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Why does Windows ask me what program to open a JNLP file with after installing Java?

Anonymous
2013-05-09T19:44:18+00:00

I am having an issue using a website that uses the Java Web Starter program to launch an application.

I am using Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, and IE 9. I have also tried this on IE 10 and Chrome and got the same problem. I am running Java 7 update 21, which at the time of this writing is the latest version of Java available. I am only having this issue on one computer.

When I go to the website, a popup asks me if I want to open, save or cancel a file called Meeting.JNLP. If I open it, it asks me to choose a program to open it with. When I browse to javaws.exe in the Java folder under program files, I highlight it, click open, and then I am returned to the "Choose a program" screen, but the Java Web Starter program does not appear as a choice. I can choose other Java executables from the same folder, and they appear in the Choose a Program window, but not the Java Web Starter program.

I can actually force the app to launch if I do a "Save As" on that original popup, then go to a command prompt and use javaws.exe <filename>, and it will actually launch the app. However, I need it to work normally, right from the website.

I have tried reinstalling Java 5 or 6 times. Every forum post I find dealing with these file association issues tells me to use the File Association applet in control panel, which is exactly what does not work. It seems like the installer is just not able to associate JNLPs with the Java Web Starter program. Is there some way I can force a new file association through the command line or registry?

Thank you!

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-05-10T12:57:55+00:00

    Thank you Jessen, earlier this morning I found the ftype and assoc commands and was able to force the association that way. I did this from an elevated command prompt:

    ftype JNLPFile="C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\javaws.exe" "%1"

    assoc .jnlp=JNLPFile

    And this associated the file. Thank you for your reply.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-08-23T14:44:02+00:00

    This was helpful, I had the same problem but managed to fix it with a slightly different method 

    I went to control panel --> programs --> "Make a file type always open with a specific program" -->find the .jnlp file type  in the list --> press "change program button" --> "more apps" --> "look for another app on this PC" --> then find the javaw s.exe somewhere down the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Java" directory (exact path will depend on your version).

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-04-18T22:23:51+00:00

    I had this same issue with jre6 on Windows 7.  I tried the above step setting association through CMD with no luck.  However, digging around registry I found that the Data String under \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\javaws.exe\shell\open\command "Default" was set to <"C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.6.0_20\bin\javaws.exe" "%1"> not <"C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe" "%1">.  

    The jre1.6.0_20 must have been an old java folder which was removed from Program Files but not registry.  After I put in the correct path there I searched through the rest of the registry and corrected any other references to jre1.6.0_20.

    After a reboot, IE still asked whether I wanted to open and save but this time when hitting "Open" the program launched and installed.  I hope this helps anyone else banging their head against the wall.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-29T23:45:15+00:00

    where do I find the ftype JNLP=

    to complete the change?

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-05-10T12:28:31+00:00

    Hi Michael,

    Since the File Association itself is not working in this case. I would recommend you to contact Java Support for better assistance.

    **http://java.com/en/download/support.jsp**

    Hope this information helps.

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