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[Lefisu63]

JR MC deletes the content type of all HKCR file extensions.

I run into other mysterious troubles with other programs - incl. my mail client "eM client" - I just had a 2,5 hour chat with support and the devs have found it.

I just updated 24.0.74 to 24.0.78 ... and exactly .. JR MC deletes the entry.

See e.g. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.png

Before Installation.jpg ... The devs had manually fixed the problem and added "image/png" to the Content Type.

Then I installed 24.0.78 (see Setup.jpg)

AfterInstallation.jpg ... the value had been removed.

This happened with ALL other values too !!!

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/shell/fa-file-types

[RoderickGI]

The "PerceivedType" Word should also be set to "image", and it isn't either before or after installation.

Maybe there is something more going on in your PC? Registry Cleaner? In fact, it could even have been Windows Defender preventing MC from setting the value, after it had been deleted. Window 10 has changed what an application is allowed to do in terms of setting File Associations. That has "broken" some File Associations for me with MC upgrades.

The "Content Type" is set correctly for me as "image/png", but I'm running a slightly later version of MC than you. I don't know if there have been changes that would affect this though.


Of course, you have a Windows Restore Point and System backups, don't you, to restore to a working configuration.

[swiv3d]

There may be an issue here, see Capture.jpg. However I have not seen any problem with the way the system runs. All of the filetype associations are as they should be.

[Hendrik]

If you tell MC to remove its file associations, it'll restore the original values.
I do not know why these values are being modified, but there is usually a good reason for doing so. I honestly don't remember complaints about this specific part before.

[swiv3d]

No problem for me Hendrik, as I said all systems are ok! Just pointing out that there seems to be an oddity in the registry entries.

[RoderickGI]

I honestly don't remember complaints about this specific part before.

Maybe not this specific issue, but I've written about MC's management of File Associations and the issues it causes ad nauseam. The last time you told me it was because Microsft changed what applications are allowed to do in terms of changing File Associations.

Microsoft decided that they don't let applications override file associations quite so easily. I don't think there is anything we can do on Windows 10.
They want users managing file associations by themselfes, not let applications make unilateral decisions.

Maybe there is something to this report. Maybe something that can be improved.

[Hendrik]

Maybe not this specific issue, but I've written about MC's management of File Associations and the issues it causes ad nauseam. The last time you told me it was because Microsft changed what applications are allowed to do in terms of changing File Associations.

The associations not automatically assigning to MC itself is rather unrelated to this report. As mentioned in the other quote, this is impossible to fix, since Windows doesn't want you to. You can only register apps that are interested in handling a certain file type, and if there is multiple for one file type, Windows lets the user choose, not the apps.

[swiv3d]

And the lack of content type definitions is the result of quantum mechanics I guess.

[Lefisu63]

This is a clean Windows 10 build 1809 - only normal Windows Defender - no Registry Cleaner or any other special programs.

We only repaired this one key part - the others were set to NULL before (by MC installer) - and run the MC installer from 24.0.74 to 24.0.78 because I saw the MC 24 key entries - so for me MC was the "destroyer".

And in fact - after MC installation the content type is set to NULL.

There is no backup / restore anymore of course. I'm having this problem for a year or so - and thought it's an eM client bug and just reported it and yesterday they connected with Teamviewer remotely on my PC and found the problem ... and then I did the test with MC.

When I choose "File associations" in MC installer, I await to add missing file types to registry - and if there are existing file types MC should only add itself to the "OpenWithProgIds" list. When I choose "Open with ... " I could choose MC or any other program.

That's my logic when I read the MS doc: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/shell/fa-file-types

I'm software developer for 30 years, I can tell you about Assembler from Commodore VC64 and IBM Mainframe, DB2 and Oracle PL/SQL, Cobol, Natural, Perl, Java, etc. but I'm not a Windows client programmer - so I don't know any details about that.

I will take my laptop tomorrow - it's the same clean installation (only Home and not Professional but this shouldn't be a difference) so far and will check Registry before, install MC 24.0.78 (there was no MC installed!), check Registry after installation.

I also added a screen shot of the Content Type key for ".jpg" ...

Hendrik, from where are the 3 entries (in .png) "MediaCenter.24.*.BAK" coming?

Does this happen because you have programmed this - or does this "History" come from Windows?

Thanks!

[RoderickGI]

Your new clean Windows 10 build doesn't have Restore Points automatically created that you could use to restore to a working configuration? That would be strange, given Windows creates them regularly, and usually at new program installs.

A clean Windows install should have had proper Registry entries, and made Restore Points as programs were installed. So it shouldn't matter that the issue has existed for a year, as that was on the previous build of Windows. You should have a recent functional Restore Point with the correct Registry entries, including one probably from immediately prior to the first MC installation on the new clean Windows install... unless I am misunderstanding what you have done so far.

Make sure you create a Restore Point manually on the laptop before your test then, so you can fix any problem created in the Registry.

[Lefisu63]

Make sure you create a Restore Point

... as I wrote - as programmer for 30 years "I know what I do on my PC" - I have a "clean" PC and have not installed any special tools except AnyDVD + iCloud running behind the scene.

I've set Windows up from scratch multiple times 1,5 years ago (because of driver testing - hardware was brand new) with the software I mainly use.

I always didn't install MC because of the "installed more then 10 times per year" logic.

eM Client has worked correctly. And then later - I didn't notice when exactly - I don't send emails with pics every day ... it didn't work correctly. And it looks like the reason is I've installed MC in the meantime.

But I will test asap with my laptop.

[RoderickGI]

Fair enough.

Just one small point for future reference.

I always didn't install MC because of the "installed more then 10 times per year" logic.

There is no restriction on the number of times you can install in a year. By default you get 10 Licence Restores per year, but if you use them up you can ask JRiver for more.

Also, each time you run the Restore Licence process, an email with an attached *.mjr file is sent to you. That mjr file can be used to install a licence for up to 14 days, after which it expires. So for testing, you can Restore once and use that file for two weeks afterwards. It is only if your testing lasts longer than two weeks that you need to run the Restore process again. Just save the mjr file somewhere safe between Windows reinstalls.

[Lefisu63]

The associations not automatically assigning to MC itself is rather unrelated to this report. As mentioned in the other quote, this is impossible to fix, since Windows doesn't want you to. You can only register apps that are interested in handling a certain file type, and if there is multiple for one file type, Windows lets the user choose, not the apps.

Hendrik (or any other MC developer) - why makes MC installer (file associations step) problems - and VLC not ?

Test on my laptop (Windows 10 English, 64-bit, 1809) with MC 24.0.78 (not 25) - no special software is running on it. Incl. no anti-virus except Windows Defender.

- MC never installed
- VLC installed

Before I run the file associations step (I've choosen Custom+Normal) I changed some (also see enclosed screen shots):

Registry exports of file extensions before and after the MC file associations - all are enclosed as .txt in a .zip.

============

• MP4: not selected => not selected
• WAV: selected => not selected
• PNG: not selected => not selected

Nothing has changed in Registry.

============

AIFF: not selected => selected

.aiff before:

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.aiff]
"PerceivedType"="audio"
@="VLC.aiff"
"Content Type"="audio/aiff"
"VLC.backup"="WMP11.AssocFile.AIFF"

.aiff after:

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.aiff]
"PerceivedType"=""
@="MediaCenter.24.File"
"Content Type"=""
"VLC.backup"="WMP11.AssocFile.AIFF"
"MediaCenter.24.Default.BAK"="VLC.aiff"
"MediaCenter.24.PerceivedType.BAK"="audio"
"MediaCenter.24.ContentType.BAK"="audio/aiff"

VLC 3.0.6 made his entry and ContentType + PerceivedType are there.
MC 24.0.78 made his entry and ContentType + PerceivedType are not there anymore.

============

JPG: selected = selected

.jpg before

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.jpg]
@="jpegfile"
"Content Type"="image/jpeg"
"PerceivedType"="image"

.jpg after

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.jpg]
@="MediaCenter.24.File"
"Content Type"=""
"MediaCenter.24.ContentType.BAK"="image/jpeg"
"MediaCenter.24.Default.BAK"="jpegfile"
"MediaCenter.24.PerceivedType.BAK"="image"
"PerceivedType"=""

Default is ContentType + PerceivedType are there.
MC 24.0.78 made his entry and ContentType + PerceivedType are not there anymore.

============

RA: not selected => selected

.ra before

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ra]
@="VLC.ra"

.ra after

Code: [Select]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ra]
@="MediaCenter.24.File"
"MediaCenter.24.Default.BAK"="VLC.ra"
"PerceivedType"=""
"Content Type"=""

No ContentType + PerceivedType are there.
MC 24.0.78 made his entry and ContentType + PerceivedType are not filled with values. Shouldn't they come from the MC installer?

============

Question 1: What is the logic how MC pre-selects file associations during the installation process?

Question 2: Why does VLC 3.0.6 associate the correct content types (see .aiff "before" above) and MC "after" not?

Question 3: Regarding .ra entry - there were no type entries and MC makes some entries but without types! How does this work? Shouldn't bring the installer this kind of information?

Question 4: To choose file associations in actual new Windows builds - is this the correct way - or should I de-select them all?

Question 5: What should I do next? Uninstall MC or install VLC again to see what happens?

Question 6: Who can re-produce this?

Question 7: Has something changed with MC 25 regarding file associations - should I try 25?


Thanks a lot

[Lefisu63]

At first - please read my comment above - another test installation on my laptop

If you tell MC to remove its file associations, it'll restore the original values

Uninstalled MC 24.0.78 ... and file associations are NOT restored. Finally a big problem ...

How to fix this now if there are no restore points - not everyone is making it every time and finds bug like this?

[Lefisu63]

Start 2 comments above please.

The associations not automatically assigning to MC itself is rather unrelated to this report.

I uninstalled MC 24.0.78 - without luck and file associations are not restored (see comment above) (when I installed another software or in my example I've updated VLC - then this uninstall didn't work).

I uninstalled VLC 3.0.6 - but didn't fix the ContentType + PerceivedType

I manually deleted HKCR\.mp3 entry.

I installed VLC 3.0.6 again ... incl. all audio + file type associations. ... and VLC added (missing) .mp3 with correct ContentType + PerceivedType (but it doesn't fix/add all!) .. but didn't fix ContentType + PerceivedType were missing for existing file extensions.

Finally said after this test:

My system works when I install VLC incl. file associations - no HKCR entries/values become empty. Install MC - empty entries.

[Lefisu63]

Finally I was able to fix it.