Windows Vista File association error

A few weeks ago I started the following thread in this section:

http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-vista/102040-file-does-not-have-program-associated.html

My problem is described in detail in that thread but briefly I upgraded Vista from SP1 to SP2 and started getting file association errors as a result. These errors, which are not real file association errors despite the error message, made it impossible to click on a number of functions, including System Restore.

At first it was thought that this might be due to malware and I was referred to that section. After extensive testing, it was decided that malware was probably not the issue after all.

Eventually I was able to undo the problem via a command line System Restore and my system is working normally again. However I am back to SP1.

The problem has not been solved and I am reluctant to try the service pack upgrade again until I know why it occurred. I have been asked by the moderator to update my request by submitting a new thread, which is what I am doing here.

Questions: Why did upgrading to SP2 produce this problem with the file association error? Has anyone encountered anything like this before? Is there any way to prevent/cure it and successfully carry out the upgrade? Still looking for an answer. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

I read your previous post and the post on the Vist64 Forum. In your previous post here you said you got the SP from a friend.

I suspect the SP you got was corrupted, not copied to the CD or USB device correctly, or some other reason.

Since the computer is not connected to the Internet you may not really believe you need the service packs - that's your call.

What I suggest is go to a computer connected to the internet and download the SP yourself to a USB stick and install it yourself. Then I would do the same for SP3.

Just remember, you really do need an updated Malware/Virus protection program if you are going to install any programs or use any files you get from friends.

Mitch

 

I asked rikki to let us know the situation now.

To save reading through the original thread, this is the question

It sounds like whatever caused the problem has not been "reverted back" by the System Restore.

You speak about it happening when Windows should be performing tasks. File associations usually relate to programs that Windows is not familiar with, not Windows operations.

The Service Pack sounds like the problem as you and Mitch suggest, I agree to try and overwrite the original installation with a good download and good transfer method (burning CD/DVD disks can have errors and your drive might need a firmware upgrade to read it correctly).

After that, I would run SFC (System File Checker) and "revert it to original ", then run a good Service Pack or install the Windows Updates it requires.

If it is an isolated computer, what about taking it to an internet connection?

Only suggestions, I have not read through all the posts.

Can you update us here (in this thread)? Is it an isolated computer (not connected to the internet)? What details should we know now without going back through your previous threads/posts?

Can you give us any more details, like why you didn't get the Service Pack yourself?

Matt

 

Thanks for your responses guys. I didn’t think this through well enough and I agree what I should do (should have done) is download the service pack myself directly from Microsoft and try it again. I have been fixated on the problem I encountered the first time and for that reason have become reluctant to try it again without first learning more about why the problem occurred. Although the service pack came from a source I trust completely, it is true different things could have gone wrong that he wasn’t aware of and the obvious thing to eliminate all those uncertainties is just to download the service pack again straight from Microsoft. I will do this when I get around to it and try the upgrade after making an image backup, but at the moment it is not an urgent matter for me as everything is back to where it was and I have the functionality I need with SP1.

To answer Matt’s other questions, yes I use the Vista computer without any network or Internet connection. I use it solely for video processing and the videos are transferred via external USB drives. It works fine for that purpose but one time when I did want to directly burn a DVD I had problems with the OS that I didn’t fully understand. That was when my technician friend suggested that a service pack upgrade might help and he provided a copy of one he had downloaded from Microsoft and used in his business. That is why I trusted it.

The only other salient detail I can think of is that because of my location I still only have access to dial-up, which makes it very awkward to attempt major updates of any kind from my home. I can do this from the homes of friends who live in town, but that requires a degree of advance planning. For that reason I am not in a position to attempt this immediately but will do so at some point in the near future.

 

My associate at work sometimes talks about that the computer gets "tome-stoned" (he is good! ).

Try doing websearches about it

The computer may have been disconnected from a "network" for too long a period (that's my suggestion, but not necessarily accurate, find out about tome-stoning).

 

On thing to suggest is the local library. Most libraries have computers for customer use.

Mitch

 

For a variety of reasons I was not able to get back to this until now. However, I finally managed to download the SP2 upgrade from the Microsoft.com download site. I made a special point of getting this from Microsoft.com, and not from any other supplier. The file name is Windows6.0-KB948465-X86.exe. This is the 32-bit version, which is correct for my system.

I just installed the upgrade and it did not seem to have any problems. At the end I received a message that the upgrade had been installed successfully. However, I have exactly the same issue I had before. When I click on a number of different functions, including several Control Panel operations, I receive a "File Association" error. I have made a screenshot of it, but can't see a way to upload an image file here. What I get is a pop-up window with the following text:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.

In the blue band at the top of the window different things appear according to what I have clicked on. As an example, if I right-click on Computer in Explorer, then click Properties, the following appears in the blue band:

::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309d}\::{BB06C0E4-D293-4F75-8A90-CB05B647.....(there is more but it disappears off-screen)

I have tried searching for this problem but all I can find is references to ordinary file association issues, which this is not. I can't find anything like what I am experiencing.

I don't have this problem with SP1. I only have it when I install SP2. When I roll back the installation the problem disappears. Viruses have been eliminated as a possible cause. So has a corrupted service pack file. If anyone has any other ideas I would sure be glad to hear them.

 

Have you logged on as another user? I would check for a corrupt user profile.

The only other area I could think of, is that there is program installed that controls or modifies the system. Look through the list in Programs and Features. Question the necessity of each one.

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the added suggestions. I tried logging in as Administrator but got the same result. I also went through the programs list and uninstalled some things I know I don’t need, but there are still a number of others I’m not sure of, and since this computer came pre-installed, I’m afraid to remove anything that might affect its operation.

In the meantime, I have just stumbled onto something and I am wondering if it could be related to my problem. On the Start Menu is a System Documents folder that contains the folders User, Documents and Pictures. Normally I never use this but today I noticed that I get my File Association error if I click on anything in this folder. Unlike the other errors, this one also occurs under Service Pack 1. In other words, I only get the error with the other functions I have previously described when Service Pack 2 is installed. When it is not installed, the errors disappear. However, the same errors occur in either case when I click anything in the Documents folder on the Start Menu.

I don’t understand the significance of this, if any, but I wonder if this might be a useful clue to someone more knowledgeable than myself.

p.s.: What is tome-stone? I tried searching for it but only found references to the gunfight at the ok corral!

 

It might be my workmate's description. We sometimes find that if a computer has not been connected (logged onto) the network for a period, it can start doing strange things. I am just thinking about it being isolated. It probably has a lot of programs wanting/expecting updates, for a start. You might know it's history, but if it was part of a network and is now isolated, I would reset it's network connections (at least change it from the old network, but if required, change it back again after a few restarts). We take them off the network and then add them back in again.

Next thing I might suggest, considering

a folder may have been inadvertently dragged into another folder. I hate drag-and-drop. It has happened to me while using the touchpad on my laptop and happens occasionally at work when 20 or 30 people start reporting that a folder has disappeared on the server. (We just do a search, find where it was dragged and put it back.) Your problem might have occurred before you purchased the computer, unless you remember an unexpected file transfer box popping up.

If it was an inadvertent drag-and-drop, Service Pack 1 might have coped with the change (to an extent). SP2 might might not be able to function properly with the change.

Has anyone suggested running System File Checker?
Link:
How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7
It may be limited by the computer manufacturer's system setup.

Matt