Annoyances.org
Home » Customizing Windows » Article 02-038 Search | Help | Home
  
Use Quick View with Any File

Intended For
Windows 98
Windows 95
A handy tool that comes with Windows 95 and Windows 98 is the Quick View application (it was abandoned in newer versions of Windows). By right-clicking on some files, you'll see an option called Quick View, that will allow you to view the contents of a file without opening the application. The problem is that this doesn't work with just any file. To get your favorite files to work with the Quick Viewer, follow these steps:


Solution #1:

  • Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
  • Open My Computer\ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.
  • Look for an key that reads "*" - if it isn't there, add it (select New, Key from the Edit menu).
  • Under this key, add a new key named "QuickView."
  • Set the value of the "(Default)" value to "*" and close the Registry Editor.
  • This should work for all files with extensions, except (for some reason) for PCX files.


Solution #2:

  • Double-click on the My Computer icon, and choose Options... from the View menu.
  • Click on the File Types, and choose a file type or extension from the list.
  • Click Edit..., turn on the Enable Quick View option, and press Ok.
  • If the file you want to add to Quick View is not listed, press New Type... to add the extension of the desired file to the list.
  • You'll have to do this for every file you want to use with Quick View.
  • Note that Quick View may not have a filter for every file you view, but sometimes viewing the raw data is better than nothing at all.


Solution #3:

  • Add a shortcut to QUIKVIEW.EXE (in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ folder) to your \WINDOWS\SENDTO folder.
  • This way, Quick Viewer will be accessible from the Send To submenu when you right click on any file.


Solution #4:

  • Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
  • Open \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Unknown\ shell\ openas\ command.
  • Replace the (default) value with QuickView, or any other desired program.


Solution #5:

  • Create a shortcut on the Desktop for QUIKVIEW.EXE, allowing you to drag any files onto it to be viewed.


Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Friday, August 10, 2001

Care to discuss this article with other Windows users? Select your operating system here, and click Continue to post your question.

Previous discussions about this article:
(open a message to see applicable responses, if any)

Return to "Customizing Windows"

All content at Annoyances.org is Copyright © 1995-2008 Creative Elementtm All rights reserved.
Please do not plagiarize; redistributing these pages without permission is strictly prohibited.