Setting firebird as default browser.

Discussion of general topics about Mozilla Firefox
mikes
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Post by mikes »

Hi, DallasBill.

DallasBill wrote:For jpg, gif, etc. regardless of doing the Folder options thing, the re-association will not change the default. The default program will still be FB and you can see this simply by doing a re-associate and then doing the 'default' button again... it will go back to FB.


I don't want Firebird to be the default browser, though. So, if I can change the associations, and change the default browser back to Netscape, I should be all right. No?

DallasBill wrote:This is an ultimate fix in XP:
Go to Explorer's Folder Options->File Types dialog box and scroll down the extensions list. Wherever you see an extention with the FB icon delete it. Yes... delete it. This will cause those extensions in future to open with the program defaulted by the XP file system... picture and fax viewer for gif, for example. It was the only way I could get all those obscure extensions to re-associate back, and keep the file system default, and it works.


Any reason this shouldn't work in 98SE as well?

If it did, the only problem left would be how to make Netscape the default browser again.

DallasBill wrote:I personally would not recommend making FB the default using its Options button on a Windows system because of the way IE is integrated in the file system.


Believe me, I wish I'd never clicked on that button. In the inertia of setting Firebird up, I forgot that I needed to test it first, to see if it ran faster than my Netscape browser, before making it the deafault.

DallasBill wrote: On XP, I personally would re-associate HTML, jpg, etc. on a one-to-one basis only and this requires work and knowledge of extensions... and it would be nice if an extension did this with a check list... and only this.


I know nothing about extensions, I'm afraid. I also don't know how to re-assicate the file types, since I have no record of the path of the applications using them originally. Nor do I know how to access their previous icons.

But didn't you say that re-associating won't work in any case?

Frankly, I'm getting that weird feeling of confusion and helplessness, know what I mean?

But, your idea of deleting the file types sounds like a good one. Think it'll work? (Any ideas how to reset Netscape as the default browser?)
hussam
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Post by hussam »

on xp , this batch file restored default associations, don't know if it works on 98 http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/xp_fileassoc.zip

edit :.
umm , i found this one http://www2.whidbey.com/djdenham/fixpix.htm
should work on win98 , but backup your registry first.

yeah and mikes, always backup your registry.
I, while trying to find my pen, wrote: (off topic) Did you know that the last time I used windows 98 was in 98. When win2k was released in 99 I directly upgraded and when xp was out I directly upgraded. :D
mikes
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Post by mikes »

Hi, ht990332.

You wrote:on xp , this batch file restored default associations, don't know if it works on 98 http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/xp_fileassoc.zip

edit :.
umm , i found this one http://www2.whidbey.com/djdenham/fixpix.htm
should work on win98 , but backup your registry first.

Thanks. I'll check them out.

You wrote:yeah and mikes, always backup your registry.

I'm not sure how to do that, nor how to restore it from the backup.

I, while trying to find my pen, wrote: (off topic) Did you know that the last time I used windows 98 was in 98. When win2k was released in 99 I directly upgraded and when xp was out I directly upgraded. :D

I've been using 98SE on my P133Mhz laptop since 2001. With Netscape 4.78 in it, I can access 75% of all websites (that is, all except the newest ones written with javascript and java that N4.78 can't resolve) faster than an acquaintance who has a 2200Mhz, XP desktop. My machine is fast. Since I spend most of the day online (I work online), do around 100 emails a day, and access about 500 web pages a day for data and info, I need a fast machine. That's why I'm going to all this trouble installing Firebird as a backup browser, and not getting a new computer.

mikeys
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DallasBill
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Post by DallasBill »

To back up your registry, go Start / Run... and type in REGEDIT. From the menu do File / Export and make sure Export Range 'All' is selected. Name it Regbackup.reg.

If you need to restore, you would File / Import that backup file.

I looked at the zip file HT99 suggested... it should do it for you... good luck!
...Bill
mikes
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Post by mikes »

Thanks very much, DallasBill.
hussam
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Post by hussam »

As DallasBill said, make it a habit to do a registry backup once a week. That should save a lot of trouble a lot of trouble if you are using windows98.
johnleemk
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Post by johnleemk »

Registry backups aren't a good idea on Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3, because M$ encrypts some keys. Restoring the registry file on those operating systems will only compound your problem. Instead, back up only the keys you delete whenever using Regedit.
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hussam
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Post by hussam »

johnleemk wrote:Registry backups aren't a good idea on Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3


They don't encrypt keys. The permission on some keys are set to deny editing. Anyway, mikes is not using winxp , he's using windows 98.
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DallasBill
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Post by DallasBill »

johnleemk wrote:Registry backups aren't a good idea on Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3, because M$ encrypts some keys. Restoring the registry file on those operating systems will only compound your problem. Instead, back up only the keys you delete whenever using Regedit.


Having worked closely w/ MS in Redmond on some Win2K O/S stuff in past, I can tell you that backing up the registry (in case you have to restore it all) is always a good idea... <b>always</b>... and anyone who says otherwise is blowing smoke.
...Bill
hussam
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Post by hussam »

DallasBill , I couldn't have said it better myself. That's absolutely true.
johnleemk
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Post by johnleemk »

Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't back up your registry - I've been fooling around with Windows since I was seven. What I am saying is that you should be careful about the encrypted keys in the registry for 2K, XP and 2K3. Back up only the keys you delete - a crash on 2K/XP/2K3 that will eliminate your registry is going to be a rare occasion, as I have never experienced it. On Windows 9x and ME however... Fortunately, there's an even easier method to back up your registry entirely on those OSes. Here's a first-class explanation of how to do it.
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prostistudent
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Post by prostistudent »

I prefer to have FB set as my default INTERNET browser. I would quite happily allow it to default itself, however it changes the image associations. Why it changes the image associations is beyond my comprehension, it's an Internet browser, not a file explorer or image viewer.

Regardless of whether it is the default or not, msn messenger still opens it's links inside IE. But I guess this is a problem with msn being a proprietary little turd.

(Just my $0.02)
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scratch
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Post by scratch »

IE had the same behavior of stealing image associations, and people seem to want FB to copy IE in every way possible. anyway, this is planned to be removed at some future milestone.
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