Where is Windows Picture and Fax viewer hiding?

[Plado]

Having prevented Windows Picture and Fax viewer from being the default program to view jpg and other graphics files, I find that the only way I can use it (by choice) for slide shows is if I select a group of pictures and right click them and choose VIEW WITH.... Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
When I tried to find where the program actually hides so I can start it up manually and use it for such tasks, I find it's nowhere to be seen in C:\Program Files\
Also it's not even apparently lurking in C:\Windows\ or System so how can a shortcut be made to it, on the desktop if it's hiding in the system to prevent people like me making a shortcut to it?
Does anyone know?

[LooseChippings]

Use XP search for 'viewer'.

[Plado]

That doesn't find it - Sorry to disappoint you!
I tried viewer first of all before I posted the question.
I also tried Picture and Fax Viewer. Picture Fax Viewer and Windows picture, and windows fax and every combination of the words that might find it. Sadly all that comes up in the search on both my drives is
Microsoft Power Point Viewer
and a thing called Event Viewer which is nothing to do with the Picture and Fax viewer.
Looks like it was as well hidden as I suspect.

Any more help gratefully received.

[LooseChippings]

I have just opened 'Windows Picture and Fax Viewer'.

Then opened Task Manager > Applications

Right Clicked Windows Picture and Fax Viewer > Go to Process and it shows Explorer as the process.

From this I think that Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is part of Explorer and is not a standalone application

[Plado]

Hmm Interesting. When I try Go to application it goes to
rundll32.exe or something like that in the list and that is in the line above iexplore.exe

This presumably means that I was right, and suspected that you can't make a shortcut to run the Picture Viewer. Microsoft won't let you. They want you to open it their way. Well I won't dare print my reaction to that as I would like to feel I can get help from microsoft in future (for what it's worth) But that is rotten that it has to be run within something else. It must be a cheapskate way of programming the software by the look of it?
All the more reason to go back to Thumbsplus 5 then and Picture fax viewer knows where it can go !!

Plado.

[ESALADUANE]

Take a look at Irfanview. Alot of people use it as their default image viewer.

http://www.irfanview.com/

[Plado]

Thank you for that. I already have Irfan view and I agree it's really good. However I was wanting to have a way to get Windows Picture Fax viewer to come up manually in order to help an old guy who is not very good with computers but has been trying to get into Digital Photography.

Windows Picture and fax viewer works well when you download images from your camera. It opens and views a slide show but the way to get it to do that from pictures already in the files is a rigmarole.

Thanks for the tip. I'll just wallow in my own miserable cynicism thanks. But your idea was a good solution and so I think I'll say
PROBLEM RESOLVED - in other words I have ditched yet another problem with windows XP as insoluble. PLADO

[jmcbride]

Using Tools | Folder Options and the File Types tab I found that my .jpeg files were associated with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer and by going to the Advanced button and edit the Open Action it sent it to "rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscre en". I then copy and pasted this into the Start | Run command and it started a blank version of the viewer. Put it in a shortcut and you are good to go.

Jeff

[Plado]

Thanks for this. Looks like a useful trick. Clever way of tricking a shortcut to it. However once the blank Windows Picture and Fax viewer is open as a "blank" from using the Rundll command the Program is impossible to use for anything.

I think it can only operate when it has a photo jpg or pcx fax or other graphic file associated with it that has been called up to open it using that applicaton. I removed jpg association with the viewer a while ago as I wanted Paintshop Pro to handle all graphics by default.

When Picture viewer is open as a "blank application" there is no File Open menu available and absolutely no way that I can see of fetching a file or a series of files with it.

In other words the Viewer is useless to you unless it has been asked to Open a photo when it starts up.

Sad but a nice try that you found a way to dig it out. Looks like I've got egg on my face because it's not a directly usable application and wasn't designed to be. It's a helper application and another of XP's wonderful "bullying" patronizing programs that assume the user is a bit of a thicko!

Thanks for your time and trouble.
--
Plado

[1010010]

If you use the short cut previously discussed in order to bring up a blank viewer window, you can drag & drop a picture into it and the viewer will display it. Additionally, if you use the left/right arrows the viewer will cycle through pictures in the folder from which you dragged the first one.

[Plado]

That's a very clever thing you worked out there.

Well the thing is I can make the Fax Viewer come up by pasting the path into Start RUN line, but I can't find a way to make a shortcut to that path on my desktop.

I don't want to associate JPG's with the fax viewer so I just put the path to the viewer into RUN and of course it opens the viewer.
But this doesn't allow a right click and create shortcut from the viewer itself or from the RUN line of START RUN
So can you tell me how you got a shortcut to the program please?

Thanks
Plado

[jmcbride]

To create a Shortcut on your Desktop, right click on the Desktop and pick New | Shortcut. In Type the Location of the Item put

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscre en

Click Next

Enter a Name for the Shortcut

Click Finish

Note the fullpath to both rundll32.exe and shimgvw.dll, there could be a problem finding them without the paths. Also you can replace c:\windows with %SYSTEMROOT% for a more portable shortcut.

Jeff

[jmcbride]

More advanced option: Uses registry changes to add item to Context menu of image file.

One better way to associate the viewer is to add an item to the Right Click Context menu of files like jpegs. In the menu it can say something like Open with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. My walk through will do this for jpeg files without changing their existing associations.

Step 1: Open RegEdit and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT | jpegfile

Step 2: Under jpegfile go to shell. Right click on shell and New | Key, name it something like Open.Viewer

Step 3: In Open.Viewer double click on (Default) in the right pane and type in what you want the Context Menu item to say. aka

Open In Windows Fax and Picture Viewer

Step 4: Right click on Open.Viewer and New | Key, name it command

It must be named command all lowercase

Step 4: In command double click on (Default) in the right pane and type in the path to shimgvwdll

rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscre en %1

The %1 at the end is critical

Step 5: Right click on a jpeg/jpg file and in the menu should be the Open in Windows... item. Should open the file. You can also add in printing capabilities as well. The article I reference on all this is at...

Microsoft MSDN Article

Hope it helps / works for you
Jeff

[TracyMcCulloch]

Here's what I did to remove this diabolically insipid program as my default image viewer:

1. Click Start-Run
2. In the Open line type the following then click OK: REGEDIT
3. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}\ shellex
4. Delete MayChangeDefaultMenu
5. Close the Registry Editor - now your images should open in the program of your choice.

Regards,

Tracy

[Plado]

Tracey's trick for the ultimate zap to be rid of it is definitely one I will keep in my folder for future use; I'm bound to get pee'd off with WPF viewer eventually! So thanks to Tracey for that.

Also equally useful is JMcBride's idea to make it available on a right click menu - rather like using QuickView plus. I think I like that solution better than the creation of a shortcut. Though I might have both on tap for those occasions when I want to do a quick flick through a folder as a slide show.

I have Thumbsplus and Irfanview both of which can do slide shows. Painshop pro can do browsing and of course XP Explorer does slide shows too but the WPFviewer has got a certain appeal with the way it displays and the drag and drop facility is also quite useful.

Thanks to all of you for your ideas on this. My problem is solved. I have my WPF now and I don't have to lose my association of jpgs with Paintshop Pro.

Plado