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"Do this automatically for files like this from now on." check box is grayed out

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  • 3 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Owlesy

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"Do this automatically for files like this from now on." check box is grayed out and defaults to open with Notepad when I try to download something.

"Do this automatically for files like this from now on." check box is grayed out and defaults to open with Notepad when I try to download something.

All Replies (9)

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Can you provide more details? What task are you setting out to do when this message about files appears? Are you trying to download a file?

Is it from a particular website or any time you try to download a file?

You can look around and find another .exe program to open files with. If you do that, and select one (after hitting browse button), does that grey box go away?

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This usually happens when the server sends the file as a generic MIME type. "Do this automatically" is only enabled when the server sends the file with a registered MIME type.

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What happened was I set Windows 10 to open a file with an .sto extension to use Notepad where before nothing had been assigned to open the file. After I did that, Firefox had the check box grayed out when I tried to down load another .sto file.

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Downloading .exe programs works fine, but also gives me no check box at all or the ability to select something else to open the file with.

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lanceprior said

Downloading .exe programs works fine, but also gives me no check box at all or the ability to select something else to open the file with.

Sorry to be unclear. I wasn't referring to downloading of .exe files. I meant that when you select what program to open any downloaded file with, that program is an .exe file on your computer.

I'm much less knowledgable on FF workings than cor-el so check out his comment and links.

Can you save the file to your computer instead of opening it? When I try to download in FF, it gives me the option to save or cancel (for an .exe). Any chance you can attach screen shots of the problem without it being too much work to do so?

Modified by curls

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lanceprior said

https://i.sli.mg/ejbqoJ.jpg

What happens when you click the dropdown to pick another program? Or is that greyed out too? If you change to another default program to open with, maybe that will undo whatever is forcing a selection. What happens if you try to save file, does it work?

I can't think of a file to open myself to see how it works in comparison.

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curls said

lanceprior said
https://i.sli.mg/ejbqoJ.jpg

What happens when you click the dropdown to pick another program? Or is that greyed out too? If you change to another default program to open with, maybe that will undo whatever is forcing a selection. What happens if you try to save file, does it work?

I can't think of a file to open myself to see how it works in comparison.

I can change that to whatever I want to open the file, but the check box is still grayed out.

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I am also having the same problem. I often want to take a look at a file before deciding whether to save it or not.

These file are *.fbm files which are native to Delfstship.

  • Bulleted list itemI click on a file on the Delftship forum, which may be to diagnose a problem.
  • Bulleted list itemSelect the "Open With" drop down box, which doesn't have DS on the default list so Click Browse and select Delftship.exe
  • Bulleted list itemAll well up to now but, as this is something that occurs frequently, I want make this the default software for all *.fbm files.

Sadly this is not possible because the "Do this automatically for files like this from now on." check box is grayed out, as can be seen in the attached image.

Does anybody know why this should be the case?

It shouldn't matter whether the file to be opened is fbm, jpg, exe, whichnit or wassaname, provided the software is available to open it. So surely the check box should always be available, provided the software has been already selected.