"How do you want to open this file" Error.

[River Slaney-Sanchez]

All of my Steam games (which were running OK) will no longer run from the desktop icon (they run if I launch directly from the Steam client). The Icons have all turned white and when I click, they ask me what program I want to open the file with. It lists the files as 'url'. Any ideas?

[ShelLuser]

Sounds like a problem with your Steam client installation. See: those icons don't really start any games themselves but tell the Steam service to start it for them.

Alas, the easiest way to solve this is to remove the icons, open your library in the Steam client, right click on a game entry and select the option "Create desktop shortcut". That should create a new icon to normally start your game again.

Hope this helped!

[River Slaney-Sanchez]

Thanks. I tried that just now and it just adds white icons, which still don't launch anything. But thanks for helping.

[ShelLuser]

Originally posted by River Slaney:

Thanks. I tried that just now and it just adds white icons, which still don't launch anything. But thanks for helping.

Then you have indeed a problem with your Steam client.

My guess is that there is somehow a disruption between the Steam service and the Steam client (I'll skip the technical details for now, I can elaborate if you want).

Did you by any chance try to reinstall Steam recently?

First thing I'd try is to reboot the computer and then make a desktop icon again. If that still doesn't work then I can't come up with anything else than deinstalling and then re-installing Steam itself. Make sure to reboot the PC after you deinstalled Steam before reinstalling again.

[ReBoot]

The problem is with your URL file association. Here have mine, that should help you

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.URL]
@="InternetShortcut"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/OpenWithProgIds]
"InternetShortcut"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/PersistentHandler]
@="{8CD34779-9F10-4f9b-ADFB-B3FAEABDAB5A}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx/{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{FBF23B40-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx/{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{FBF23B40-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx/{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{FBF23B40-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx/{CABB0DA0-DA57-11CF-9974-0020AFD79762}]
@="{FBF23B40-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/.URL/ShellEx/{FBF23B80-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}]
@="{FBF23B40-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}"

In case you don't know REG files, this is one. Save it into a text file with the REG extension and doubleclick it.