[Issue] Removing MS Office and setting file association

[AJB-work]

Removing MS Office 2000 removes the file associations and the related file types from Windows. This means right after uninstalling Office 2000 that doubling clicking on an XLS file brings up the Windows doesn't know what program to use dialogue even if OpenOffice 3 is installed.

Since OpenOffice 3 does not have the handy "Use OpenOffice to open MS Office files" screen I went through the OOo Setup repair instead. This took forever as it seemed to reinstall the whole program.

So I think it will be quicker to manually reconfigure OOo to open DOC, XLS & PPT. My question is arethere any other file types related to MS Office 2000 that need recreated in the Windows File Type screen?

[thomasjk]

This has been reported at http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=89097. Register and vote for this issue. In the meantime open My Computer, Tools--->Folder Options--->File Types Tab. Find all the Office file extensions and manually change them to open with the appropriate OOo application. I don't know of any list in one place.

Edit: Hagar (moderator): better vote for that one I think: Issue 96594 - MSOffice file association.

[AJB-work]

This has been reported at http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=89097. Register and vote for this issue. In the meantime open My Computer, Tools--->Folder Options--->File Types Tab. Find all the Office file extensions and manually change them to open with the appropriate OOo application. I don't know of any list in one place.

Part of my problem is that after I remove MSO all the file types are gone. If I go into My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types and look for DOC it is not there.

[Hagar Delest]

If I go into My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types and look for DOC it is not there.

Then you've to create it. There should be a New button in that dialog.

[AJB-work]

If I go into My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types and look for DOC it is not there.

Then you've to create it. There should be a New button in that dialog.

What I am getting at is are there more file types than DOC, XLS & PPT that need to be created?

[thomasjk]

Yes. Here is a Google link for Office 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_ ... extensions. You will have to search for more.

[ww2008]

I've got a similar problem that happened due to MS-Office stealing the file associations. I want them back to OO but from everything I've read, there is no way to do that. I've seen lots of posts by people saying "just go into file types and manually set OO for the file association". Hold on a minute, why should this be done manually? If we really want OO to gain acceptance, this type of activity should be simple for the user to do. If it isn't, there's no way people are going to change office suites. I can just see trying to get my grandmother to "do a google search for all the various file types and then associate each type with the correct OO application, creating the file type if necessary". It just isn't going to happen. OO needs a button in preferences to "associate filetypes to OO applications".

[thomasjk]

There is an open issue http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=89097. Register and vote for it so that you have the option to set the associations during the install just like V2.4.X.

Edit: Hagar (moderator): better vote for that one I think: Issue 96594 - MSOffice file association.