March 12, 2007
Maybe it's because it's 3 in the morning, or maybe it's because my google-fu is weak, but it took me a damn long time to find the right answer to this one. If you want to open image files (JPG, PNG, GIF) on your local computer using Internet Explorer (instead of, say, a bastard-weasel program like Fireworks) and have them all use the same window, you need to do the following:
- Open any folder
- Go to Tools > Folder Options...
- Scroll down the list to the file type you want, select it, and click the Advanced button
- Choose the action labeled "Open" and click the Edit button
- If it hasn't already been set, make sure the application used is Internet Explorer. In a default install, the path should be "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nohome (make sure to include the quote-marks, or the spaces in the file name will make the system choke)
- Check the Use DDE box and enter the following:
DDE Message "%1",,-1,,,,, Application IExplore DDE Application Not Running * Topic WWW_OpenURL - Click OK until you've closed all the dialog boxes, then restart the computer
That will set things up the way you want them.
Misinformation I found before getting the correct version included using "file://%1" instead of just "%1", leaving the DDE Not Running area blank (though that may not have an effect; I'm just paranoid about it now), and using the path to IE in the Application area instead of just the app name. Now the next time I need to reinstall Windows (story to follow) all I have to do is remember that this is here.
