Open Containing folder Problem Registry Muddle I think!

[CharlisC]

Hi All

In one of my more adventurous moods I decided to try one of the tweaks I found in one of the forum topics here. I thought it would be nice to have Total Commander as the default browser to replace windows explorer. Well I went ahead and added these registry entries:

REGEDIT4


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="TC"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\TC]
@="Browse with Total Commander"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\TC\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\totalcmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE\" /O \"%1\""

It worked for a while until Windows 8.1 began to show erratic problems such as the total loss of the Control Panel the Action Centre Windows Update etc after a little thought I figured the problem might just be the registry entries so i deleted them and that cured the Problem with the Control Panel etc

Well it kind of half worked, new problems however began to slowly erupt first with utorrent and then with foobar2000 whenever i right clicked the context menu to use the open containing folder command. In both programs I received this message:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Please install a program or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel

I used System Restore and that too failed to rectify the problem

any help appreciated

Cheers

Charlie

Windows 8.1 64bit

[Horst.Epp]

This works for me in Windows 8.1 x64

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell]
@="open"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open\command]
@="c:\\tools\\wincmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE /O /T \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
@="open"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open\command]
@="c:\\tools\\wincmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE /O /T \"%1\""

[CharlisC]

Hi
Thanks for your reply and I will make note of your tip, however I see my post is a little muddled, for my main point did not come over clearly.
The problem I now have is that whenever I try to use the context menu which reads "Open Containing Folder" in other programs such as foobar2000, utorrent, firefox among others, I cannot access the folder I get the message I quoted in my original post.

I was hoping someone could help me to find what went wrong. I am not a programmer but I assumed it was a registry error

Cheers

Charlis

[Dalai]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="TC"

This seems wrong. The default value should be "open".

Regards
Dalai

[CharlisC]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="TC"

This seems wrong. The default value should be "open".

Regards
Dalai

Hi Dalai

Thanks for your reply, I found the registry entry, deleted it, and added the "open" command. However that failed as well, to rectify the problem. What happens inside of utorrent, is that I receive the message quoted in the original post, and then after a long time windows explorer shows up. From within foobar2000, when i try the same context menu open containing folder, the program simply freezes.

Cheers

Charlie

[ghisler(Author)]

I do not recommend that you change the association of folders from Explorer to Total Commander. Instead, keep it set to Explorer, but add an extra verb for Total Commander (e.g. "open" for Explorer and "TC" for Total Commander). Many programs expect Explorer and will not work correctly when some other program is defined as the default.

[Horst.Epp]

I do not recommend that you change the association of folders from Explorer to Total Commander. Instead, keep it set to Explorer, but add an extra verb for Total Commander (e.g. "open" for Explorer and "TC" for Total Commander). Many programs expect Explorer and will not work correctly when some other program is defined as the default.

For me its a big benefit to always come out in TC for all normal file and dir operations.
I use my settings from the posting above since a long time and have no problems at all under Windows 8.1 x64.
Programs which directly use Explorer have of course no problems
and I do not change assocation for Control Panel and This PC.

[CharlisC]

I do not recommend that you change the association of folders from Explorer to Total Commander. Instead, keep it set to Explorer, but add an extra verb for Total Commander (e.g. "open" for Explorer and "TC" for Total Commander). Many programs expect Explorer and will not work correctly when some other program is defined as the default.

Hi

Yes, not being a programmer I have had to learn through trial and error that your statement, is in fact very true, some programs begin to behave erratically. However if you have the time, could you please explain, what exactly you mean by your phrase 'add an extra verb' with a concrete example' so that I can return my registry' to what it was' for in all of the tweaks I do not know how to do that.

Thanks

Charlie

[CharlisC]

I do not recommend that you change the association of folders from Explorer to Total Commander. Instead, keep it set to Explorer, but add an extra verb for Total Commander (e.g. "open" for Explorer and "TC" for Total Commander). Many programs expect Explorer and will not work correctly when some other program is defined as the default.

For me its a big benefit to always come out in TC for all normal file and dir operations.
I use my settings from the posting above since a long time and have no problems at all under Windows 8.1 x64.
Programs which directly use Explorer have of course no problems
and I do not change assocation for Control Panel and This PC.

Hi

Yes, your post did help me at least get back some control and cleared away the awful messages. However I had to experiment a little to get it to work. For example when you originally gave:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open\command]
@="c:\Program Files\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE/O /T "%1""

This did not work for me or rather it only half worked until I tried on an intuition to change it to this:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open\command]
@="c:\Program Files\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE/O /T "%1""

Thanks

Charlie

[Horst.Epp]

I do not recommend that you change the association of folders from Explorer to Total Commander. Instead, keep it set to Explorer, but add an extra verb for Total Commander (e.g. "open" for Explorer and "TC" for Total Commander). Many programs expect Explorer and will not work correctly when some other program is defined as the default.

For me its a big benefit to always come out in TC for all normal file and dir operations.
I use my settings from the posting above since a long time and have no problems at all under Windows 8.1 x64.
Programs which directly use Explorer have of course no problems
and I do not change assocation for Control Panel and This PC.

Hi

Yes, your post did help me at least get back some control and cleared away the awful messages. However I had to experiment a little to get it to work. For example when you originally gave:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open\command]
@="c:\Program Files\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE/O /T "%1""

This did not work for me or rather it only half worked until I tried on an intuition to change it to this:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open\command]
@="c:\Program Files\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE/O /T "%1""

Thanks

Charlie

It works for me with Windows 8.1 Registry editor.
The " sentences are escaping the embeded " to give one string as the whole command.

[ghisler(Author)]

However if you have the time, could you please explain, what exactly you mean by your phrase 'add an extra verb' with a concrete example' so that I can return my registry' to what it was' for in all of the tweaks I do not know how to do that.

The registry keys under the "shell" key are called "verbs", e.g. "open" or "print". I suggest that you add a new one like
shell\TC\command
instead of replacing
shell\open\command

This will then appear in the Windows right click context menu.