I tried to open an image I've been working on by double-clicking the .pz3 in the folder where it was saved (which I usually do rather than opening Poser and doing "File" > "Open") and got a message that Windows couldn't find the correct program to open it. My operating system is Windows XP and I'm using Poser 6 which is on my G: drive (an external harddrive). So then I tried right-clicking, selected "Open With..." and Browsed to Poser 6 on my G: drive. I selected Poser and clicked on "Open", but then it bumped me right back to the "Open With..." window as if nothing had happened. It seems that the only programs I can choose from are the ones on my C: drive. And to make matters worse, the first time I tried it, the box was automatically checked on "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file". I clicked on "Okay" instead of "Cancel", not realizing that it had also automatically selected "WizZip Executable" as the Recommended Program, and now all my .pz3 files are showing up as Zip files! :( I really need some help please! I have no idea what to do to fix this! TIA! Ney

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Select a pz3 but don`t double click then hold shift and right click then select open with and choose program and select poser 6 and click on always open with this program. That should fix it.

I just tried that xantor, and no luck. The same thing happens ... I choose Poser, click on "Open" (my only options are Open or Cancel) and when it jumps back to the list of programs to choose from, Poser is not there. All it will list are programs on my C: drive. :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

If you select a pz3 and hold shift down as you right click you should get one of the options being open with, it might not be at the top, and try rebooting your computer too.

The file in the middle that has the Zip icon is my .pz3 file.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Here I hold down the Shift key and then right-click. (I get the same thing even if I don't hold down the Shift key). Then I choose "Open With..."

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

If the file doesn`t have the .pz3 extension then open with wont work with it.

Poser is not on the list so I then click the "Browse" button.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

I browse to my G: drive, select Poser, and click on "Open".

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

It then bumps me back to the "Open With..." list and Poser is not there.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

(((If the file doesn`t have the .pz3 extension then open with wont work with it.)))

Any other ideas? I'm well and truly screwed at the moment and have no idea what to do! I've been fiddling with this for 2 days and have rebooted my comp several times. :(

Message edited on: 08/27/2005 16:00

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Can you open the file the "hard" way, by starting Poser and loading it from there? If not, then something is seriously screwed with either your Poser drive or your operatiing system.. Cheers, Diolma PS: If I'm going to work on a Poser file, I always open Poser first. But then that's because I have all of Poser's human-readable files associated with MS Visual Studio so I can edit them easily..:-))

If you go to the open with like in message 10, you click on the browse button and then go to your poser directory in G: and select the poser.exe file. Remember and check the "always use this program to open this kind of file" button.

The file appears to be a winzip file. You need to unzip it, thats why it keeps defaulting to winzip, in the open with area. If you have winzip installed just double click & winzip will open. Then you go from there. Screenshots to follow.

Step 1. double click on pic with winzip, then this pops up.

Step 2. Click on Use evaulation version, if you hvae not bought it yet. Step 3. Your files will appear as shown in the top box Step 4. Click on extract Step 5. See bottom pic. Of course you will need to adjust the path, according to what you have.

(((If you go to the open with like in message 10, you click on the browse button and then go to your poser directory in G: and select the poser.exe file. Remember and check the "always use this program to open this kind of file" button.))) xantor, I've done that and it does not work. ********** (((Can you open the file the "hard" way, by starting Poser and loading it from there?))) Yes! That works diolma. Thank you! And thank goodness! Okay, I'm not as screwed as I initially thought. LOL! But I would still like to fix the problem of all my .pz3 files showing up as Zip files. ********** dlk30341, I'm going to try that now. Back in a bit! But ... I'm wondering, will I have to do this with all my .pz3 files. I have hundreds of them ... :( Shouldn't there be a way to revert them all back to .pz3?

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Okay, this is what I get when I double-click. I have no clue what to do next. I've never seen WinZip do this ...

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

I'd have ask, how did they get zipped up in the first place? I'm a bit confused myself. If in fact they are all zipped, yes, you will have to go thru this. Seems like something odd has happened to your files. A straight PZ3, should not be displayed that way. Has your file associations changed somehow maybe?

For example, I have Vue....when I put Bryce on my machine, all my files in Vue said they were now Bryce files(I've since removed Bryce from my machine). Even now, all my Vue files say they are Nero Show Time files. Go figure . That said they still all function properly within Vue.

Also why not just open the PZ3's from within Poser itself?

See attached :

Message edited on: 08/27/2005 16:57

(((Shouldn't there be a way to revert them all back to .pz3?))) Actually, they are still .pz3 files. The problem is that I can't set it to open them with Poser. I just don't understand why it won't let me do that. :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

It is trying to Zip test3.pz3 and add it to a zip archive.
Open Windows Explorer and click on "Tools" at the top.
Then click on "Folder Options" and the "File Type" tab.
Scroll down until you find the PZ3 file format.
In the Details section at the bottom it should show :Opens With: Poser Executable File" If it doesn't show this click on the "Change" button and point it to the Poser executable in your Program Files folder.

Message edited on: 08/27/2005 17:04

(((Also why not just open the PZ3's from within Poser itself?))) Yep, thankfully I can do that! But I still want to fix the problem of them all being associated with WinZip. As far as I can tell, they're not zipped (they're still .pz3) but my comp won't let me set them to open with Poser. Gawd! This is frustrating!!! :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Ok try this, then try to open in Poser. Right click, then go to properties....see where I have the arrow....change this to Poser.

I've tried doing that through Properties and still no luck. It just will not let me select Poser for some reason! :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

This is what it should look like...

Sorry, for being lax & not putting up what it should look like. Have you tried "browsing" & finding the Poser .exe??? I don't mean to sound "demeaning", just trying to find any clue as to this bizarro problem :) Can you do a screen grab of what is showing under properties?

Message edited on: 08/27/2005 17:09

Here it is in Properties.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

And when I click "Change" I get the same list as when I did it with Right-Click > Open With. It still will not let me select Poser. The only difference I can see is that the box to "Always use the selected program to open this type of file" is greyed out.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

LOL - you are way ahead of me ;) What happens when you click on change...this is what mine looks like

I hate to say it, but I give up :(. It appears to me, that somehow your files got zipped up. I'm lost :( This is indeed the oddest thing I've heard of. Very strange!

LOL! ;) This is what I get when I click "Change".

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

You could use regedit in hkey classes root look for zip and delete the pz3 entry from there so the next time you click on a pz3 it should ask you which program to use etc.

It brings up the same "Open With" window and then I have to browse to Poser on G: drive and it will not let me select it. ********** (((I hate to say it, but I give up :(. It appears to me, that somehow your files got zipped up. I'm lost :( This is indeed the oddest thing I've heard of. Very strange!))) That's okay! I REALLY appreciate you trying, and everyone else that has tried to help! Much appreciated! :) It's very odd, isn't it? And I have no clue why my comp all of a sudden will not open them with Poser. I've been using Poser for over 2 years and ALWAYS do everything exactly the same. I've never had anything like this happen before. I was working on this scene, saved it, then went to open it the next day and get the message that Windows cannot find the program to open it! The whole mess with them being associated with WinZip was a horrible blunder on my part by not paying attention and clicking on "Okay" instead of "Cancel". I didn't realize that it has selected WinZip Executable as the "Recommended Program" to open with. sigh :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

(((You could use regedit in hkey classes root look for zip and delete the pz3 entry from there so the next time you click on a pz3 it should ask you which program to use etc.))) Could you please walk me through that xantor? I have no clue what "regedit in hkey classes root" is. That's all Greek to me. :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Going to take a break for a bit, but I'll be back on later. If anyone has any other ideas please post them! I'm willing to try anything. This is very frustrating! :(

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

The problem might be that you've got Poser installed on an external harddrive. I had a similar set-up at one point, and had the same problem opening pz3 files without doing File>Open in Poser. It seems Windows doesn't appropriately recognize or accept Poser as a valid program for opening its files when the program is on an external drive. I would suggest, if you've got space on your main HD, installing Poser there, and trying to fixe the association and open your pz3 file outside of Poser.

________________________________________________________________

If you're joking that's just cruel, but if you're being sarcastic, that's even worse.

This happened to me I did not read all of the above but,,, I stored the P6INSTzip on another partition(F) but installed it to another (C). Poser could not find it's elbow. And I got all those "please finds" and "open with" prompts I cut and pasted the installer to (C) and dumped P6 then reinstalled. Consider this only if you did something similar. Save new work in a safe place 1st. It's a pain.

Oh....Based on what the other have posted...I have Poser installed on another drive as well, not external, but another drive seated within the puter.

Regedit is a dos program, you run regedit and then look in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

Maybe the route via Folder Options can work. Try this: - Start Windows Explorer, then choose Tools->Folder options from the menu bar. Using the second tab (see image) you SHOULD be able to associate .pz3 to Poser. It is possible that Windows doesn't accept executables on removable devices as assocciated programs. I'm not sure. Installing Poser on an internal drive while keeping the runtimes on an external drive is very well possible. But then you should set the file libraryprefs.xml to readonly when you're done adding the external runtimes - if Poser starts and can't find the external runtimes (in case you haven't attached the external drive) it'll try to remove them from your list of runtimes!

The pen is mightier than the sword. But if you literally want to have some impact, use a typewriter

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Actually I had the same thing happen to me and here's how I fixed it. I went to Folder Options/File Types and DELETED the PZ3 entry. Then I just reinstalled Poser 6 and it created it's own entry again. Hassle? It didn't take me as long as it's taken you guys to make this thread.

So, dlk, when are you going to purchase your copy of WinZip now that your evaluation period has expired? WinZip is not free software.

Thanks again for all the help everyone! Most of what has been suggested is a bit over my head or way too scary for me to attempt with my limited knowledge, so I decided to try svdl's suggestion first. Here's what I did: I went to Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types and then selected PZ3. I then clicked on Advanced > New Action and then browsed to Poser. And this is what I got. With all this fiddling around, this is the only thing so far that has allowed me to select Poser, or that has "recognized" it. But, I haven't done anything past this in case I'm not on the right track. If I am, what should I enter in the Action field? Does it have to be something specific, or does it not matter? ********** On a side note, I've been using Poser 6 on the external harddrive for several months now and this is the first time I've had a problem.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Also, everything to do with Poser is on my external. No multiple runtimes, nothing "split up" between harddrives, nothing shared with different versions of Poser, etc. (Poser 6 is the only version I have installed). Sorry if I'm not using the correct terms, but I don't even fully understand most of that stuff. I've only seen some of it talked about in past discussions and thought I'd mention it just in case anyone was wondering.

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

You've found the magic place to be. The action should be the word "open" or possibly "Open With". I'm pretty sure it's just the first though.

Oh YES!!! That did it! I just did a quick test and check, and everything seems to be working just as it did before! :D Thank you SO much everyone! I can't tell you how grateful I am for all your help! hugs :D

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf

Not to change the subject, but you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS "Show File Extensions". If not, you are just asking to be hit with a virus, such as the ILOVEYOU virus which gives you a file called "ILOVEYOU.txt.vbs". You only see the ".txt" extension, click on it (thinking NotePad will open) and actually run the vbs file (Visual Basic Script) which releases the virus. In your case, showing file extenstions may have shown that the file with the clamp-icon was really a .zip file and could not be opened with Poser. To show file extensions: Open Windows Explorer. Go to Tools > Folder Options. Click on the View Tab. Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types." Click OK to close the box. --John

VanishingPoint... Advanced 3D Modeling Solutions

I would suggest that, too. Always show file extensions.

I heartily agree. I think Hide File Extensions is one of the stupidest Windows options EVER!

"Hide file extensions": Not only a stupid Winoze option , but they make it the default!! There's a world of difference between (eg) "Poser.exe" and "Poser.jpg" (assuming you have such a file) - and if you don't know which is which, how do you know which to click on? Change that ASAP..:-)) Knowledge is power, and power means control. And who should be in control, you or Windoze? :-)) Cheers, Diolma

It's done! Thanks very much for the tip! :D

"You don't know what we can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free." - Steppenwolf