Fix Invalid File Associations Errors - Fix File Associated Problems
If you have a file and it will not open. Or perhaps you downloaded a file from a website and can not gain access to it. Instead you got an error message stating 'windows cannot open this file'. What is that strange file extension and why won't windows open it?
If you cannot open a file it may be because you don't have the associated program that is capable to open that type of file. Often it is the software type that is needed rather than a particular software program.
Every Windows file is usually associated with an extension. You will observe that when you install software you will usually see a list of files, which your program needs to run properly, with corresponding extensions.
For example a .txt extension is a text file. This means that you need a text editor in order to open the file, but it does not have to be notepad.
Another good example for this is: A .doc extension is a document file and can be opened by most word processors. A .jpg or a .pdf extension is a graphic file which can be opened by a graphic viewers. As a general rule it does not matter which program as long as you are attempting to open a .doc with a word processor and a .jpg with a graphic viewer.
Some programs are flexible, but these are few. You can open a .txt file in a word processor, but you cannot open a .doc extension in a text editor. Until you have a very clear understanding of file extensions, it is best to use the most common programs to avoid confusion and error messages telling you that the file cannot be opened.
How to fix invalid file associations error?
If there is no software program listed to open the file, it may be that you do not have
the necessary program installed on your computer or you will need to edit the file and set it to open with the correct program.
This problem occurs when one of your files is making its reference to a particular extension which is already invalid as a result of cluttered registry. Hence, one of the best ways to solve this problem is to clean your registry from all junk files and fix the errors found on your system. The best and most convenient option for this is to use registry cleaning software that will easily detect all trash files stored and fix all errors found.
In Windows if you want to find out what opens a specific file type, go to Windows Explorer (windows key and 'E' on your keyboard is a quick way) choose 'Tools' on the top menu bar and click on 'Folder Options' from the drop down menu. From there select 'File Types' and it will open to show all the file types on your computer.
Sometimes you will have more than one of a certain type of software program, for instance, I have two word processors on my personal computer. Other times you may not have a default program listed to open a particular type of file extension. At any rate, there may be times you would like to change which program will open a particular file type.
All these files are stored in your system's registry; hence, this area contains various types of extensions which are needed by different programs to properly run. When you un-install software, most products does not completely erase all files; hence, some of them are left in your system which are no longer needed and adding up to clutter your computer registry. As you keep on using your equipment, installing and un-installing various softwares along the way, this area starts to buildup with unnecessary files messing with important data; consequently affecting the performance of your processor and causing some errors on your system.