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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: LizzieW on Monday 03 March 25 14:13 GMT (UK)
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I've used Windows 11 for some months but over the last few days, when I open a photo saved in jpeg, it scrolls through my recent pdf files before opening. I've tried the suggestions on Google, i.e Settings>Apps>Default Apps and changed the default to photos rather than pdf (why had it changed to pdf anyway), but the only thing that has happened is that the photos now open as a small photo in the middle of a black screen (not the whole of my screen). Today I received a photo attachment from someone and when I tried to open that, it scrolled through pdf first. When I opened the photo attachment I received today on my 'phone it opened normally.
It's so annoying, what can I do? I thought maybe it was the latest Windows 11 update, but some of the queries on Google suggest it's been happening for some time.
PS. Just checked on my husband's tablet and although his photos don't scroll through a pdf file first, they do now open in the middle of a black screen. Obviously, it must be something to do with a Windows 11 update, but which one?
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.."it scrolls through my recent pdf files before opening" . How does opening a file cause anything to scroll through a list of files. What is "it"? Sorry that I don't understand what you are saying here.
That is not normal Windows behavior.
Check Settings/Apps/Default Apps/ and ensure that the program for "*.jpg" is set to "Photos". Do the same for any other file extension that is an image (like png, or tiff....). Also, check the defaults for Acrobat or any other PDF reader and ensure no photo extension type is set for that.
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Thank you, I've done that, but no idea why they changed from jpeg to pdf in the first place, unless it was an update, the same thing has happened on my husband's tablet.
When I say the laptop scrolled through pdf files before eventually opening photos, I meant it opened all pdf files I'd recently used before opening the photo. In fact it still does that even when I open a new pdf file. I have no idea why as I always close each file after I've finished with it.
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You say "Windows 11" and then talk about a tablet. Are you running W11 on a tablet? What kind of tablet ? What device are you running W11 on? What program do you use to view PDF files ? What program do you use to view Photos?
"....no idea why they changed from jpeg to pdf in the first place...." - what is THEY in this sentence - a file, a setting ? I'm sorry, but finding your description hard to follow.
You talk about a recent update - do you know which update (they have numbers beginning KB....), you can find this in your Windows Update History Settings. If you feel it was a bad update, you can often remove it. If this was a general problem with a bad update I feel many others would have same symptoms.
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I'm not really sure what you mean about scrolling through pdf before you open your photos. I'm assuming that your photos remain jpegs aren't converted to pdfs?
I do know that when I got my new laptop with Windows 11 last year, the default was to save everything to the "cloud" and not on the hard drive, with a charge after the initial free space was filled. (I do have free version of office 365 which is cloud based and files on there can only be opened via the cloud) Maybe this has something to do with what is happening to your photo files. I changed this so that nothing is saved to the "cloud" and everything is saved into an appropriate file of my choosing on the hard drive. I then just use "file explorer" to find the folder and open the file. The screen, depending on how its set up, just shows lists of files/folders and/or thumbnails.
With regard to opening photos - mine also open as a small photo on a black screen but you can change the zoom size at the bottom of the photo and also expand to the full screen using the slanted arrow.
I also found that Windows 11 has a default setting that does not allow you to download any programmes/apps which are not approved by Microsoft. I had to turn this setting off (no going back after its turned off and something that Microsoft does not wants you to do) but this then allowed to download the programmes I wanted to use my laptop for. I was a bit annoyed about this because although I had told the sales staff what I wanted a new laptop for, noone mentioned that Microsoft had restricted what could be downloaded and it took me quite a bit of googling why I was being stopped from downloading the programmes I wanted and how to turn it off!!
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I had an idea. My theory is that your photos have a PDF extension, but you cannot see that because of File Explorer settings. Go to Windows File Explorer. Select your photos folder. On the top line select "Options" - you may have to expand the three dots to see this. Select "View". Look for an option called "hide extensions for known file types". Make sure this is NOT ticked. Then look at your photos folder. Do the file names now end in jpg or pdf ?
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Thank you both for your help.
Greenrig - I have a laptop, my husband has a tablet and the same thing happened to him too, which is why I thought it must have been a Windows 11 update. However, when I googled the problem I saw some people had this problem (photos opening in pdf) a few years ago before Windows 11. My laptop is a Lenovo as is my husband's tablet. "They" in the sentence about them changing from jpg to pdf are the photos. I've done what you suggested and unticked "hide extensions for known file types". The photos do show jpg now.
Gan Yam - now I've changed the settings for photos to jpg they open, but as you say. the photos open small on black screen, but that's not how they used to open either. Previously, when I clicked on a saved photo to open it, it just opened on the screen without anything around it. I don't like the way it opens now and I don't see the point. I could always enlarge the photos if I wanted to and I prefer to open them a normal size, not a small size and then have to enlarge them. You say
I also found that Windows 11 has a default setting that does not allow you to download any programmes/apps which are not approved by Microsoft. I had to turn this setting off (no going back after its turned off and something that Microsoft does not wants you to do) but this then allowed to download the programmes I wanted to use my laptop for.
How do you do that?
I have Windows 11 because something happened to my laptop last year and everything was wiped from the hard drive. The computer engineer said I must have done something but all I did was close down the laptop before I went to bed and in the morning nothing would open. Sadly, the exterior hard drive wasn't programmed properly (a previous computer engineer thought OneDrive was enough - obviously not in my case), so I only had everything backed up to 2021. Fortunately, I've managed to retrieve all important programs/files and folders from copies I'd sent to other people. Anyway the computer engineer installed Windows 11 and everything is still saved to OneDrive. I have made sure the exterior hard drive is set to back up weekly too. I know I would have had to move to Windows 11 eventually but I'm not particularly happy with it. As someone said all the upgrades etc. seem to be just to suit programmers not ordinary people who use the computers.
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A previous computer engineer thought OneDrive was enough - obviously not in my case.
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In nobody’s case is One Drive the way to go.
First thing I do is to disable the spawn of the Devil and that is One Drive.
Backup all your files to two External Hard drives, ideally each of different make.
Same thing with your Online Family Tree, always have a sync’d copy in an App on your Laptop and the App’s Backups on each of the hard drives.
Belt n Braces.
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I also found that Windows 11 has a default setting that does not allow you to download any programmes/apps which are not approved by Microsoft. I had to turn this setting off (no going back after its turned off and something that Microsoft does not wants you to do) but this then allowed to download the programmes I wanted to use my laptop for.
How do you do that?
It took me a whole afternoon and a load of pulled out hair to find out why I couldn't just download programes I wanted, and the solution to it. All I wanted to do was install a craft programme that operates my craft cutting machine. I think this is how I did it - Setting - privacy and security - windows security - apps and turned it off.
A previous computer engineer thought OneDrive was enough - obviously not in my case.
In nobody’s case is One Drive the way to go.
First thing I do is to disable the spawn of the Devil and that is One Drive.
That's what I did with One Drive (your post reminded me what its called). Can't remember how I did it though! I wanted to be able to save files where I wanted to and not to where Microsoft wanted.
I don't like the way it opens now and I don't see the point. I could always enlarge the photos if I wanted to and I prefer to open them a normal size, not a small size and then have to enlarge them.
I know what you mean, there is an icon next to the resize drop down menu, a rectangle with lines inside called "zoom to fit" that will resize the photo to the full screen size with one click, but can't find a way to make this the default settings!
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Have you tried downloading Photos Legacy?
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nv2l4xvmcxm?hl=en-GB&gl=GB
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Thank you all for your replies.
Biggles50 - I'll have to buy another external hard drive, I only have one, then presumably they are plugged in all the time. My family tree program, Legacy is downloaded to my laptop and saves to the hard drive. I think, previously, it was also saved to a folder on my laptop. What do you mean by " a sync’d copy in an App on your Laptop"? What app should I be downloading - if I haven't already got it.
Prawncocktail - Not sure I want to download another Microsoft program, but I'll have a look at it.
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Gan Yam
It took me a whole afternoon and a load of pulled out hair to find out why I couldn't just download programes I wanted, and the solution to it. All I wanted to do was install a craft programme that operates my craft cutting machine. I think this is how I did it - Setting - privacy and security - windows security - apps and turned it off.
For some unknown, and worrying, reason each time I go to Setting - privacy and security - the Setting app freezes. I use Task Manage to close it down. If I go to Setting - and click on Apps, Time & Language, Personalization, etc. it works perfectly. I think I'll give your suggestion a miss for the moment until I find out what's happening with Privacy and security.
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Thank you all for your replies.
Biggles50 - I'll have to buy another external hard drive, I only have one, then presumably they are plugged in all the time. My family tree program, Legacy is downloaded to my laptop and saves to the hard drive. I think, previously, it was also saved to a folder on my laptop. What do you mean by " a sync’d copy in an App on your Laptop"? What app should I be downloading - if I haven't already got it.
Prawncocktail - Not sure I want to download another Microsoft program, but I'll have a look at it.
Lizzie
My process is the files are stored on my Computer’s internal hard drive, within the “Documents” folder. Within this folder there are dozens of other folders each of which contain files.
I plug in the portable hard drives where each one has a folder named “Documents” and I use an App called Free File Sync to compare the contents of the “Documents” folder and sync the files from the Computer to each of the portable hard drives in turn. After the initial sync process each time I run the App it is usually pretty quick as it only sync’s changed or adds new files.
Once the Computer is shut down I remove the portable hard drives and only reconnect them when I want to run the App.
I do not use Legacy, I have Roots Magic and Family Tree Maker on my Computer and both can sync with my Family Tree which is on Ancestry. The benefit of these Apps is that they sync all the media and documents between Ancestry and the Apps. Then when I run the Backup routine in each of the these two Apps I store the Backups of the family tree on the portable hards drives.
Saving a Gedcom to the two portable hard drives as well adds another layer of data safety.
Hope this makes sense.
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Prawncocktail - Not sure I want to download another Microsoft program, but I'll have a look at it.
Photos Legacy is the same programme you will have had on your old computer. I prefer it to the new version.
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I'll get back with responses later, I'm just going out.
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Sorry my reply's a bit delayed - as usual life got in the way.
Biggles. Thank you for your helpful instructions. I've printed them off and will work through them, leaving OneDrive until I'm happy with the new set up. I have a folder called Documents and within that is one called My Documents! Don't ask me why, it's just the way I set it up many years ago. My Documents has more personal stuff in it, whereas Documents seems to be folders to do with the the laptop, although sometimes, and I don't know why, when I save things they go into Documents as well as the folder where I want them to be. I go through them every now and again and delete any duplicates. I guess the Free File Sync you mention would save me doing that.
If it's not a silly question, how do you put Folder named "Documents" into your portable hard drives?
My laptop was backing up weekly to the external hard drive. I've changed it to daily at the moment because I'm doing quite a bit of updating to my family tree and I don't want to lose any of the work. However, I've just looked at the backup from Wednesday (I forgot to plug in the hard drive yesterday!) and nothing opens. I'll see if I can attach a photo of it. I'm not sure what's going on.
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Prawncocktail - I'm going to try Photos Legacy, as although I've changed everything to open in jpg, today it started scrolling through pdf again. >:(
Thank you for the suggestion.
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Prawncocktail - I've downloaded Photo Legacy and stopped (but not uninstalled yet) Windows 11 photo app. Apparently the new Windows 11 photo app runs in the background all the time using battery or electric power, it also it seems - unless you turn them off, downloads to the Cloud and other places, which is not good.
It doesn't open any quicker, in fact I get a black square with a Photo Legacy app in the centre before the photo opens and it's still in the middle of a black screen, but never mind, at least it's more user friendly and, hopefully, wont keep opening a pdf folder before showing the photo I want.
Lizzie