Well if you are one of those who are the facing the problem that your Desktop shortcuts have suddenly become unusable and when you try to open them some other application is launched than what you expect then this article is for you.
Symptom:
1. Shortcuts on my Desktop in Windows are either not having any icon or have the icon of some common application.
2. When I try to launch any shortcut, say, firefox, application 'x' tries to open the file or windows pops up the open with dialog box.
Cause:
Your registry entry for .lnk filetype association has become corrupt by either your own mistake or by the action of some malware.
Solution:
The solution to the above mentioned problem is quite easy.
First of all calm down.
Your personal data is safe.
You need NOT format your computer.
Now the technical specifications as to what must be done in order to restore the ".lnk" filetype association in your Windows.
1. Press the "Window key + R"
2. Now type in the 'Run' dialog box: "regedit" (without quotes or this bracketed text)
3. In the new window that opens up, go to FILE ---> IMPORT menu
4. Hope fully you have already downloaded the .zip file provided below? Unzip it to find the lnk.reg file.
5. Back in step 3, when you select import, it asks for path of file, give the path of the "lnk.reg" file you obtained in step 4.
6. Accept and press oks for all changes or questions windows asks.
7. Now the tedious part: Goto the following path within "regedit" from the left side pane:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.lnk
In the left pane itself, under the .lnk, see if there is a sub entry called "UserChoice". If there is such an entry, delete it outrightly.
8. Now you are done, restart your computer.
9. In 99% cases this has solved the problem. Hopefully it works for you as well. In case it doesn't place a comment I will definitely respond.
Symptom:
1. Shortcuts on my Desktop in Windows are either not having any icon or have the icon of some common application.
2. When I try to launch any shortcut, say, firefox, application 'x' tries to open the file or windows pops up the open with dialog box.
Cause:
Your registry entry for .lnk filetype association has become corrupt by either your own mistake or by the action of some malware.
Solution:
The solution to the above mentioned problem is quite easy.
First of all calm down.
Your personal data is safe.
You need NOT format your computer.
Now the technical specifications as to what must be done in order to restore the ".lnk" filetype association in your Windows.
1. Press the "Window key + R"
2. Now type in the 'Run' dialog box: "regedit" (without quotes or this bracketed text)
3. In the new window that opens up, go to FILE ---> IMPORT menu
4. Hope fully you have already downloaded the .zip file provided below? Unzip it to find the lnk.reg file.
5. Back in step 3, when you select import, it asks for path of file, give the path of the "lnk.reg" file you obtained in step 4.
6. Accept and press oks for all changes or questions windows asks.
7. Now the tedious part: Goto the following path within "regedit" from the left side pane:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.lnk
In the left pane itself, under the .lnk, see if there is a sub entry called "UserChoice". If there is such an entry, delete it outrightly.
8. Now you are done, restart your computer.
9. In 99% cases this has solved the problem. Hopefully it works for you as well. In case it doesn't place a comment I will definitely respond.
DOWN LOAD THE ZIP FILE FROM THE FOLLOWING LINK:
The zip file also contains a text file called "What to do" which contains some instructions...
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