It's a W98SE (4.10.222A), with IE5 (5.00.2614.3500). It's relatively new and
therefore doesn't have a huge amount of software loaded on it to confuse the
registry. The version of WSCRIPT.EXE installed in C:\WINDOWS is 5.1.0.4615,
size 89KB (?bit low?) dated 99OCT15.

When I double-click a .VBS file in Explorer, for example, the file opens in
Notepad instead of running. If I compare the Folder options for VBS 'open'
on the bad PC, it's identical to the settings on my two other PCs
(C:\WINDOWS\WScript.exe "%1" %*) which work perfectly. The little coloured
cube icon appears on that options tab which suggests to me that the app
registered OK.

I've removed and added both v5.1 WSHost and the one on the PCs Operating
System CD, with no change and no success.

All ideas gratefully received.  Thanks  - Mike -

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVPDTS

?Free Win9x VBScript Utilities?
http://home.earthlink.net/~wgjames/vbspage/

But you made me look more closely at my test file in Explorer.  Its name is
shown as "test.vbs" in the leftmost column but it's classified as a "Text
Document" in the type column, rather than "VBScript Script File" as shows on
my other PCs. When opened in notepad though the header says simply
"Test.vbs - Notepad" not "Test.vbs.txt - Notepad".

Do you have any advice, please, on what needs correcting/re-registering
here, and how this might have occurred in the first place?

Thank you very much.  - Mike -

Many thanks indeed. A complete, prompt, courteous solution to my problem,
and hopefully others will have been guided as well.

Newsgroups at their best.  Cheers  - Mike -

Check out the following as a .reg file to add "Change Extension" to the
right-click context menu for all files using your script.  Of course, you
have to edit the path to the script.

REGEDIT4

\"%1\""

I've written a couple of .vbs files for this type of script, where
double-clicking the file (no argument) brings up a MsgBox prompt to add or
remove the context menu item and/or SentTo shortcut, and including a version
check for WSH 2+.  Think I will add this one to that collection if you don't
mind.  If I put it on my site I will be sure you have credit.

--

Bill James
Microsoft MVPDTS

?Free Win9x VBScript Utilities?
http://home.earthlink.net/~wgjames/vbspage/

Your script started life as a txt file that you thought you renamed to a
.vbs extension.  But when you _don't_ show "known" extensions, you can't
easily change the extension of a file that _has_ a known extension (this is
"user friendly" ??? ;-)...

From the Explorer "Folder Options" dialog, choose NOT to hide known
extensions.  Then you can rename the file and change the extension.

I've also attached a vbs file that I use to change extensions even when they
aren't displayed in Explorer.  You need WSH 2.0 which has drag/drop support
for script files.

You can just put the script or a shortcut to it on the desktop and drop the
file that you want to change onto it.  It will prompt you for the new
extension.  The advantage is that you don't need to show known extensions
for this to work.

Personally, I keep the script in a separate scripts folder and put a
shortcut to it in the "Send To" folder.  That way I can "drop" a file on it
via Explorer Send To context menu.  If I had a dollar for every time I used
this, I could probably retire today...

--
Michael Harris


  Bill: The default action is Open.  Print is also there (normal text).

  But you made me look more closely at my test file in Explorer.  Its name
is
  shown as "test.vbs" in the leftmost column but it's classified as a "Text
  Document" in the type column, rather than "VBScript Script File" as shows
on
  my other PCs. When opened in notepad though the header says simply
  "Test.vbs - Notepad" not "Test.vbs.txt - Notepad".

  Do you have any advice, please, on what needs correcting/re-registering
  here, and how this might have occurred in the first place?

  Thank you very much.  - Mike -

  >What is the default action for .vbs on the problem computer.  Sounds like
  it
  >has been set to Edit.  (Right click a .vbs file and see which option is
in
  >bold face.)

  >Bill James
  >Microsoft MVPDTS
  >
  >?Free Win9x VBScript Utilities?
  >http://home.earthlink.net/~wgjames/vbspage/
  >
  >"Mike Brett" wrote >> Any guesses, please, as to why one of my test PCs
  won't recognise (run)
  >.VBS
  >> files?