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how to delete file association with an unwanted program (i don't want it associate with any program?)

Question
Answers
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I take ".dat" for example.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in the registry.
Search ".DAT" under this key.
Click on this key and delete the (Default) value.
Aski. MVP Desktop Experience- Marked as answer by Arthur XieMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:05 AM
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Hi,
This cannot be done directly in Windows, but... there are alternatives like
http://www.winhelponline.com/downloadattachment.php?aId=9f390841cdbe0c2457898179b80dfce0&articleId=231
or
http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download
As far as I know they are freeware allowing some things Vista did not allow. I haven't tested them myself, but they may be useful for you.
Regards
Rem- Marked as answer by Arthur XieMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:05 AM
All replies
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Hi,
This cannot be done directly in Windows, but... there are alternatives like
http://www.winhelponline.com/downloadattachment.php?aId=9f390841cdbe0c2457898179b80dfce0&articleId=231
or
http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download
As far as I know they are freeware allowing some things Vista did not allow. I haven't tested them myself, but they may be useful for you.
Regards
Rem- Marked as answer by Arthur XieMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:05 AM
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I take ".dat" for example.
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in the registry.
Search ".DAT" under this key.
Click on this key and delete the (Default) value.
Aski. MVP Desktop Experience- Marked as answer by Arthur XieMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:05 AM
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Hi,
The First link worked perfectly to remove file association using Windows 7...thanks :)
This cannot be done directly in Windows, but... there are alternatives like
http://www.winhelponline.com/downloadattachment.php?aId=9f390841cdbe0c2457898179b80dfce0&articleId=231
or
http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download
As far as I know they are freeware allowing some things Vista did not allow. I haven't tested them myself, but they may be useful for you.
Regards
Rem- Proposed as answer by L3O Friday, November 11, 2011 12:34 PM
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Hi,
Thank you! First link worked perfectly.
This cannot be done directly in Windows, but... there are alternatives like
http://www.winhelponline.com/downloadattachment.php?aId=9f390841cdbe0c2457898179b80dfce0&articleId=231
or
http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/#download
As far as I know they are freeware allowing some things Vista did not allow. I haven't tested them myself, but they may be useful for you.
Regards
Rem -
I take ".dat" for example.
When I tried, it seemed to only remove the .lnk entry under Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations but make no actual changes :(
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in the registry.
Search ".DAT" under this key.
Click on this key and delete the (Default) value.
Aski. MVP Desktop Experience -
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Hi,
When I tried, it seemed to only remove the .lnk entry under Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations but make no actual changes :(
Thanks for information and for the test of the Utility.Regards
Cordialement
Aski - MVP Windows Expert-Consumer
Forum_Aski -
Try this
(just now it worked fine with an association I created through Windows Explorer):
Let .<ext> be the extension you want to deassociate.
With a registry editor (e.g. regedit.exe),
1. go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\
remove the subtree .<ext>
2. go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
remove the subtree .<ext>
remove the subtree <ext>_auto_file
- Proposed as answer by Anders Hartzen Monday, December 05, 2011 6:33 PM
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Thank you so much for the link! I had so many problems! I love to create email stationery and clipart and would save them as paintshop pro files or photoshop files but when i would open my folder where I saved my clipart the file extension was way different and could not be opened by anything I had. the extention was .#$# i have never seen that before in my life! But i downloaded the software from the link you provided and was able to get rid of it! Thank you!
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Command Prompt!
It is 2 years later.... but I found this site anyway.. so for anybody that needs an answer her ya go.
As I was looking for the answer, I remembered that there was an old command using command prompt to
solve this little problem. If you don't know how to get to the command prompt, follow this:
Type the keys: [Win] + "R", which brings up the Run window.
Type the keys: "cmd", then type [enter]
You should be looking at that little black box now. Now if you need some help type in these words:
C:> help assoc
My particular problem was this: I was looking at C:\windows\prefetch, and all of the files were *.pf, and I accidentially associated all of my prefetch files with a program.
To undo the association:
assoc .pf = ""
now my *.pf files will associate with NO file
To test what your computer uses to open *doc files type, at the prompt:
C:> assoc .doc
.doc=Word.Document.8
The display states: Word.Document.8 opens your doc files.
done.
- Proposed as answer by reecebiddle Saturday, March 10, 2012 12:02 AM
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Thank you! Using the Command Prompt was extremely simple, and it worked perfectly! Why didn't anyone else think of that?
- Proposed as answer by Suman Chhetri Tuesday, December 27, 2016 1:26 PM
- Unproposed as answer by Suman Chhetri Tuesday, December 27, 2016 1:26 PM
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The command prompt works unless you had made the file association through the Windows 7 UI, in which case you must edit the registry as described by eykleidhs. My nightmare with this occured when I associated .py files to python using the Windows 7 and discovered that my command line options were not being passed to python. Then, I could not remove the association through the Windows 7 UI, and when I tried changing the setting through the command prompt (with admin priv), the changes had no effect because the UI setting took precedence over the command prompt settings. So, the solution was to use regedit to remove the file association that I made through the UI and then use the command prompt to make the file association.
- Edited by vlucas0001 Monday, March 19, 2012 10:35 PM
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Try this
(just now it worked fine with an association I created through Windows Explorer):
Let .<ext> be the extension you want to deassociate.
With a registry editor (e.g. regedit.exe),
1. go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\
remove the subtree .<ext>
2. go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
remove the subtree .<ext>
remove the subtree <ext>_auto_file
this worked great for me, but i also had to uninstall the program to broke the file association (after re-installing the program is no longer associated with the specific file type)
thanks mate!
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Try this
(just now it worked fine with an association I created through Windows Explorer):
Let .<ext> be the extension you want to deassociate.
With a registry editor (e.g. regedit.exe),
1. go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\
remove the subtree .<ext>
2. go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
remove the subtree .<ext>
remove the subtree <ext>_auto_file
this worked great for me, but i also had to uninstall the program to broke the file association (after re-installing the program is no longer associated with the specific file type)
thanks mate!
It just appears like that while the folder is still opened. Killing and starting explorer.exe fixes it. -
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Thanks eykleidhs.
I don't understand what's wrong with microsoft, which is removing a lot of features.
First, I found I cannot list the known wifi network anymore. So it's not possible to remove a known network which is not in range.
Now this... -
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Actually there is a command in windows to do just this thing...
source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184082
assoc /? Displays or modifies file extension associations ASSOC [.ext[=[fileType]]] .ext Specifies the file extension to associate the file type with fileType Specifies the file type to associate with the file extension Type ASSOC without parameters to display the current file associations. If ASSOC is invoked with just a file extension, it displays the current file association for that file extension. Specify nothing for the file type and the command will delete the association for the file extension.
Specify nothing for the fileType and the command will delete the association for the file extension.
e.g.: ASSOC .dat=
- Edited by srichakradhar Tuesday, December 31, 2013 4:15 AM added link to microsoft page
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I use assoc
It works on all windows plattforms I've tried so far including Win server 2012In my example I will associate the .xyz to notepad and then remove the association
1) create test.xyz on Desktop
2) Run: cmd.exe
3) Type: assoc .xyz=txtfile4) double clicking test.xyz will now open in notepad
5) Type: assoc .xyz=
6) double clicking test.xyz will now generate the usual message you get from un-associated files
If you only run "assoc" a list of file extensions will appear
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assoc doesn't work in Windows 8.1
c:\>assoc .dat=
c:\>assoc .dat
File association not found for extension .datBUT the file is in fact still associated! I logged off and on after this. The icon is there and launching it starts the old associated program.
- Edited by zomb1986 Tuesday, August 11, 2015 12:45 PM
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Another Microsoft site has the simplest way to un-associate/de associate and default known file types. The instructions and execution is very easy by downloading the file type .reg to your desktop and clicking on it.
I just tried it. It works great.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html
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Perhaps the question needs to be restated for the real world. For those of us using machines with controlled install policies and access, on which we therefore cannot arbitrarily install freeware programs to fill in capabilities, how do we remove associations between file extensions and programs? Bonus points if the method does not require using REGEDIT (which one's company admin might also find objectionable).
Gardoglee
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Try this
(just now it worked fine with an association I created through Windows Explorer):
Let .<ext> be the extension you want to deassociate.
With a registry editor (e.g. regedit.exe),
1. go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\
remove the subtree .<ext>
2. go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
remove the subtree .<ext>
remove the subtree <ext>_auto_file
Thanks, worked without even having to log off.
I am using a file explorer other than Windows Explorer and that software did require a restart.