Windows Explorer Preview has quit working

Hmmm... if you want, you can install a different brand of a PDF application which has its own Previewer for File Explorer. Maybe if a new application is installed, then File Explorer can use that new one. I'm guessing with the new Previewer, things should show correctly.

I saw there's Sumatra that has that. Make sure this box is checked when installing, and see if that works.


I personally use SumatraPDF for how simple it is.


(if something like this works, I wouldn't go through the trouble for an in-place upgrade for Windows to fix its errors. Reason why I don't want to go through that hassle is because doing something like that will likely reset any custom settings you have done in Windows, and the trouble of re-customizing everything back to the way you want it.)

@pepanee - bear in mind it's not just pdfs for which the preview handler is destroyed.
(Like you I use Sumatra FWIW).

Whatever is doing this affects at least 3 different file types.

I struggle to imagine what that might be.

These were 'fixed' after the in-place upgrade repair install then shortly 'broken' again.

Just as well, Windows Explorer Preview now works for everything I want it to except pdf files

:
-then-

we are back to where we were 2 days ago, no txt preview, no pdf preview, no d3m (just a text file) preview, I can preview pictures and mp4 files.

In general, the possibilities might be
- an update - well, that's unlikely.
- something that ran - but presumably not immediately as startup as rboppy said some of those previews worked.

That leaves something manually run later, or a scheduled task.

As I don't know of anything that has such an effect, it's very hard to know what else to suggest.
I've never seen such a report before.

I wonder if some pdf tool (since pdf preview has never worked) that is installed might be having this effect.

@rboppy - Try rt clicking a pdf file, Open With, then provide some screenshots showing every part of the Open With context menu showing all programs listed- including

Choose another app
More apps

- the full list. Thanks.

rboppy said:

I'm not married to foxit

Well, I'm married to a foxy lady =þ
Hehe kidding. One day though! I'll be with the prettiest lady =D
...We will watch FOX together
(not Fox News though)

dal, my reasoning is that I think the foxy app took over the text handler as well..

rboppy, if you can take a screenshot of File Explorer with a file with
• a broken preview, that would be really helpful.
• a text file preview, and
• a perfectly working pdf file preview

I think they all have the same heading at the top of the preview. right?

Thank you.

You have a great many programs that relate to pdfs. I'm going to suggest to you that one of those is damaging the registry (remember I posted a link to an article that shows just how complex and numerous the registry keys and values are that are involved in preview handlers).

I'm going to suggest that one of those may be responsible for this.

Previews were fixed after an in-place upgrade repair install (except for pdf, as I understand it).

Unusual/unexpected ones: Inno setup, Design CAD, phpCD.exe, Picasa Photo Viewer, these:
, VMware player, Windows Photo Viewer... and probably more.

BTW, I do not have Edge on my computer.

Thoroughly bad idea and may be why pdf preview won't work for you at all.

Do you not know that certain things in Windows are hard coded to use Edge, so no Edge- what happens?

Conclusion your problem is likely to be somowhat self-inflicted- whether that be by removing Edge, or the many many programs that are somehow associated with pdfs.

As I said. it seems SOMETHING acted AFTER the in-place upgrade repair install to affect with was repaired.

First a couple things, pdf preview worked until 3 days ago;

So restore a disk image you created around that time.

The routine and regular use of 3rd party disk imaging is ENDLESSLY recommended by me and other members here.
Why? So you can resolve many difficult situations by restoring a working situation yourself.

If you'd had that, consider how much time could have been saved.


I have spent a lot of time on this, and can help no more. Good luck.

Excellent... but remember last time, shortly afterwards, things broke.
So I suggest you keep a note of what you do- which programs you run- and keep checking for any change for a while.

And of course, create a disk image before something breaks!