You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. Set Program Access and Computer Defaults makes it easy for you to change the default program used for certain activities, such as web browsing, sending e‑mail, playing audio and video files, and using instant messaging. You can also specify which of these default programs are displayed on the Start menu, on the desktop, and in other locations. • Open Set Program Access and Computer Defaults by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Default Programs, and then clicking Set program access and computer defaults. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Typically, default is the result when no action is taken. The term has specific meanings in various fields.

Answered by alokgupta14 , an ibibo Guru, at 2:32 PM on November 17, 2007

Launching Default Program You’ll find the Default Programs tool languishing near or at the top of the All Programs section of the Start menu. When you launch the Default Programs tool, as shown in Figure A, you’ll see that there are four links you can use to configure how Windows Vista works with programs in four different ways: * Your default programs * File type associations * AutoPlay settings * Computer default programs Default programs When you select the Set Your Default Programs item, you’ll see the window that lists all of the programs that Vista considers the defaults and possible defaults for the browser, e-mail, messaging, and media programs. When you select a third-party program such as FireFox, which contends with Internet Explorer, you’ll be given the option to set the program as the default. As you can see, this is very much like Windows XP’s Set Program Access and Defaults tool; however, there is one significant difference. The options you set in this part of the Default Programs tool apply only to your user account -- they won't affect any other user accounts on the computer. Program access and computer defaults When you select the Set Program Access and Computer Defaults, you’ll encounter a User Account Control dialog box and will need to respond appropriately. Once you do, you’ll see the Set Program Access and Computer Defaults window, as shown in Figure F. As you can see, this user interface and its configuration options are identical to the Windows XP’s Set Program Access and Defaults tool. And, like the Windows XP version, this one sets the defaults for everyone that uses the computer.

Answered by 3vkram , an ibibo Citizen, at 2:22 PM on November 17, 2007

When you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows XP Service Pack 1a (SP1a), the Set Program Access and Defaults feature is added to the Add or Remove Programs tool in Windows XP. You can use this feature to change the default programs that you use for certain activities on your computer, such as surfing the Internet, sending e-mail messages, playing CD-ROMs, or talking with friends by using an instant messaging program. You can also specify the programs that are available on the Start menu, on the desktop, and in other locations. You must have administrative rights to change the default program settings in Windows XP. If you use Microsoft Windows XP Professional, and your computer is part of a network domain, you must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to change the default program settings. If you use Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition, and your computer does not belong to a network domain, you must be logged on as a computer administrator to change the default program settings. MORE INFORMATION To use the Set Program Access and Defaults feature to change the default programs that you use for certain activities, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Set Program Access and Defaults. 2. Use one of the following methods to perform the appropriate task: • To restore your settings to the settings that were established by the manufacturer of your computer, click Computer Manufacturer. This option is available only if the computer manufacturer installed Windows XP SP1 on your computer and established settings for this feature. 1• To use programs that are included in Microsoft Windows as the defaults for the activities that are listed earlier in this article, such as surfing the Internet, click Microsoft Windows. You can use this configuration to access Microsoft programs or non-Microsoft programs on your computer, on the Start menu, on the desktop, and from other locations. 2• To use non-Microsoft programs that are installed on your computer as the defaults, click Non-Microsoft, and then select the options that you want. This configuration removes access to the specified Windows programs. 3• To use a combination of non-Microsoft and Microsoft Windows programs for the activities that are listed earlier in this article, click Custom, and then select the options that you want. By setting up a custom configuration, you can select the programs that are set as the default for each activity, and the programs that are available on the Start menu, on the desktop, and in other locations. If you do not want the specified program to appear on the Start menu, on the desktop, or in other locations where programs typically appear, clear the Enable access to this program check box that is next to a particular program name. Note Software manufacturers determine how their products work with the Set Program Access and Defaults feature. Some non-Microsoft programs may continue to show icons on the Start menu and elsewhere even if you clear the Enable access to this program check box for that program in the Custom area. For additional information about how to use the Set Program Access and Defaults feature, including troubleshoot information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. In Set Program Access and Computer Defaults, you can specify the default programs that Windows uses for common activities such as browsing the web and sending e‑mail. You can also specify which programs are available from the Start menu, the desktop, and other locations. The options you set in Set Program Access and Computer Defaults apply to all users on your computer. To set defaults for specific users, see Change which programs Windows uses by default. 1. Open Set Program Access and Computer Defaults by clicking the Start button ,

Answered by Pammu , an ibibo Specialist, at 1:43 PM on November 17, 2007

When you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), the Set Program Access and Defaults feature is added to the Add or Remove Programs tool in Windows XP. You can use this feature to change the default programs that you use for certain activities on your computer, such as surfing the Internet, sending e-mail messages, playing CD-ROMs, or talking with friends by using an instant messaging program. You can also specify the programs that are available on the Start menu, on the desktop, and in other locations. You must have administrative rights to change the default program settings in Windows XP.

Answered by A.R.Karthick , an ibibo Master, at 1:31 PM on November 17, 2007