Windows 10 File Association

Technote 257
Date: 01/21
Product: All NC Applications
Version: All

Windows 10 File Association

When updating versions of SmartCAM, your Windows File Association support may be pointing to the wrong version of the applications. For example, you double-click on a .PM5 file and it opens in the older version of SmartCAM. You should first see if you can resolve this using the Windows 10 "Default Apps" control panel. This is Windows behavior and needs to be addressed in Windows.

If you are unable to directly address this issue using the "Default Apps" control panel, the following may help. You may need your IT support to handle this work.

If you are comfortable doing so, you can edit your Windows registry. Or, have your IT person do so. There is information in this Microsoft Support thread about this:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__answers.microsoft.com_en-2Dus_windows_forum_windows-5F10-2Dfiles-2Dwinpc_how-2Dto-2Dremove-2Da-2Ddefault-2Dfile-2Dassociation-2Dapp-2Dfrom_3e498ed3-2D016d-2D4acd-2D847f-2D09c2470b711c&d=DwIDaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=y4ZW4TE5TJlcO6eqxBalChueMKRQL5ENN6DQbxNO-YY&m=F0VvkU2IO3KstZMUlsDN78roqPVLGf-NOe6JuXGT8cE&s=k9iwzH7SfW7wxYXjMQV6poEg0W364K4DUJANfu-tn6s&e=

There is also a multi-step process that may solve this issue:

You need to first rename your original application executable file, AMILL.EXE for example, so that Windows File Association does not find it. For example, change the name from AMILL.EXE to AMILL.EXE.HOLD.

Now right-click on a .PM5 and select Open With from the pop-up menu. If there are any other associations for this file type, you'll see them in the pop-up menu. Let it open the file, find out which application it is and rename it's executable file as well. What you want is to clear the list until right clicking on the .PM5 display a menu that really only offers the "Search in Store" and "Choose another app" options.

When you've got the list cleaned up and only displaying the two aforementioned menu options, pick the Choose another app. Browse to the correct version of the application file, again for example: AMill.EXE in the v2021 folder and select it. This opens the PM5 with the correct app. Exit the application.

Now, right-click on a PM5 file again. Select Open With and select Choose another app. This opens a window showing your current association (which should be the correct version of the application). Make sure the application's option is highlighted (should be by default) and enable the always use this app checkbox. Click Ok.

Close the application again.

Now, find the previous executables that you renamed and rename them back to original. So, assuming you added ".hold" onto the end, rename and remove the ".hold".

Now when you right-click and Open a file, it should open with the correct version. If you pick Open With, you will see the previous entries; so you'll basically see the application name twice.

When you eventually uninstall the older version of SmartCAM, its entry in the "Open With" list will be removed.

The only mechanism to completely scrub the Windows File Association application list is to edit the Windows Registry, as referenced at the top of this bulletin.