help with digital pics

[FLSharon]

I'm not sure I can even explain this... duhh.. :? My digital pics used to be in my Nikon View program. i could view them that way or if I looked in my documents they were there also. Now they are no longer in my Nikon View program. They are in my documents but they're there as a corel photo house jpeg. Before they were there as a thumbnail using nikon view. Can anyone help me undo what I did even tho i don't know what I did. I know this sounds crazy but you guys are really good... :D

[WillCAD]

What you're having is a problem with something called 'file associations'. File associations determine what program is activated when you double-click a file in Explorer or My Documents.

When you installed Corel Photo House, it told Windows, "I am Corel Photo House. Activate me whenever somebody double-clicks a file with a .JPG extension." Before that, Nikon View had told Windows the same thing.

There are complicated ways to restore this association, but the easiest and quickest way is simply to re-install Nikon View. When you do, it will most likely tell Windows, "I am Nikon View. Activate me whenever somebody double-clicks a file with a .JPG extension."

[FLSharon]

Thanks Will.. file association. I knew there was a term for this. However, corel photo has been on my computer. Any idea on how it might have taken over my pics instead of them staying with Nikon? And do you still think there's any chance it still might work to reinstall Nikon?
Thanks again ..Sharon

[WillCAD]

Some programs actually have a setting in them that will make them check file associations each time the program is started, thus hijacking the associations. If you started Corel Photo House, and it did this, then it would have automatically changed the association.

Reinstalling Nikon View will probably still work, but then you still have a chance of Photo House hijacking the associations again. You need to look in the Options or Preferences or Settings or whatever Photo House has to find any mention of file associations and see if you can disable the automatic checking. Do this before you reinstall Nikon View.

If Nikon View has this ability, you might be able to get away without reinstalling it. Again, look in Preferences, or Options, or Settings to find any mention of file associations or registered file types, and see if there is an option to have Nikon View check the associations when it is started.

This is a fairly common problem and is not usually difficult to fix, but it requires a little bit of advanced knowlege of how Windows works. It is mainly just a serious annoyance, but thankfully programmers are catching on, and most programs these days ask you if you want to change file association before they do it, usually during installation.

Until this is fixed, you can open Nikon View by using the shortcut on your desktop or Start Menu, and open your pictures from the program itself instead of by double-clicking on the pictures. I know this is not as convenient, but it will at least let you use Nikon View temporarily until you get the file association thing fixed.

[FLSharon]

Thanks so much for your help will. I know it's quite difficult to decifer what us novices have done. LOL. I have found some of my pics as thumbnails but i think another batch is hiding in a folder somehow. Don't have a clue where or how it happened but it 's not what I originally thought. Anyhow, just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for your help. I appreciate it and I did learn something new from your advice. :D