How do I make IE open files exactly like they open on my desktop?

July 21, 2008 11:58 AM

How do I make IE open files as instructed? The way I view one type of file has been hijacked by another program.

I have two portals that I must use IE to access for a client - portal A and portal B.

From portal A I download .tif files and view them in MS Office Document Imaging. This is my preferred program for this action.

From portal B I download and view .fni files and view them with IDM Viewer. The IDM viewer is my only option.


However, the IDM Viewer that I downloaded to view the .fni files has now hijacked the way I view .tif files on portal A. Even though I've changed the file associations in XP, the IDM Viewer keeps popping up to open .tif files on portal A. I only want the IDM Viewer to work on portal B.

The only way I can stop the hijack is to remove the IDM viewer but I still need it to view files from Portal B. Anyone out there have trouble w/ IE like this? Is it trouble w/ IE? Maybe the viewer is just awful...

posted by alrightokay to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Under Internet Options, go to Programs then Internet Programs. There, it should let you reassociate file extensions with specific programs.
posted by spinifex23 at 12:18 PM on July 21, 2008

You're on the right track, but change the association for the MIME type, not the file name extension.
posted by qvtqht at 12:53 PM on July 21, 2008

If all else files, uninstall the misbehaving viewer. Then reinstall it, using the custom install option. During the installation process, it should ask whether you want it to be the default viewer for various kinds of files, and uncheck the box for .tif.
posted by KRS at 12:09 PM on July 22, 2008