Since Vista, Windows have an excellent control panel item called as Default Programs. This panel allows you to manage file associations, autoplay settings, default program settings etc. This works flawlessly and is easy to use but if you are looking for bit more control over this, I found Default Programs Editor which is on the same line but gives you bit of more features and power which can be handy for power users.
For example if you want an action item when a blank cd is inserted for you which might be completely different, Windows doesn’t have this feature. Window only allows you to opt from existing ones but with Default Programs Editor you can add a new handler to completely change the behavior.
In Windows you cannot uncheck default program association which is bonded to file types at core. For example a Winrar will always be bonded to certain file association like .7z etc. But with Default Program editor you can uncheck that too.
Here is the complete list of Features of Default Programs Editor
- File Type Settings:
- Add, Edit, and Delete context menu items
- Edit file type information (such as icon and description)
- Change an extension’s associated file type
- Autoplay Settings:
- Add, Edit, and Delete autoplay handler programs
- Change which autoplay options are available for any media type
- Change the default autoplay handler
- Default Programs Settings:
- Add or Remove default associations (possible to check, but not un-check, in Windows)
- Additional Features:
- Disable the “Search web for unknown extension” dialog
- Standalone utility, or install as a Control Panel applet
- Make direct changes to the system registry, or export edits as .reg files
- Designed for Vista and Windows 7 with UAC support
