Change the default program Windows XP uses to open a specific type of file
Published: September 7, 2006
When you double-click a file, Microsoft Windows XP opens the file in the default program assigned to that type of file. However, that program might not be the one you prefer. For example, you may want to open pictures in Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 Editor instead of in the default program, which is Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Sometimes, a newly installed program will open instead of the program you’re used to using.
To change the program that opens when you double-click a certain type of file
1. | Click Start, and then click My Computer. 
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2. | On the Tools menu, select Folder Options. 
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3. | In the Folder Options dialog box, click the File Types tab. In the Registered file types list, select the file type that you want to configure. Then, click Change. 
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4. | In the Open With dialog box, choose the program you want to use to open the file type, and then click OK. 
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5. | In the Folder Options dialog box, click Close. 
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Notice that the icon for the file type changes to that of the program you selected.
Tip: You can repeat this process to change the default program for any file type. If a file type has multiple file extensions, repeat the process for each extension. For example, to configure the default program for common picture types, you should repeat the process for .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, and .tif extensions.
