What if I *want* Windows Picture and Fax Viewer?

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I read your instructions, but in IE the viewer is Apple's Quick Time, I want to change the viewer to use Windows Picture and Fax Viwewer (WPFV)when I open a tif file.

I disabled the tif association in IE and used the file association in tools under folder options, file types to associate tif to WPFV but it would not work correctly in IE. What steps are necessary to reassociate WPFV in Internet Explorer?
Thanks,

This is one of those areas in Windows where it is much easier to use the command-line than the GUI (Explorer). There are two commands that control all file associations, ASSOC and FTYPE. To restore the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer simply type the following command (using JPEG as an example):

ASSOC .jpg=jpegfile

That's it, just a single command! No opening multiple windows and clicking buttons. This is assuming that no other application modified the "jpegfile" file type. To check that, simply issue this command:

FTYPE jpegfile

It should show up like this:

jpegfile=rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1

If it has been modified to run some other application, then you can restore it simply by issuing the command FTYPE with that full line above after it, as in:

FTYPE jpegfile=rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1

For more technical details, use these two commands:

HELP FTYPE
HELP ASSOC

Enjoy!

Ref: http://ask-leo.com/what_if_i_want_windows_picture_and_fax_viewer.html

Interesting stuff. However, didn't solve my problem; to wit: getting Windows Picture and Fax Viewer to function in WIN 2K Pro.

search for: shimgvw.dll and found two instances:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\dllcache

What I need is the procedure for enabling the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer....

At the present time, it is not even one of the choices when using 'Open With' ... on a JPG or GIF file ...

Methods:
WinExplorer - Tools/Folder Options/File Types

-select Registered File Type : JPG
-select Advanced
-select Edit
Entered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen %1
(as per your post) in the 'Application used to perform action:' textbox ... [Action: Open]

(Use DDE not selected)\

Click Ok and then OK to close Edit File Type..and then click Close to close out the Folder Options form.

Next tried double left-click to open a standard JPG picture. RUNDLL Error msg displayed:

'Error in C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll
Missing entry:ImageView_Fullscreen'

Next tried right click and 'Open With' and selected 'Shell Image View Control'

Got same RUNDLL error msg ... and an error msg related to the JPG picture ...

'Cannot find the file 'C:\My Documents\My Pictures\Cliff in Clouds.jpg' (or one of its components). Make sure the path
and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available.'

So.... we've hit the proverbial Brick Wall ...
All advice appreciated.

M.F.

Finally...I've been looking for this page forever...(about 6 months).

I want windows picture and fax viewer. but for some reason it stopped working about a year ago...I started using HP Image Zone Express as a stand-in, but it doesn't find the files like I need...

Here's whats happening on my XP Pro machine:
Start - My Pictures: I see the file names and "Icons" but the Icons are not the normal thumbnail pictures, but just a "Picture" Icon (the red sky with the sailboat). some of the older folders of pictures that I had have the file icon with the mini-thumbnails inside, but when I open the file, just picture icons again, no thumbnails. I miss the thumbnails. Double-click a picture, I get an error that the pic (any of them) is not a valid WIN32 application. I right-click and choose to open with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and I get nothing. WPFV is listed, but it will not open. I can't even find WPFV on my computer...

so what I need is the WPFV install file...I can find lots of remove files, and things about it...but I can't find the file itself. any help?

btw Leo - I own a small Coffee Shop, if you help me out, I'll buy you a Viente Caramel Macciatto Triple-Shot.

thanks! Sockhatguy (@hotmail.com)

Well, as outlined in the article WPFV is not an application, and you won't find it on your computer. For reasons unknown it's a hidden function in a DLL. Try following the instructions in the article to reassociate it properly with pictures and see if that doesn't help.

I have tried your instructions to restore Windows Picture and Fax Viewer and everything works except I do not get to a dialog box that gives me the option to check "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file". It jumps over that step (the critical step) and opens the picture. How do I get this all-important box to appear? (You probably don't need to have this info but---I recently downloaded Photoshop Elements 3.0. and it "hi-jacked" my Windows default and I'm trying to get back to Windows as my default.

Sorry--me again. Photoshop Elements hijacking my default setting to open my pictures (JPG files). I just discovered Folder Options and it does give me the opportunity to check "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file." But when I select JPG files and select to open it with Windows and to always use this program to open these files, the icon changes from Photoshop Elements...but the actual JPG files still have the Elements icon and still open with Elements. I have even rebooted. The folders options still show JPG files as opening with Windows but the JPG files still open with Elements.

i'm looking for the mini-thumbnails, too, and hate that red sky sailboat crap.

on my system i do get the wpfv to open jpg file with a double click and i can get the edit link to edit with photoshop - it's only those little thumbnails that i miss - more so as i used to dig them plenty when inserting photos onto outlook's notes field. now that my default editor is photoshop i see photoshop icon instead.

i'll much appreciate pointers if there is any...

to change the icon back go to file types select JPG click "advanced" click "Change Icon" and enter in "C:\WINNT\System32\shimgvw.dll" or "C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll" and click ok and the sunset sailboat icon should come up

New to this post, but hoping so many experts out there can help me out. I've a new computer, clean install of Windows XP Media edition & enjoy using the Windows Picture & Fax Viewer. Now, out of the blue, I get a DEP (Data Execution Protection) Fault/Error & windows automatically closes Windows Picture & Fax viewer. Help about DEP errors (which I've never seen before) talk about it trying to stop non-recognized progams from running code in protected Memory locations. Well, I would think that WINDOWS XP should recognize WINDOWS Pic & Fax Viewer... Anyway, I have a similarly configured laptop & it has no troubles. Any ideas (I cannot use the Windows recommended solution to "exclude" a program from DEP checks because as has been pointed out in these posts, it's not really a program, but a DLL. Thanks.

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