As I could see on your screenshot (already deleted) your preferred browser is Chrome. Therefore start now Chrome. Follow the instructions given at Make Google Chrome your default browser to register Chrome now as application for file types *.htm, *.html, *.xht, *.xhtm, *.xhtml, ... and for the protocols ftp, http, etc. Now you should have no problem anymore.

In case there are still problems, perhaps because you have uninstalled Chrome, but Chrome has not restored the file associations correct, see How do I remove Google Chrome from being my default browser?

If nothing helps, it would be necessary to use Process Monitor from SysInternals to log which registry keys / values and which files are accessed resulting in the wrong behavior and therefore get the information what to change in registry to get correct behavior back.

You need administrator privileges to change any file association. You can temporarily disable UAC or run the applications "As Administrator" to make the necessary changes if you are using Windows Vista / Windows 7 with a default user account usually restricted.

[TFU_2011]

Mofi, thank you.
I followed your instructions, and finally, the problem is fixed.
To make sure, I also checked that HTM & HTML extensions are now handled by Chrome under the "Default Programs" >> "Set Associations" folder.

Everything is now fine. Thanks again.

[AndyDent]

In case anyone else finds this thread who has a more serious problem, I thought I'd post my experience and its happy resolution.

I had this happen after setting up UEStudio 11 on a new computer.

For some reason, I could not change the file associations either in the Explorer or through the Control Panel. The list of file associations in the UEStudio settings was blank.

I uninstalled UEstudio and still had a problem with that system in that although NO program was assigned as the default for html files, I could not make the setting stick.

When I ran the UEStudio installer again, it apparently repaired whatever registry damage was there and the file associations now work correctly including populating the list of known associations in the settings. I was able to remove html and htm files from within UEstudio's associations and then associate them on the desktop as normal.