Re: Openning text files in IE

(cross-post added to XP Perform_Maintain)
"Daniel" <Daniel@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:65655DAE-6A15-49EC-8816-47BFB5FC698F@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
>
> When I drag & drop a .txt file into IE, it opens it successfully in the
> browser.
> Problem is that on some machines when I drag & drop a .log file (which is a
> regular text file), it does not open inside the browser. If I configure .log
> files to be opened with notepad they are simply opened by notepd. If I
> configure them to be opened by IE, nothing happens.
>
> On some machines, IE displays the .log files inside the browser as desired,
> though.
>
> Any ideas?


That's bizarre. I thought it might be that the *.log file would contain non-text
characters and that that would account for the "download and open" symptom [2]
but I can rename a .txt file (which IE will open) with a .log extension and
then it won't open it?

Assoc and Ftype look as if both extensions [1] would be treated the same
by Windows:

<cmd_output>
F:\>assoc .log
..log=txtfile

F:\>assoc .txt
..txt=txtfile

F:\>ftype txtfile
txtfile=%SystemRoot%\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE %1
</cmd_output>

And Run... Control Folders File Types tab confirms that apparent equivalence.

So, there is probably a more subtle difference in the registry somewhere.

I would try using ProcMon to check for that possibility but don't have
time right to analyse it now.

[1] when I wrote that "both extensions" I realized that another factor
could be the MIME-sniffing security default which ignores file extensions;
so for completeness we probably should test that case too but I don't think
it is supposed to apply to local files.

[2] Re-reading "download and open" made me remember another undiagnosed
oddity in IE7. I have a .lnk file in my Links bar which works fine as a button
(for opening OE) but when I drill down to it in the Address bar I first get a
File Download Security Warning, which actually stops and requires Open
to be clicked in order to continue. Figuring out that one might help understand
or at least analyse your symptom too (and vice versa <w>).


BTW this could have more to do with your OS than with IE
but you haven't disclosed that detail. Cross-posting to an XP newsgroup
anyway (my OS).


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
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