This was quite an unusual problem faced by me on 19th July 2007.
On one of the computer all shortcut icons on desktop and under 'all programs' turned into lnk files. Couldn't open anything from desktop or all programs option from start menu.
Tried many things as listed below;
1) Tried opening the files by browing path for the related software on desktop using the option of 'always use selected program to open this file' but doing that turned every shortcut to open the same software since all the desktop icons had same extension .lnk
2) Tried reloading a fresh new profile.
3) Tried altering a few registry settings. And many other things that i dont want to write.
Lastly download a batch file named XP_fileassoc.bat to resolve the issue.
The contents of batch file are as follows;
REM Restore Default File Associations for Windows XP.REM Copyright 2003 - Doug KnoxREM
This BAT file restores the Default associations that XP ships withREM It does not restore associations created by 3rd party applications.
Echo Restoring Default File Associations
assoc.323=h323fileassoc.386=vxdfileassoc.aca=Agent.Character.2assoc.acf=Agent.Character.2assoc.acs=Agent.Character2.2assoc.acw=acwfileassoc.ai=assoc.aif=AIFFFileassoc.aifc=AIFFFileassoc.aiff=AIFFFileassoc.ani=anifileassoc.aps=assoc.asa=aspfileassoc.ascx=assoc.asf=ASFFileassoc.asm=assoc.asmx=assoc.asp=aspfileassoc.aspx=assoc.asx=ASXFileassoc.au=AUFileassoc.AudioCD=AudioCDassoc.avi=avifileassoc.bat=batfileassoc.bfc=Briefcaseassoc.bin=assoc.bkf=msbackupfileassoc.blg=PerfFileassoc.bmp=Paint.Pictureassoc.bsc=assoc.c=assoc.cab=CLSID\{0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}assoc.cat=CATFileassoc.cda=CDAFileassoc.cdf=ChannelFileassoc.cdx=aspfileassoc.cer=CERFileassoc.cgm=assoc.chk=chkfileassoc.chm=chm.fileassoc.clp=clpfileassoc.cmd=cmdfileassoc.cnf=ConferenceLinkassoc.com=comfileassoc.cpl=cplfileassoc.cpp=assoc.crl=CRLFileassoc.crt=CERFileassoc.css=CSSfileassoc.csv=assoc.CTT=MessengerContactListassoc.cur=curfileassoc.cxx=assoc.dat=assoc.db=dbfileassoc.dbg=assoc.dct=assoc.def=assoc.der=CERFileassoc.DeskLink=CLSID\{9E56BE61-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}assoc.dib=Paint.Pictureassoc.dic=assoc.diz=assoc.dll=dllfileassoc.dl_=assoc.doc=WordPad.Document.1assoc.dos=assoc.dot=assoc.drv=drvfileassoc.dsn=MSDASQLassoc.dun=dunfileassoc.DVD=DVDassoc.emf=emffileassoc.eml=Microsoft Internet Mail Messageassoc.eps=assoc.exe=exefileassoc.exp=assoc.ex_=assoc.eyb=assoc.fif=assoc.fnd=fndfileassoc.fnt=assoc.Folder=Folderassoc.fon=fonfileassoc.ghi=assoc.gif=giffileassoc.grp=MSProgramGroupassoc.gz=assoc.h=assoc.hhc=assoc.hlp=hlpfileassoc.hpp=assoc.hqx=assoc.ht=htfileassoc.hta=htafileassoc.htc=assoc.htm=htmlfileassoc.html=htmlfileassoc.htt=HTTfileassoc.htw=assoc.htx=assoc.hxx=assoc.icc=icmfileassoc.icm=icmfileassoc.ico=icofileassoc.idb=assoc.idl=assoc.idq=assoc.iii=iiifileassoc.ilk=assoc.imc=assoc.inc=assoc.inf=inffileassoc.ini=inifileassoc.ins=x-internet-signupassoc.inv=assoc.inx=assoc.in_=assoc.isp=x-internet-signupassoc.its=ITS Fileassoc.IVF=IVFFileassoc.java=assoc.jbf=assoc.jfif=pjpegfileassoc.job=JobObjectassoc.jod=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0assoc.jpe=jpegfileassoc.jpeg=jpegfileassoc.jpg=jpegfileassoc.JS=JSFileassoc.JSE=JSEFileassoc.latex=assoc.lib=assoc.lnk=lnkfileassoc.local=assoc.log=txtfileassoc.lwv=LWVFileassoc.m14=assoc.m1v=mpegfileassoc.m3u=m3ufileassoc.man=assoc.manifest=assoc.MAPIMail=CLSID\{9E56BE60-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}assoc.mdb=assoc.mht=mhtmlfileassoc.mhtml=mhtmlfileassoc.mid=midfileassoc.midi=midfileassoc.mmf=assoc.mmm=MPlayerassoc.mov=assoc.movie=assoc.mp2=mpegfileassoc.mp2v=mpegfileassoc.mp3=mp3fileassoc.mpa=mpegfileassoc.mpe=mpegfileassoc.mpeg=mpegfileassoc.mpg=mpegfileassoc.mpv2=mpegfileassoc.msc=MSCFileassoc.msg=assoc.msi=Msi.Packageassoc.msp=Msi.Patchassoc.MsRcIncident=MsRcIncidentassoc.msstyles=msstylesfileassoc.MSWMM=Windows.Movie.Makerassoc.mv=assoc.mydocs=CLSID\{ECF03A32-103D-11d2-854D-006008059367}assoc.ncb=assoc.nfo=MSInfo.Documentassoc.nls=assoc.NMW=T126_Whiteboardassoc.nsc=assoc.nvr=assoc.nws=Microsoft Internet News Messageassoc.obj=assoc.ocx=ocxfileassoc.oc_=assoc.odc=assoc.otf=otffileassoc.p10=P10Fileassoc.p12=PFXFileassoc.p7b=SPCFileassoc.p7c=certificate_wab_auto_fileassoc.p7m=P7MFileassoc.p7r=SPCFileassoc.p7s=P7SFileassoc.pbk=pbkfileassoc.pch=assoc.pdb=assoc.pds=assoc.pfm=pfmfileassoc.pfx=PFXFileassoc.php3=assoc.pic=assoc.pif=piffileassoc.pko=PKOFileassoc.pl=assoc.plg=assoc.pma=PerfFileassoc.pmc=PerfFileassoc.pml=PerfFileassoc.pmr=PerfFileassoc.pmw=PerfFileassoc.pnf=pnffileassoc.png=pngfileassoc.pot=assoc.pps=assoc.ppt=assoc.prf=prffileassoc.ps=assoc.psd=assoc.psw=PSWFileassoc.qds=SavedDsQueryassoc.rat=ratfileassoc.rc=assoc.RDP=RDP.Fileassoc.reg=regfileassoc.res=assoc.rle=assoc.rmi=midfileassoc.rnk=rnkfileassoc.rpc=assoc.rsp=assoc.rtf=rtffileassoc.sam=assoc.sbr=assoc.sc2=assoc.scf=SHCmdFileassoc.scp=txtfileassoc.scr=scrfileassoc.sct=scriptletfileassoc.sdb=appfixfileassoc.sed=assoc.shb=DocShortcutassoc.shs=ShellScrapassoc.shtml=assoc.shw=assoc.sit=assoc.snd=AUFileassoc.spc=SPCFileassoc.spl=ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlashassoc.sql=assoc.sr_=assoc.sst=CertificateStoreFileassoc.stl=STLFileassoc.stm=assoc.swf=ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlashassoc.sym=assoc.sys=sysfileassoc.sy_=assoc.tar=assoc.text=assoc.tgz=assoc.theme=themefileassoc.tif=TIFImage.Documentassoc.tiff=TIFImage.Documentassoc.tlb=assoc.tsp=assoc.tsv=assoc.ttc=ttcfileassoc.ttf=ttffileassoc.txt=txtfileassoc.UDL=MSDASCassoc.uls=ulsfileassoc.URL=InternetShortcutassoc.VBE=VBEFileassoc.vbs=VBSFileassoc.vbx=assoc.vcf=vcard_wab_auto_fileassoc.vxd=vxdfileassoc.wab=wab_auto_fileassoc.wav=soundrecassoc.wax=WAXFileassoc.wb2=assoc.webpnp=webpnpFileassoc.WHT=Whiteboardassoc.wk4=assoc.wll=assoc.wlt=assoc.wm=ASFFileassoc.wma=WMAFileassoc.wmd=WMDFileassoc.wmf=wmffileassoc.wmp=WMPFileassoc.wms=WMSFileassoc.wmv=WMVFileassoc.wmx=ASXFileassoc.wmz=WMZFileassoc.wpd=assoc.wpg=assoc.wri=wrifileassoc.wsc=scriptletfileassoc.WSF=WSFFileassoc.WSH=WSHFileassoc.wsz=assoc.wtx=txtfileassoc.wvx=WVXFileassoc.x=assoc.xbm=assoc.xix=assoc.xlb=assoc.xlc=assoc.xls=assoc.xlt=assoc.xml=xmlfileassoc.xsl=xslfileassoc.z=assoc.z96=assoc.zap=zapfileassoc.ZFSendToTarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}assoc.zip=CompressedFolder
Echo Default File Associations Restored
