WinXP-Righ Click Menu opens multiple copies of text pad

AlanQueen · Post by **AlanQueen** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 1:46 pm

I typically open files by right clicking on them and choosing "Textpad". However for some reason, with the latest versions of WindowsXP, it keeps opening each file into a new instance of TextPad. It used to just open the file into the existing instance of TextPad if there was one open.

Any ideas?

Bob Hansen · Post by **Bob Hansen** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 2:49 pm

Check your settings at Configure, Preferences.

On the screen for General:

Make sure there is no check mark in the box to "Allow multiple instances to run"

Hope this helps......

Post by **bbadmin** » Thu Jun 05, 2003 2:07 pm

The reason for the change in behavior is to prevent lockups in the Open File command, when right clicking a file in the dialog box and choosing the TextPad command. (Maybe clicking the Open button is too obvious, but it affected a lot of users.

)

MS introduced a bug in Windows 2000, which they half-fixed in Service Pack 1 of XP, and will not properly fix until the next version of Windows. The context menu addition to Explorer is implemented by shellext.dll, in TextPad's system subfolder. Previously it sent the file names to TextPad using DDE messages, which caused the lockup. Now, it passes filenames as command line parameters, so a new instance will be started, unless you make the change Bob mentioned.

Keith MacDonald
Helios Software Solutions