Changing the Default Text Editor (for Dummies)
Posted: 2010 Jun 21, 11:44
This may seem like a "no-brainer" for most people - to change the default editor from Notepad to something else, either play around in the registry a bit or just change the filetype associations, right?
Not quite. Even though you've gone through all the trouble of making ed2 or Notepad++ or Notepad2 (or whatever you use) the default text editor, there's always some smart-arse application (such as the x2 installation program) which insists upon opening the changes.txt by default in Windows notepad, regardless of your wishes. To combat things like this the usual route is to actually replace the C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe physically, which seems a little dirty for some people.
Curiously, someone thought up the NotePadReplacer utility, which does exactly what it says on the tin - even intercepting direct calls to the notepad.exe and opening your chosen editor instead.
I am a little curious how it manages to intercept the notepad.exe itself (if you click on it you get your chosen editor - almost as if the file was replaced - except it wasn't. Interesting.
Anyway, this is a clean and simple solution for those who don't like poking around windows entrails for little obvious things.
Works fine with editor2.exe and editor2_x64.exe, though I don't know what happens if you try to associate portable editors with it.
(Now, if someone would create one of these for firefox.exe we'd be able to eradicate all of Nikos' little oversights! )
Not quite. Even though you've gone through all the trouble of making ed2 or Notepad++ or Notepad2 (or whatever you use) the default text editor, there's always some smart-arse application (such as the x2 installation program) which insists upon opening the changes.txt by default in Windows notepad, regardless of your wishes. To combat things like this the usual route is to actually replace the C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe physically, which seems a little dirty for some people.
Curiously, someone thought up the NotePadReplacer utility, which does exactly what it says on the tin - even intercepting direct calls to the notepad.exe and opening your chosen editor instead.
I am a little curious how it manages to intercept the notepad.exe itself (if you click on it you get your chosen editor - almost as if the file was replaced - except it wasn't. Interesting.
Anyway, this is a clean and simple solution for those who don't like poking around windows entrails for little obvious things.
Works fine with editor2.exe and editor2_x64.exe, though I don't know what happens if you try to associate portable editors with it.
(Now, if someone would create one of these for firefox.exe we'd be able to eradicate all of Nikos' little oversights! )