How to Remove File Association

By an eHow Contributor

 
 
 
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Windows operating system associates files having a certain extension with a particular program. For example, files with the extension .doc are associated with Microsoft Word. Double-click on a file having the association leads to opening this file with the specified program application. Methods of removing file associations are different in Windows XP and Vista.

Difficulty:

 

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. In Windows XP

   • 1
     Click the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen.
   • 2
     Click "My Computer" to open Windows Explorer.
   • 3
     Click the menu "Tools > Folder Options" and select the "File Types" tab.
   • 4
     Scroll down the file type list and find the desired file extension. Click on it to select.
   • 5
     Click the "Delete" button, then "Yes" to confirm.

   In Windows Vista

   • 1
     Click the "Start" button in the lower-left corner of the screen.
   • 2
     Type "cmd" and press "Enter" to open the command prompt window.
   • 3
     Type "assoc .ext= " and press "Enter." Note, "ext" stands for the file extension you wish to remove from the association list.