Re: Wordpad default file type

Nice try, MowGreen, but this is NOT the problem. Maybe I'm not explaining
this well.

If I double-click an .rtf file from WinExplorer, Wordpad is the default
program that opens to display the file - I fixed that a long time ago. But
I'm not in Windows Explorer, where right-click options work as you suggest.

No, I've already opened Wordpad. I click File / Open or usually Ctl-O. At
that point, the new window pops up, allowing me to navigate through my
folders and files, to choose the file I want to open.

Here's the problem: the window shows only .doc files, because the "Files of
type:" combo box near the bottom of the window defaults to .doc, not to .rtf
as it had always done for the past 15 years, until I did a WinXP
repair/reinstall. It's this default I need changed.

When Wordpad is open, the default file type stays changed if I go back to
open a different document. But when the program is closed and reopened, I'm
back to having to change the default .doc back to .rtf - it's very time
consuming and more than a little annoying, because something that has worked
well for years has broken down, and so far no one has had the answer to the
real question I'm asking (I've posted other places, too, with no luck - they
answer just as you have).

Why would a WinXP reinstall make this change happen? What can I do to change
it back? It's this kind of thing that gives Microsoft a bad reputation as the
local bully. I don't want .doc, I don't want MSWord (usually), I want my .rtf
and Wordpad, and now it's harder to get.

Any new ideas? Thanks


"MowGreen [MVP]" wrote:

pava wrote:

After my last WinXP repair, something happened to Wordpad. When I click to
Open a document, the default file type to open has always been .rtf - now
it's .doc and I hate it. I use Wordpad and .rtf on purpose and don't like
having to make the change in the pull-down menu every time I go to another
document.

Note: It saves files in .rtf by default - fortunately, that has not changed.
But I want the Open command window to also default to .rtf. Does anyone know
how I can do this?

Thanks

Right click one of the files you want to open in Wordpad and choose
'Open with'
Click Choose Program
IF Wordpad is not listed than click the Browse button and point to
Wordpad.exe, located at Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe
If it is listed, just click on Wordpad.
Put a check in the box next to " Always use the selceted program to open
this kind of file "
Click Apply, OK.

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2008]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

.

Quantcast