Cannot view UFO files in Windows Explorer

JennyXS · Post by **JennyXS** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:31 pm

I can't view .ufo files in Windows Explorer. I currently have PI X3. I had this same problem when I went from PI 10 to PI 11 to PI 12. I was able to fix it by replacing some .dll files with older versions. Of course I didn't write down anywhere about what .dll files ect... I have been searching for days for an answer, and I can't find anything and am getting very frustrated. I have seen some answers and posts blaming this on Vista, but I know it is not a Vista problem, because I do not have Vista, and had this problem long before Vista even came out! I know it can be done, because I have done it before with the past 2 versions. Does anyone know what .dll files I am talking about?

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:19 pm

Well, it's not a PI X3 thing either. I have XP Pro SP2 and PI X3 and my ufo's show as thumbnails.

It must be somewhere in the settings of WinExplorer or, indeed, in one of the dll's.

I'd be interested to know the solution to that one also.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:40 am

Please view:
PI 12 .ufo files I suspect the same cure will apply to PI X3.

JennyXS · Post by **JennyXS** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:18 pm

I tried the fix on the link you said. It didn't work... I know it is a matter of replacing a DLL file with an older version. I am going to look today to try and find an answer. Will post if I figure it out

JennyXS · Post by **JennyXS** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:03 pm

What is that old saying, it is usually the simplest fix that solves the problem? LOL I changed the file associations of the .UFO files to nothing. I unassociated them with Photoimpact, and walla I can see the .UFO files in explorer

) Thank you for the help though.

trueblue · Post by **trueblue** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:13 am

JennyXS wrote:What is that old saying, it is usually the simplest fix that solves the problem? LOL I changed the file associations of the .UFO files to nothing. I unassociated them with Photoimpact, and walla I can see the .UFO files in explorer ) Thank you for the help though.

What do you mean you changed the .ufo files to 'nothing'....... if they're .nothing how do they open in PI for editing etc?

Can you please explain the procedure? thanks.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:23 am

I would like to know the answer to that also. I have several copies of PhotoImpact X3 on various machines and have noticed (after reading this thread) that one of the Vista Machines is not displaying thumbnails.

I spent a few hours researching and attempting various fixes including registry tweaks to no avail. The thumbnails display on my other machines.
I compared file associations between machines and delved unbelievably deep into the registry after scouring he internet for a number of hours.

Deleting the UFO file type from the list of associations made no difference.

John Moran_2 · Post by **John Moran_2** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:51 am

New install of PI X3 on a Vista laptop with WDDM graphics capability (barely). ATI 1100 embedded graphics. No previous PhotoImpact install on this machine.

Did a UFO Save As on a former jpg in three different formats:
-No Compression
-RLE Compression
-JPG Compression (default)

None of the UFO files have thumbnails in Explorer listings. None show up at all in Windows (Vista) Photo Gallery.

All of the same UFO files do have thumbnails in Corel MediaOne Browser. Exif date data not showing, but not expected.

MS PhotoInfo Tool not available after right clicking on UFO files, nor is storing of metadata supported in MediaOne. (Frankly I did not expect it, except in a possible sidecar file.)

So how does MediaOne generate a thumbnail??

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:57 am

That is not quite the same issue.
The problem subject of this thread is that thumbnails are not showing up in Windows Explorer. Corel Media One is software designed to handle UFO files and other formats.

John Moran_2 · Post by **John Moran_2** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:28 am

Understood. I should have typed Windows Explorer instead of just Explorer. My apologies.

Edit: But disregard. I found the *.ufo.jpg thumbs.

Post by **Ron P.** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:51 am

On my Vista machine, it will not display a thumbnail for UFO files.

trueblue · Post by **trueblue** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:32 pm

If you want to view ALL file formats, use the PhotoImpact Browse Manager. It will give you easy access to any image or graphic you need to edit in PI including .ufo. This is what I use mainly with PI for quick access of images etc.

I also like it as there's EXIF, and batch convert plus other features.

JennyXS · Post by **JennyXS** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:15 pm

When I reinstalled PIX3 it asks you if you want to associate the files with PI I said no. Or you can go into the settings and uncheck ufo files from being associated. I open them up by dragging them from windows explorer into PIX3.

Post by **Ron P.** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:42 pm

JennyXS,

So what you're saying is that if you dis-associate the UFO files in the Preferences settings for PI-X3, on a Vista computer, Windows Explorer will display the thumbnail image for them?

Edited

I tried to dis-asscociate UFO files in PI-X3 on my Vista laptop, and it would not allow it. You can clear the checkbox, however when you open PI again, you will find that either PI or Vista has re-checked the box. Then when you go to Windows Explorer, and select a UFO file, it opens PI. Selecting Open With, you will find that PI has been selected to open that file format..

John Moran_2 · Post by **John Moran_2** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:15 pm

Well, since Pi X3 chooses to call my pictures "documents", I have set Notepad as my default application for UFO files!__

No wonder I never take any pictures. I am always too busy playing with the software. But then MediaOne, aka Snap something or other, is a little too busy for my tastes too. This thread has caused me to look inside my week old Corel data files on my Vista laptop and see that Corel has saved duplicate thumbnails of just about every graphic image from every website that might have passed through my lcd monitor.

MediaOne, notPI X3, also seems to have created and saved some tightly controlled JPG thumbnails of the few UFO files I have created. It takes a little digging to find them, and frankly it is probably best to just leave well enough alone until you run out of gigabytes.

But for Win 9x, and Win XP there may have been some copying of similar thumbnails by some dll to Ulead Albums and PI Explorer shells. Dunno. But this practice may now be problematic in Vista, due to the ready availability of multiple utilities from multiple vendors to embed metadata in those JPG thumbs. so MediaOne prohibits any storing of metadata in any *.ufo.jpg thumbs.

This has been an interesting thread though, and I have had fun looking at the innards. For now I have set Irfanview as my browser of first resort, but have linkied out of Irvanview to PI X3 as first option, and MediaOne as second option. May have to back off on the Media one link, but we'll see how it goes. At least I can find the thumbs in Vista's version of Windows Explorer by using Irfanview and a few other search tricks.

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Cannot view UFO files in Windows Explorer

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