Things You'll Need:
- Microsoft Windows
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Step 1
Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.
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Step 2
In the View menu, click on Folder Options.
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Step 3
Click on the File Types tab. You'll see a list of file types and the software applications that are used to open them.
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Step 4
Select the file type that you want to change. For example, suppose you have a GIF file and you want to open it in Paint Shop Pro. Select GIF files from the list.
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Step 5
Click Edit.
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Step 6
In the Actions box, select Open, then click on Edit.
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Step 7
Refer to the Program Used To Perform Action box. Use the Browse button to find the program that you want to open your file - in the example above, you would look for Paint Shop Pro. Note that you will need to select the program file -usually one ending in .exe.
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Step 8
Click OK. Click OK again.
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Step 1
If someone has sent you a file created in a later version of a program than what you have, ask the person to resave the file to your version of the program. Here's what you should tell that person to do.
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Step 2
Open the file.
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Step 3
From the File menu, select Save As.
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Step 4
In the File Type menu (or equivalent) choose the program version required.
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Step 5
Click Save.
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Step 6
Close the file and reopen it to inspect it for formatting changes. Make adjustments if needed.
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Step 1
Determine if a reader exists for the document's format. (It's sometimes possible to obtain readers that open and read certain file formats. For example, Microsoft Word offers a free reader that will allow you to read Word documents without having Word software.)
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Step 2
Download or otherwise obtain the reader you need and install it on your hard drive.
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Step 3
Follow provided instructions to open and read your document.
