Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

I accidentally associated .not files to the wrong program in the "default programs" segment of the Start Menu (Win 7). When i went to fix it, Win 7 allows me to browse for Notation 4 but will not add it as a default program. Is this just me, Win 7, or Notation 4?

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Hi Tim,


In Windows 7 my personal favorite way to do file associations is:

1. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to a file you want to create the association for (eg. here, .not and/or .mid, and possibly .kar if you use those. You can also choose the MusicXML filetypes .xml, .mxl, and .musicxml if you want.)
2. Right-click on the file and choose "Open with..." from the command list.
3. Go to the bottom of the "Open with" command list and select "Choose default program..."
4. The following dialog will show up. Be sure that the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" is checked.
5. Attachment 2016
6. Now you can either select a program from the list (notation composer 4 is labelled specifically as that in this list) or you can use the "Browse" button to navigate to the Program Files folder for the application you want to use. If it's in the list of programs that Windows presents, just choose it and click the "Ok" button and you're done.
7. If you have to navigate to find Composer 4 click the "Browse" button. Since notation composer 4 is a 64 bit application, it will be at C:\Program Files\Notation_4\Composer_4 and then select the Composer.exe program item. Click the "Composer.exe" file, and then then "Open" button for the dialog box.
8. Make sure the "Always use the selected program ...." box is still checked, then click "Ok." The file association is now set for "notation composer 4" to open the filetype.
9. Lather, rinse, repeat for other filetypes you want to set composer 4 to open.

Hope this helps. If not, let me know what steps you're using and I'll give it a whirl.


ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Therein lies the rub... I'm trying both of your preferred steps but (1) Notation 4 doesn't appear in the list Win 7 offers. nor does Notation 3! wqhich is still on the machine. When I try via the right-click, and run through that whole process, Windows does everything EXCEPT take any notice of Notation 4.


I think it's got to be a system glitch on my abused computer then, if the standard paths you've described are working for you, so I guess I'd better try a reinstall (sigh).



Tim

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Okay. A system glitch it is, which I haven't yet fixed. Tried a reinstall of Composer 4, Win7 will still not associate .not with it. Nor will it associate with Composer 3! So my machine is doing a dummy spit (there's an issue with win7 on it, but I really don't want to upgrade or even reload win7, because of the hours of reinstallation needed....) (at least not yet. I'll wait till I'm stuck in quarantine again...)


Tim

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Hi Tim,


It's not just your machine - it's got to be something in Windows 7.


I went and tried the

Start button\Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs\Set Associations
path, and could not get it to associate Composer 4.
AND after doing that path, now it won't let me do the "favorite" path either! Not even after a hard reboot!


Going to do a little research here....


ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Hi Tim,


Ok, I think I found a solution.


If you're comfortable working in the Registry of your machine, please see
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...ion-in-windows


I found that this setting was incorrectly set. After I corrected the path, the File Association works as it should. (I'm still puzzled why it worked correctly the first time when I did the screen shots for my first response, but who knows in Windows World...)



Let me know if this does/n't help.


ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Sherry, you're a wonder! Yes, went in and corrected following the instructions and now all works.



For me, the incorrect path that was in the registry was to the Notation 4 BETA version, which has long since been uninstalled.



So the uninstall of the BETA didn't clear the whole registry, my registry cleaner didn't notice it, and the install of Notation 4.01 didn't overwrite.


I suspect that this glitch will only occur to BETA-testers using Win7!!! not a widespread thing.

Thanks again!
Tim

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Hi Tim,


Glad that worked for you. FWIW, my issue the second time around was the same. I'm still not sure why my "favorite" method worked the first time - I still suspect that IS a Win 7 issue, but at least we know how to take care of it.


ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

Hi, Tim and Sherry:


I have just realized that .not files are orphaned in my Windows 10 setup.



Now, this may be an artifact of my previous Win 7 installation, as Win 10 was installed after Composer 4 was installed and Composer 4 was then re-installed from the backup files.


However, the procedure listed in the Microsoft support file doesn't work. In fact, I can't find any registry entry for Composer.exe.


I'll keep playing around and see what happens.


David

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

David, assuming Win10 works similarly to Win7 registry listings, you need to find the registry info from the Microsoft instructions for .not files, not looking for Composer. when you've found the .not associations, there'll be a path associated to a program. After my fiddling, the path went to cakewalk! It's a delete and hand-type the path solution then.


I'll have a look on the one Win10 computer I posses later today myself, and try.


Tim

Re: Unable to associate .not file with Notation 4 (Win7)
 

More on this: I've had to re-re-reinstall Composer 4.0.2 because of other unrelated things, and having to resort to earlier backups. In the process, I notice that composer.exe, of whichever version of 3 or 4, simply fails to register at all as an application.



While the workaround is to find the .not and .notFILE in the ROOT registry key, and work down their trees to the command, and type in the location of composer.exe, nevertheless it would seem the root cause is Windows not writing Composer (any vintage) to the Registry as an application.