Windows 10: Ignoring Default App Settings

Latest Findings: Windows Media Player is not installed, but there are folders with it in both Program Files and Program Files (x86). Could that be the cause of the problem? Seems a bit odd that a non-installed program could cause the popups, but given that Windows is a bit odd, the world is more than a bit odd....

I tried to delete one of the folders, which gave me the Trusted Installer message; I don't remember what that is, and have not looked it up yet.

What about Player entries in the Registry, which I suppose are left over from my Windows 7, which did have the program installed; could those be culpable?

 

Hi, WMP is a bit puzzling.. I noted those two folders also, and this is a clean install of Win 10, so suggest you leave it well alone. That's how to remove/install it.

 

This is what I see:



WMP is there.. but you may have to look further- More Options..
Or you could try using the control panel to uninstall it and reinstall it.

 

Mm, not shown in Control Panel, Default Apps, File association list if that's where you were looking..

Is this one MS is surreptitiously reserving for its own use?
Notwithstanding which, using Control Panel Default Apps to associate Winrar with all it can handle => .cab associated with Winrar (not restarted yet).

 

I'm seeing a few reports here of users with new PCs or very little installed with file association problems.
I don't suffer them (so far), but all is up to date.

Normally one would expect:
- Windows corruption - repair it.
- Simple user error or assumption- do it another way
- Interaction between some program conflicting with Windows (application, driver...)
- Some peculiar setting problem
(then there are the less frequently occurring hardware problems)

But it is increasingly looking as though there's sthg intrinsic to the new model of Windows marketing and the universal apps implementation, and the way MS treats defaults that is misbehaving.

What is not at all clear is what the trigger for this is, as it only affects some users/PCs.

Possible reg fix here:
Fix for "An App Default was Reset" Windows 10 Resetting File Associations (Registry Fixes) - The Winhelponline Blog

See discussion here e.g. (not solved in general)
Solved Last update caused all custom file associations to reset to defaults - Page 2 - Windows 10 Forums


http://news.slashdot.org/story/16/02...t+%28rdf%29%29

 

Thanks for link to Windows Features, where I turned off Windows Media Player. The only thing I used it for, and that very infrequently, was for ripping music from a CD. Perhaps the popups will now no longer pop up.

 

Thanks. I found and marked .cab in WinRar yesterday afternoon, and it stopped popping up, leaving only the three miscreant Windows Media Player ones.

 

I think this is what you're experiencing - just came across this news article and posted it - with a possible reg fix (note caveat).

However you may prefer to uninstall the update and hide it so it doesn't recur (see Tutorial section on how).
MS admits Windows 10 Forced Update Resets Default Apps - Windows 10 Forums

....don't try to change associations from within programs- they won't 'stick'. (e.g. cab)

 

I would read that document, were it not that the forum says "...you do not have permission to access this page This could be due to one of several reasons:

• The page has been removed.
• Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page.
• If you are a trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation."

Incidentally, the change in WinRar to allow .cab seems to have worked, as I am getting no popups for that extension, not even after installing a Critical BIOS Update from Dell. That update worked very nicely; I don't recall having ever updated the bios in my many years of PC use, but certainly remember reading many tales of woe of such matters. Equally nice, no more VLC popups, either. I am going to wait a day or so, and if all continues to be welll, shall mark this as solved, with much credit due you.

The update must have been quite critical, given that my new computer was shipped from Foxconn's massive maquiladora for Dell production in Ciudad Juarez last Thursday afternoon.

 

Sounds a lot better.. good..

You can't read it 'cos a moderator moved my post - whence, I know not!

This is what it said, more or less - I re-typed this for my records.

MS admits bug in KB3135173 resetting associations
See this, referring to KB3135173,
Windows 10 Forced Update Resets Default Apps To Microsoft Products - Slashdot

Updategate: Microsoft 'aware' of problem causing app defaults to reset- The Inquirer

- from which came the suggested registry modification.
Fix for "An App Default was Reset" Windows 10 Resetting File Associations (Registry Fixes) - The Winhelponline Blog

However, it would be better (I think) to uninstall the update, and hide it (see the Tutorial section)

(I basically put this in post 18 above in fact)

 

Given the lack of any untoward popups for over a day, I consider this problem having been solved. Now to find and fix the cause of the only continuing problem with my new computer, figuring out and eliminating the cause of its waking up. Should I not do that on my own, I shall further confound the forum members by starting a new thread.

You can only hope that a new thread shall not be required, as I shall make neither promises nor threats thereunto....

 

Lots of threads and ideas on PCs suffering insomnia here - another thing that seems to plague some Win 10 PCs. Hope you don't have too many disturbed nights.

 

I am all too well aware of the various sources, none of which, so far, have helped. -wakelast gives nothing more than a useless number; only the keyboard and mouse can wake the machine; I did not see any rogue tasks, but shall look further; and so on (and on, and on, and etc.)

This, sadly, similar to my finally finding a link that works to remove Security Essentials; I wish I had bookmarked it, so that I could provide it to others. That specific command, entered in a command prompt, immediately brought up what appeared to be a MS script or whatever it was, that, when ran, very quickly removed the nuisance.

Disturbed nights? They are something that I was once quite accustomed to, having been a fire chief.