Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make itopen Notepad?

[Guest SlickRCBD]

I just installed Spybot Search & Destroy on my older win98 machine as I

realized that I hadn't run a spyware scan in nearly 6 months, and found

that Ad-Aware is no longer supported. Afterwards, I tried to open my

hosts file. Instead of being presented with a dialog box asking me what

program I wanted to use to open it, I got a dialog box saying something

about SpyBot scanning the file.

 

I had not thought it possible to assign a program to the hosts file

because it lacks an extension. This leads me to another question. How do

I fix it so that double-clicking on the shortcut on the desktop (or the

actual file, but being in the windows folder, it's a pain) will eitehr

give me that old dialog box, or open it in either WordPad or Notepad

instead of scanning with SpyBot?

 

I tried unchecking the option about locking the hosts file under "IE

Tweaks" in SpyBot, but that had no effect. I posted this here instead of

searching for a spybot forum because I would like to reassign the

intercept to open either Notepad or Wordpad when I double-click on the

hosts file, which would probably involve a registry tweak rather than a

Spybot tweak, but I'd settle for turning off this "feature" of scanning

the file instead of opening it.

[Guest Jeff Richards]

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

If you are using a shortcut to access the file, then default actions and

application options are not involved.

 

Right-click the desktop shortcut and choose Properties. Enter the Target as

C:\Windows\Notepad.exe c:\Windows\hosts. Set the Start directory to

C:\Windows. Close and save the shortcut. If hosts is actually located

somewhere else, use the appropriate location.

--

Jeff Richards

MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)

"SlickRCBD" <spamyourself@127.0.0.1> wrote in message

news:i46dnTMxjswkSuPVnZ2dnUVZ_rrinZ2d@comcast.com...

>I just installed Spybot Search & Destroy on my older win98 machine as I

>realized that I hadn't run a spyware scan in nearly 6 months, and found

>that Ad-Aware is no longer supported. Afterwards, I tried to open my hosts

>file. Instead of being presented with a dialog box asking me what program I

>wanted to use to open it, I got a dialog box saying something about SpyBot

>scanning the file.

>

> I had not thought it possible to assign a program to the hosts file

> because it lacks an extension. This leads me to another question. How do I

> fix it so that double-clicking on the shortcut on the desktop (or the

> actual file, but being in the windows folder, it's a pain) will eitehr

> give me that old dialog box, or open it in either WordPad or Notepad

> instead of scanning with SpyBot?

>

> I tried unchecking the option about locking the hosts file under "IE

> Tweaks" in SpyBot, but that had no effect. I posted this here instead of

> searching for a spybot forum because I would like to reassign the

> intercept to open either Notepad or Wordpad when I double-click on the

> hosts file, which would probably involve a registry tweak rather than a

> Spybot tweak, but I'd settle for turning off this "feature" of scanning

> the file instead of opening it.

[Guest SlickRCBD]

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I makeit open Notepad?

 

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I makeit open Notepad?

 

Jeff Richards wrote:

> If you are using a shortcut to access the file, then default actions and

> application options are not involved.

>

> Right-click the desktop shortcut and choose Properties. Enter the Target as

> C:\Windows\Notepad.exe c:\Windows\hosts. Set the Start directory to

> C:\Windows. Close and save the shortcut. If hosts is actually located

> somewhere else, use the appropriate location.

That works great for a work-around. Thank you.

 

The problem still occures when I tried to open the hosts file from the

C:\windows folder, but I do that so rarely that I should be able to live

with the inconvenince. Especially since I found that the trick to get an

"open with" still works. I'd still like to know how Spybot managed to

do what it's doing and how to turn it off, and/or how to redirect it to

my own ends. I'd have loved to get Notepad or Wordpad to open the Hosts

file automatically like Spybot is doing a decade ago.

[Guest PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

You can post your queries here:

http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=4

--

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

 

SlickRCBD wrote:

> I just installed Spybot Search & Destroy on my older win98 machine as I

> realized that I hadn't run a spyware scan in nearly 6 months, and found

> that Ad-Aware is no longer supported. Afterwards, I tried to open my

> hosts file. Instead of being presented with a dialog box asking me what

> program I wanted to use to open it, I got a dialog box saying something

> about SpyBot scanning the file.

>

> I had not thought it possible to assign a program to the hosts file

> because it lacks an extension. This leads me to another question. How do

> I fix it so that double-clicking on the shortcut on the desktop (or the

> actual file, but being in the windows folder, it's a pain) will eitehr

> give me that old dialog box, or open it in either WordPad or Notepad

> instead of scanning with SpyBot?

>

> I tried unchecking the option about locking the hosts file under "IE

> Tweaks" in SpyBot, but that had no effect. I posted this here instead of

> searching for a spybot forum because I would like to reassign the

> intercept to open either Notepad or Wordpad when I double-click on the

> hosts file, which would probably involve a registry tweak rather than a

> Spybot tweak, but I'd settle for turning off this "feature" of scanning

> the file instead of opening it.

[Guest glee]

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I make it open Notepad?

 

If you have the Spybot TeaTimer module enabled, disable it then test opening the

hosts file.

 

Open Spybot, click the Mode menu> click to checkmark Advanced mode.

In the left pane, click to expand Tools.

In the left pane, click Resident.

In the right pane, un-check "Resident TeaTimer"

Close Spybot.

 

Does this help?

--

Glen Ventura, MS MVP Windows, A+

http://dts-l.net/

http://dts-l.net/goodpost.htm

 

 

"SlickRCBD" <spamyourself@127.0.0.1> wrote in message

news:i46dnTMxjswkSuPVnZ2dnUVZ_rrinZ2d@comcast.com...

>I just installed Spybot Search & Destroy on my older win98 machine as I realized

>that I hadn't run a spyware scan in nearly 6 months, and found that Ad-Aware is no

>longer supported. Afterwards, I tried to open my hosts file. Instead of being

>presented with a dialog box asking me what program I wanted to use to open it, I

>got a dialog box saying something about SpyBot scanning the file.

>

> I had not thought it possible to assign a program to the hosts file because it

> lacks an extension. This leads me to another question. How do I fix it so that

> double-clicking on the shortcut on the desktop (or the actual file, but being in

> the windows folder, it's a pain) will eitehr give me that old dialog box, or open

> it in either WordPad or Notepad instead of scanning with SpyBot?

>

> I tried unchecking the option about locking the hosts file under "IE Tweaks" in

> SpyBot, but that had no effect. I posted this here instead of searching for a

> spybot forum because I would like to reassign the intercept to open either Notepad

> or Wordpad when I double-click on the hosts file, which would probably involve a

> registry tweak rather than a Spybot tweak, but I'd settle for turning off this

> "feature" of scanning the file instead of opening it.

[Guest Dan]

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I mak

 

Re: Spybot opens when I double-click on a hosts file, how do I mak

 

I hate Spybot TeaTimer and never use it when I install Spybot Search and

Destroy. It seems to cause more problems then it helps to fix at least in my

opinion for what it is worth.

 

"glee" wrote:

> If you have the Spybot TeaTimer module enabled, disable it then test opening the

> hosts file.

>

> Open Spybot, click the Mode menu> click to checkmark Advanced mode.

> In the left pane, click to expand Tools.

> In the left pane, click Resident.

> In the right pane, un-check "Resident TeaTimer"

> Close Spybot.

>

> Does this help?

> --

> Glen Ventura, MS MVP Windows, A+

> http://dts-l.net/

> http://dts-l.net/goodpost.htm

>

>

> "SlickRCBD" <spamyourself@127.0.0.1> wrote in message

> news:i46dnTMxjswkSuPVnZ2dnUVZ_rrinZ2d@comcast.com...

> >I just installed Spybot Search & Destroy on my older win98 machine as I realized

> >that I hadn't run a spyware scan in nearly 6 months, and found that Ad-Aware is no

> >longer supported. Afterwards, I tried to open my hosts file. Instead of being

> >presented with a dialog box asking me what program I wanted to use to open it, I

> >got a dialog box saying something about SpyBot scanning the file.

> >

> > I had not thought it possible to assign a program to the hosts file because it

> > lacks an extension. This leads me to another question. How do I fix it so that

> > double-clicking on the shortcut on the desktop (or the actual file, but being in

> > the windows folder, it's a pain) will eitehr give me that old dialog box, or open

> > it in either WordPad or Notepad instead of scanning with SpyBot?

> >

> > I tried unchecking the option about locking the hosts file under "IE Tweaks" in

> > SpyBot, but that had no effect. I posted this here instead of searching for a

> > spybot forum because I would like to reassign the intercept to open either Notepad

> > or Wordpad when I double-click on the hosts file, which would probably involve a

> > registry tweak rather than a Spybot tweak, but I'd settle for turning off this

> > "feature" of scanning the file instead of opening it.

>

>