Windows 7 - Incorrect taskbar behavior with pinned programs

Ultraflesh · Post by **Ultraflesh** » 2009 Aug 17, 20:39

Just noting that in Windows 7 if you have a program like Notepad pinned to the taskbar and you open a .TXT from Xplorer2 a new Notepad icon will appear instead of "activating" the icon that is already pinned to the taskbar.

This behavior does not occur with Windows Explorer. This also goes for just about every other program I've tried, but Notepad makes an easy example.

Fantastic program and I hope to see this fixed in future versions.

Post by **nikos** » 2009 Aug 18, 06:16

would it make any difference if you opened the TXT file with right-click and "open" command?

Ultraflesh · Post by **Ultraflesh** » 2009 Aug 18, 18:48

Just tested that out (hadn't occurred to me before) but the result is the same with right click > open, right click > edit, right click > open with > notepad.

Post by **nikos** » 2009 Aug 26, 10:07

are you running xplorer2 perhaps as explicit administrator? (using right-click and "run as administrator" menu command)

Ultraflesh · Post by **Ultraflesh** » 2009 Aug 26, 22:04

No I'm not but just testing now with various right click options such as run as admin or using compatibility modes doesn't make any difference unfortunately.

Are you able to recreate this at all? I am using the RC 7100 of Windows 7, not a newer build.

fgagnon · Post by **fgagnon** » 2009 Aug 26, 22:58

I do not use notepad, but FWIW, I cannot reproduce the issue with my .txt files associated with Editor2, which is pinned to the taskbar. Each additional file I open simply piles up on the E2 icon as intended with the win7 design.

I am currently running x2 ver.1.7.2.6 [Unicode] x64 on the win7 RC 64bit build 7100.

PS - even when I explicitly associate notepad with an arbitrary extension like .ntext - I do not get the behavior youu describe.
For me. opening each subsequent file uses the existing notepad icon on the taskbar, piling on layers as expected.

Ultraflesh · Post by **Ultraflesh** » 2009 Aug 27, 22:15

That is strange, I'm running the 64-bit RC 7100 build of Windows 7 as well. However the exact version of Xplorer2 I'm running is 1.7.2.7 [Ansi] LITE according to the about dialog.

Anyone else running Windows 7 that is able to give this a quick test?

Ultraflesh · Post by **Ultraflesh** » 2009 Aug 27, 22:31

Oh I just installed the trial version of Xplorer2 64-bit (1.7.2.6 [Unicode] x64) and yes it does behave correctly in that version. So I'm not sure what the deal with the lite version is, which is actually a slightly newer version? I can't imagine being 32-bit would cause that but who knows..

johngalt · Post by **johngalt** » 2009 Aug 29, 05:47

Actually, it can.

The one you have pinned to the taskbar most likely references %windir%\system32\notepad.exe - however, on 64bit Windows(for sure in Vista and 7, not sure about XP) there is also another location of Notepad - %windir%\SysWOW64\notepad.exe

I had thought that 64bit OSs used the same application by hotlinking (creating a junction, similar to the *nix simlink) but now that I think about it I have a feeling that in fact those are 2 very separate versions of notepad a 32bit one and a 64bit (compatible) one.

Yes, I know 32bit is natively compatible with 64bit OSs, for the most part - after all, I moderate at Vistax64.com and sevenforums.com - however, I have proof that, at least on my system, they are not the same application.

If I open the one in System32, and go to Help --> About Notepad, It shows that the product is licensed to me. If I go to SysWOW64 and run *that* notepad, it says it is licensed to Microsoft.

I bet even money that if you put the one in SysWOW64 on your taskbar you'll stop getting a new Notepad icon and instead have the files use it.

Furthermore, if you use a third party app (fgagnon uses Editor, I personally use Notepad++) then you do not see the same thing as what you originally described as there is only the single copy of that particular application on the System.

HTH