Fault file associations in Parallels Desktop 5

I recently upgraded from PD3 to PD5. I once had a problem with file associations in PD3 (Word files being associated with "word_auto_file" etc.), but managed to correct this with reference to a knowledge base article.

I noticed the other day that Word files in my Windows XP Home VM were not displaying the correct icon. They were displaying the icon normally shown for .rtf documents, though clicking on a Word file did indeed open it in Word. Looking in Folder Options in the Control Panel, I found that there was no file association listed for the .DOC file extension. I looked in the Windows Registry and deleted the relevant key for the .doc file association, then back in Control Panel > Folder Options > File Types, created a new .DOC file extension and associated it with "Microsoft Office 97-2003 document". I thought the problem was solved as the correct icon was now displayed.

However, it seems there is still a problem. If I open a .doc file in Word 2007 and hit Save (without making any changes), I am presented with the "Save As" dialogue with the default save as type set to "Word document" (even though the default file save type is set to "Word 97-2003 document" in Word 2007 options), and the file save location a temp folder under Owner/Local Settings. If I right-click a Word file and pull up properties, I see the following:

- Type of file: Microsoft Office Word 97-2003 Document
- Opens with: Microsoft Office Isolated Converter Environment

If I change this association to Microsoft Office Word (in Control Panel > Folder Options), the incorrect icon is once again shown.

What on earth is going on, and how do I fix it? I have not yet looked at Excel or Powerpoint files to see whether they are afflicted with a similar problem.

Note: please do not simply refer me to one of the other existing forum posts on this subject: I spent about an hour reading through them the other day, and none of them gave me a solution.

Thanks,

Rob

 

sounds like a registry problem to me. Try a registry repair utility such as the (free) CCleaner.

 

Dear Shaddam,

The point is that this is a problem created by Parallels Desktop. It has been reported for years, and still, unbeliavably, has not been fixed. I should not have to mess around with CCleaner or the like in order to undo mess caused by Parallels.

Rob

 

Hm. The file type is correctly identified by Windows as Microsoft Office Word 97-2003 Document. However, Windows wants to open it with Microsoft Office Isolated Converter Environment. You've changed the file type association in Windows. The wrong icon appears in Windows (which happens in Windows - try to delete the Windows icon cache, usually in /Documents and Settings/Username/Local Settings/Application Data - and restart to amend that). You've edited the Registry to fix the icon issue.

Why is this a Parallels problem?

 

How about because it was caused by upgrading from PD3 to PD5? Nothing else has been changed – no installs, configuration changes, registry changes, nothing – apart from upgrading Parallels, and the problem then occurred. How is it not a Parallels problem?!

Rob

 

Windows messing up icons is a quite well known phenomenon (link, link, link, link, link, etc. - Google or Bing "wrong Windows 7 icons" or "wrong Windows XP icons" for a ton of hints and tips on how to fix this). This is happening on "real" PC's, too.

I suggest you fix your registry and clean up the icon cache. Probably a good idea to make a backup before. Good luck!

 

After much tinkering about, I think I may have fixed this by changing the file association properties in Folder Options > File Types > Advanced. It has taken a lot of time and messing about, and I'm still not 100% sure it's fixed.

I don't doubt that windows messing up icons is a well known phenomenon. However, I remain utterly convinced, because of previous experience and other users' experience on this forum, that this problem (which is not just a case of the incorrect icon being shown) was caused by upgrading from Parallels 3 to 5. The fact that this issue has still not been addressed (it was first raised on this forum years ago), as well as the total lack of response from Parallels staff to this post, suggests that Parallels continues to deserve its reputationRob.