.torrent files won't associate with uTorrent

[th3g4rg0yl3]

I've been using uTorrent for years without any problems and suddenly yesterday it decided to disassociate itself from .torrent files. When I right click on a .torrent file and try to select uTorrent.exe in the "open with" menu, it doesn't appear as an option, even after I've gone to Program Files > uTorrent > uTorrent.exe and selected it - it just vanishes and won't let me choose it. I've tried associating them through uTorrent too but everytime I restart uTorrent the option is unchecked again. I've uninstalled, rebooted and then reinstalled uTorrent but it's still doing the same thing. However, if I have uTorrent running and I click and drag a .torrent file into it, it works fine.

Anyone more computer savvy than me got any ideas? Help much appreciated

[ettore]

Using Windows Vista / 7? If so, the "default programs" feature (can find it many places, including the control panel) will set anything to run in any program. If you're running XP, I remember having similar problems with other filetypes which were remedied by going in the registry and removing the .torrent assoctiation record.

As another idea, you can right-click utorrent.exe and select "run as administrator" (available in Windows Vista and 7) and set the association option; that might fix it too.

[th3g4rg0yl3]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm running Vista. I've already tried the "run as Admin" option you suggested and that didn't work. When I tried your suggestion of default programs, I found that .torrent isn't anywhere in the list it offered.

I've never messed about with the registry before out of fear I'd mess something up but it looks like I'm going to have to. Can you tell me exactly what I'd need to do with it?

EDIT: I tried the "run as Admin" thing again on the uTorrent.exe file (this time instead of selecting it from the first menu I went into properties > compatability) and in the "Privilege Level" section the option for running it as an admin is greyed out and won't let me check it. I don't know if that's relevant or not but I thought I'd mention it.

[moogly]

Just right click on a random .torrent stored in your computer and select "open with" then select utorrent.exe in %programfiles%\uTorrent, that's all.

[th3g4rg0yl3]

If you read this bit in my original post

"When I right click on a .torrent file and try to select uTorrent.exe in the "open with" menu, it doesn't appear as an option, even after I've gone to Program Files > uTorrent > uTorrent.exe and selected it - it just vanishes and won't let me choose it."

I already tried that.

[th3g4rg0yl3]

Bump.

[DreadWingKnight]

You can't even browse to the exe?

[th3g4rg0yl3]

I can browse to it but when I find uTorrent.exe in the program files folder and double click on it, when that window automatically closes uTorrent isn't in the options list. It's as if I didn't click on it at all. If that makes sense.

[th3g4rg0yl3]

One thing I couldn't do before because of this problem was open a torrent with uT directly from my web browser, but I found on another help page how to set uT as the default in Firefox, which is the browser I'm using. So I can open torrents with uTorrent as I download it, but if I save a .torrent file to my computer it isn't recognised unless I click and drag it into an open uT window.

[moogly]

Did you try as admin?

And can you search the extension .torrent in the registry and report the value?

Maybe you can try to associate .torrent files with another program then renew the file association.

[th3g4rg0yl3]

I tried as admin, no luck.

I've never really had to look in the registry let alone change anything, how do I go about doing what you suggested?

[moogly]

But what's the current program associated with .torrent files? None?

[th3g4rg0yl3]

In properties it's opening with Windows Shell Common Dll.

[moogly]

Ok, so no program has been associated to .torrent files, that's the default one.

When you try to associate .torrents with utorrent.exe, after you selected utorrent.exe, do you see µT is the program list?

[th3g4rg0yl3]

Nope, it vanishes.

[Omnium]

I've had this same problem for the last week. When I click the link, instead of there already being an option to open with utorrent it asks me to select a program to open them with and utorrent isn't in the list. I have to browse files to the utorrent folder and select the .exe file to make the torrent open. However, even if I check the box that says "Do this automatically for files like this from now on" torrent files still won't be associated with utorrent and I'll have to manually select the .exe file again.

I'm using windows 7/firefox and for some reason it keeps asking me to make certain programs default whenever I start them up. I'll select them to be default but then the next time I open them it'll ask me to make it default again (eg. firefox, utorrent). I've already set firefox as my default browser via the control panel.

[justingoodwins]

open command prompt with admin privileges by typing cmd from the Run... box

Next type and hit enter:

assoc .torrent=uTorrent

Then type and hit enter:

FTYPE uTorrent=uTorrent.exe %1 %*

Thats it....

[th3g4rg0yl3]

Thanks for the suggestion but it didn't work.

[agentbad]

I am having the same problem. Things were working fine and now utorrent won't associate with torrent files anymore and won't show up in the programs list.

[Liger79]

Yeah i would be interested in a solution for this too. My folks PC wont associate .torrent files at all.

When you open a torrent file you can select from web or installed programs but when you explore to uTorrent and select it it just disappers.

When I search thru the list of file ext to associate to a program .torrent isnt listed. I tried the cmd box suggestion from above but that just kicks up an error.

What i ended up doing was in the preff option on utorrent selecting automatically download torrent in folder "pick your own folder" option and just saving the torrents into this folder and when finished selecting torrents open utorrent and they will load up themselves.

Not as good as a fully working client but it will do till somebody can find an answer.

[starman316]

If you read this bit in my original post

"When I right click on a .torrent file and try to select uTorrent.exe in the "open with" menu, it doesn't appear as an option, even after I've gone to Program Files > uTorrent > uTorrent.exe and selected it - it just vanishes and won't let me choose it."

I already tried that.

AGREED Same problem here

[ciaobaby]

Set it manually.

Right Click on a torrent file -> Open With -> Choose default program -> Select uTorrent and check [ ] Alwys use this ....

[Shifty88]

Just managed to fix the issue. Here's how:

Start Menu -> regedit.exe

Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and scroll down a little to where it says ".torrent" (the file associations are in alphabetical order)

There should be an entry simply called "Default". Right click it, click modify and in the text box type the location of the uTorrent exe (in my case, D:\uTorrent\uTorrent.exe). Close regedit.

Double click a .torrent file and when it comes up with the option to select a program from the list, it will have uTorrent at the top. Tick "Always use this program" and click ok.

Now it should be sorted. Good luck.

[banchara]

Changed the reg as directed. uTorrent STILL does not populate as an option to associate the file. It just won't appear in that list. You can browse to it all night long, but hit "Open" to complete the association and NO uTorrent! I've done all my work "as Admin" and I'm using WIn7. By the way, I didn't have this problem on a different computer (maybe I will try a compatibility setting...)

[Beasly]

Step 1: Press and hold the windows key on your keyboard, then press the R key. Type regedit in the box and press enter. Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and delete .torrent and uTorrent (if you were running any other torrent clients delete the key in here as well). Exit out of regedit.

Step 2: Right click your torrent file and make it open with wordpad.

Step 3: Double click the torrent file and make sure it's opening in wordpad.

Step 4: Right click on the Desktop and go to New -> Text Document. Open the text document and copy and paste this into it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.torrent]
@="uTorrent"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.torrent\OpenWithProgids]
"uTorrent"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\uTorrent]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\uTorrent\shell]
@="open"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\uTorrent\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\uTorrent\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\uTorrent\\uTorrent.exe\" \"%1\""

Step 6: Rename and save "New Text Document.txt" to "fix.reg".

Step 7: Double click the fix.reg file to merge into the registry.

Step 8: Find a torrent file, right click it, and make it open with uTorrent again. (The uTorrent executable is usually located in "C:\Program Files\uTorrent\uTorrent".

Step 9: Double click the torrent file and see if it properly opens in uTorrent.