Disabling the XP Picture and Fax Viewer

This is a tenacious viewer that insists on stealing your image file associations back from your favorite viewer !!  It is a very vexing problem, because even when you manage to disable it  .  .  .  it has a way of coming back to haunt you again.  So you can actually leave it registered and set the picture file associations to open in another viewer ( ACDSEE v3.2 is the best) - but it may "steal" them back again.  Try the methods below in the order:  Method 1, Method 2, and if all else fails, Method 3 - and see what works best for you.

The Picture and Fax Viewer runs off a single dll file called "shimgvw.dll" that seems to re-register itself no matter what you do to the registry, and even when you unregister it, sometines that works, and other times it has no effect.  

NOTE:  do NOT use recent versions of ACDsee - they are overloaded with "capabilities" and this makes opening images very slow.  Instead, use the lightning fast v3.2 (if you can find it).

 

Method 1 - UnRegistering Shimgvw.dll

* Usually Works but causes the "User Account Pic Change Problem" (see the workaround listed below)

Un-Register shimgvw.dll

The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is not an actual exe file.  By default, Windows XP opens all picture files (gif,jpg,...) with the included Windows Picture and Fax Viewer no matter what other picture viewers you have installed. To disable the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, unregister shimgvw.dll. This can be done from a DOS box command prompt as follows:

        Start/Run . . . . cmd
        regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

 Reboot and test - you may find that the picture viewer has automatically re-registered itself during reboot.  If that happens then try the next Method.

 

Method 2 - change the file Associations

* Usually Works and does not cause the "USer Pic Change Problem"

1)  install ACDSEE v3.2 and select all the associations you want
2)  goto Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types tab  .  .  .
3)  select the entry for JPG, if already configured to start with ACDSEE then leave it alone.  If not, then click "Change" and select ACDSEE for the default viewer
4)  repeat for BMP, TIF, etc.

NOTE1:  this does not remove the entries in Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types  -  so you may want to remove that entry, and then install ACDSEE, the best image viewer ever.

NOTE2:  you can use this method with other picture viewers, of course - even MS Paintbrush works

 

Method 1 and 2 Combined - the Fix that ALWAYS WORKS !!

* ALWAYS WORKS - but causes the User Account pic change  problem (workaround listed below)

1)  try unregistering the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer as follows.  Reboot and test - you may find that the picture viewer has automatically re-registered itself during reboot.  If that happens then do steps 2-5.  If not, then use your PC for a few days and if it works - you are DONE.  If it does NOT WORK, then perform Steps 2-5.

        Start/Run . . . . cmd
        regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

        to re-register:    regsvr32 shimgvw.dll

2)  install ACDSEE and select all the associations you want
3)  goto Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types tab  .  .  .
4)  select the entry for JPG, if already configured to start with ACDSEE then leave it alone.  If not, then click "Change" and select ACDSEE for the default viewer
5)  repeat for BMP, TIF, etc.

 

The User Account Pics Problem

When you un-register the file shimgvw.dll it removes the key:  HKCR\CLSID\{66e4e4fb-f385-4dd0-8d74-a2efd1bc6178}

Unfortunately the key is needed for changing User Accounts pics.  So if you then try to change the User Account picture (displayed in Welcome Screen and the Start Menu) via the User Accounts Control Panel, you may receive this error:

The Workaround

  1. re-register the DLL :  Start/Run  .  .  .  regsvr32 shimgvw.dll

  2. change the user pic:  Control Panel/User Accounts  .  .  .  select the User, then click "Change Picture"

  3. un-register the DLL:  Start/Run .  .  . regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

 

***  RegSvr32 Usage  ***
You can use the Regsvr32 tool (Regsvr32.exe) to register and unregister object linking and embedding (OLE) controls such as dynamic-link library (DLL) or ActiveX Controls (OCX) files that are self-registerable.

Regsvr32.exe is included with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later, Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or later, and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5) or later. Regsvr32.exe is installed in the System (Windows
Me/98/95) or System32 (Windows NT, 2000, XP) folder.

Regsvr32.exe Usage

Regsvr32 [/u] [/n] [/i[:cmdline]] dllname

  /u - Unregister server

  /i - Call DllInstall passing it an optional [cmdline];
       when used with /u calls dll uninstall
  /n - do not call DllRegisterServer; this option must
       be used with /i


If all else Fails - try these Reg Tweaks also

Prevent Image and Fax Viewer From Stealing Associations

Start/Run/Regedit and Delete this string:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\S
hellImagePreview
@="{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}"

OR

Right Click On image file.  Choose "open with", then "choose
program" Select your favorite image viewer program. Check the "always use
selected program" box Click OK.

Remove Image Preview

Start/Run/Regedit - Delete the key.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\ShellImagePreview

Disable as Default

Start/Run/Regedit  
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ SystemFileAssociations\ image\ ShellEx\ ContextMenuHandlers.
Delete the ShellImagePreview key. Close the Registry Editor or...

Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}\ shellex.
Delete the MayChangeDefaultMenu key.