..unless you elect to make file extensions visible
as described above. But what does it mean to register a file type?
Anatomy of a File Type
A registered file type is constructed out of a handful of keys and values in
the Registry that Windows reads in real time to handle your documents
appropriately. Register a new file type, and Windows will know what to do
with files of that type right away.
Usually it??™s an installer or an application that registers new file types, but
anyone (or any program, for that matter) can add new ones or modify existing
file type associations. Customizing your PC??™s file types is one of the most
effective ways to save time and reduce annoyances in Windows, but Vista
doesn??™t make it easy, so you??™ve got to know what makes them tick first.
File Type Associations | 125
The Registry
It starts with a single key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, named for a filename extension
(including the dot). The (Default) value in that key contains the name
of another key that has all the file type??™s meat in it. For instance, open up
the Registry Editor and peer into these keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.log
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.scp
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt
Each one has a (Default) value that contains the word txtfile. Thus, each
filename extension points to the txtfile file type, which is located in HKEY_
CLASSES_ROOT\txtfile. And it??™s the txtfile key that has all the good stuff.
See the ???Special File Type Keys??? sidebar for some catch-all file types.
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