Windows Vista Explorer Preview Pane - Extend File Type Support
Enhancing Windows Vista Explorer's Preview Pane Functionality
Have you encountered situations where certain files are not displayed within the Preview Pane in Windows Vista's Explorer? Previously, resolving this issue necessitated a complex modification of the Windows Registry. However, a dedicated utility now simplifies the process of extending the preview list to include additional file types.
This guide is structured into two distinct sections. For those interested in the underlying mechanisms, a detailed explanation of the registry modification is provided. Alternatively, users seeking a straightforward solution can proceed directly to the utility overview.
The Manual Registry Modification Approach
Let's consider the scenario of enabling previews for .reg files, commonly used for registry hacks.
Initially, navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.reg. Upon arrival, examine the value assigned to the (Default) key. This will reveal whether a Programmatic Identifier (ProgID) is already registered for this file extension, and if so, its specific name.
The ProgID serves to consolidate settings across multiple file extensions, preventing redundancy within the registry. For instance, both .reg and other related extensions can reference the "regfile" ProgID to access their shared configurations.
Next, proceed to the ProgID key itself, where the necessary adjustments will be made: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile. Within this key, create a new subkey named "shellex". Under "shellex", create another subkey with the following unique identifier:
{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f}
This specific key designates the unique ID that instructs Windows Explorer to implement a preview handler. Selecting this newly created key will reveal a (Default) key on the right-hand side, which requires modification.
Double-click the (Default) key and input the following value:
{1531d583-8375-4d3f-b5fb-d23bbd169f22}
This identifier corresponds to the Windows TXT Preview Handler, which was identified by examining the list of currently registered Preview Handlers located at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PreviewHandlers
Alternative preview handlers can be substituted as needed. For example, to register a preview handler for media files, the value {031EE060-67BC-460d-8847-E4A7C5E45A27} could be used instead of the text file handler.
Following these steps, selecting a .reg file should now display its contents directly within the Preview pane:
This methodology is applicable to other file types, though it can become quite time-consuming.
A Simplified Approach: Utilizing PreviewConfig
Now that the underlying principles are understood (or bypassed, if you proceeded directly to this section), the PreviewConfig utility for Windows Vista offers a significantly easier solution. The utility's interface is remarkably intuitive. Simply select the desired file type from the left-hand panel, and then choose the appropriate handler from the options available on the right.
Options include plain-text previews or the use of Windows Media Player for previewing media files. This is particularly useful for non-standard file formats, such as .mkv files, which may require specific plugins to function correctly within Windows Media Player but can still be previewed. Click the "Apply" button to finalize the changes.
PreviewConfig can be downloaded from winhelponline.com [mirror]
