Groups > alt.comp.os.windows-10 > #182032

Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations

From	VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH>
Newsgroups	alt.comp.os.windows-10
Subject	Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations
Date	2025-02-06 09:26 -0600
Organization	Usenet Elder
Message-ID	<73h6o2ip6ziz.dlg@v.nguard.lh> (permalink)
References	<vo2i13$307r8$1@dont-email.me>

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"John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Well, I did it. I reinstalled Windows 10 Pro. And although I told the
> setup not to save my files and settings, it wound up saving a lot of my
> files which weren't in the documents or pictures folders.
> 
> Now I'm trying to reinstall the applications that I had before. This
> works pretty well except for one HUGE problem. Whenever a program
> attempts to set up file associations, it's prevented from doing so by
> Windows. Instead, I have to tediously go into Settings/Apps/Default
> apps/Choose default apps by file types and tediously find the extension
> in that massive list so that I can change the file association for it,
> ...one ...file ...type ...at ...a ...time.
> 
> Alternatively, I can wait until I need to open a particular file type
> (let's use either a .zip or an .mp3 as an example), right click on the
> file, select "Open with>" and set the default application from there.
> 
> Does anybody know of a way make Windows allow programs to set file
> associations like in Windows 7?
> 
> Also, why in the world would Microsoft make it so difficult to do like this?
> 
> TIA.

Programmatic modifying of filetype associations was removed in Win10 as
a security measure to prevent malware from doing the same.  The idea is
the *user* gets prompted to make the choice instead of allowing any
process, good or bad, from changing the defaults.

I forget which program it was (VLC, or some other viewer) that thought
it could programmatically alter the filetype associations.  Although it
claimed to be Win10 compatible, it still had settings in its config
screens to usurp the associations.  It always failed on Win10.  I
reported the defect multiple times, and eventually the author changed
the program from presenting an option to change associations, to making
it a button that opened the Default Programs wizard in Windows (which is
where you're now supposed to make those changes yourself under your
guidance and authentication).

I remember something like over a decade ago when you had programs that
would keep usurping associations from each other.  When you ran a
program, it stole the associations.  Then you ran another program, and
it stol the associations.  RealPlayer was like this.  Very rude in it
would steal the associations without every prompting the user.  Then
malware came along that would steal the associations, because it was
very easy and trivial to do, so users' hosts got fucked up.  So,
Microsoft finally countered by mandating the *user* must be involved in
changing associations rather than let any process programmatically make
the changes.  The user was put back in control.

In fact, for several "critical" filetypes, anything at attempts to
change them (without using the Default Programs wizard) will fail,
because Windows will see the association change, and change it back.
The critical filetypes have a registry subkey (UserChoice) that contains
a hash value computed by the Default Programs wizard.  If a process
changes the critical association, but the hash is invalid, then Windows
will see the change as unauthorized, and change it to its default.
Someone figured out the algorithm for calculating the hash to provide a
programmatic means of changing associations.  Hunt for "SetUserFTA", or
read:

https://kolbi.cz/blog/2017/10/25/setuserfta-userchoice-hash-defeated-set-file-type-associations-per-user/
https://setuserfta.com/

Microsoft can easily change the algorithm for computing hashes, so the
tool will work until Microsoft decides to kill that 3rdparty workaround.

Of course, even when programmatic filetype change was permitted, you had
to be running under an admin Windows account to access the registry.
For a very long time, the recommendation is to use a limited Windows
account as your daily login account.  Anything you can do then malware
can trivially do, too. However, if you're constantly doing admin duties,
a limited account is, well, too limiting, but then you're expected to
have the expertise of an admin if you choose to be your own sysadmin.

Security and ease-of-use are always the antithesis of each other.  To
get more of one, you get less of the other.  Microsoft decided users who
choose to be sysadmins get the joy of being sysadmins instead of
allocating those duties to any program that wants to be sysadmin.  Thank
the malware author, and rude program authors, that change associations
without your permission, and often without your knowledge.  You could
check if SetUserFTA still works for you.  Consider it one of those many
programs you pack into your sysadmin toolbox.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/windowsinternals/windows-10-how-to-configure-file-associations-for-it-pros

That mentions how to use a GPO (Group Policy Object) that you could
define, or push to workstations that log into a domain, or use DISM to
import/export the associations.  Or you could see if SetUserFTA still
works for you.

Thread

Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-06 06:46 -0800
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-02-06 09:26 -0600
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Newyana2 <newyana@invalid.nospam> - 2025-02-06 12:00 -0500
    Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-02-06 17:59 +0000
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> - 2025-02-06 13:47 -0500
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ  <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-02-06 14:16 -0700
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-06 17:26 -0800
    Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-06 17:40 -0800
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-02-06 21:11 -0600
        Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-02-07 12:59 +0000
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "Allan Higdon" <allanh@vivaldi.net> - 2025-02-07 07:24 -0600
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Newyana2 <newyana@invalid.nospam> - 2025-02-07 10:57 -0500
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2025-02-07 16:40 +0000
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-07 15:24 -0800
    Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-02-06 21:12 -0600
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-07 04:17 -0800
        Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-02-07 08:18 -0600
          Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-07 15:31 -0800
            Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-02-07 19:10 -0600
        Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ  <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2025-02-07 09:37 -0700
      Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-03-02 05:42 -0800
        Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-03-02 14:50 -0600
          Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-03-03 06:19 -0800
            Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-03-03 14:26 -0600
              Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-03-04 04:04 -0800
                Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2025-03-04 11:53 -0600
    Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> - 2025-02-07 16:48 +0000
  Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations Mr Xi Ji Ping <ping@china.cn> - 2025-02-07 03:00 +0000
    Re: Fresh reinstall and file associations "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-07 04:19 -0800

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