Special Edition Using Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 4.0

Associating Files with Programs

When you attempt to open an icon, Windows checks the file's extension against a database of registered file types to determine what action it should take. A registered file type can have multiple actions, all of which are available on the right-click shortcut menus; Windows uses the default action when you launch the icon. If Windows does not recognize the file type, it offers a dialog box that enables you to choose which application to use with the file you've selected.

File extensions have been around since the very first version of DOS. Beginning with the first release of Windows 95, Microsoft began tracking file types, as well. File types are inextricably linked to file extensions, but the relationship isn't ...