Making Google Chrome the default browser in Windows Vista

I have been using Google Chrome since it was first publicly released. I really like it a lot. It's clean and fast. The tabs are quite a bit more useful than Apple Safari's tabs (in my opinion.) Everything just kind of works. Mostly. It is beta after all. :-P

But I tried awhile back to make Chrome my default browser without success. Whenever I would try to click the "Make Google Chrome my default browser" button in the options dialog I would get the following message: This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.

So I googled the error message and here is what I found: In order to make this button work on Windows Vista, you need to run Chrome as administrator. This is a side effect of User Account Control (UAC). Google Chrome should support UAC better, but it is beta, so what can you expect?

Here are the steps I used to fix the problem:

1. Close all instances of Google Chrome. I first tried the following steps with a non-administrator Chrome still open. But that didn't work.
2. Right click on the icon you use to open Chrome. I have mine in the "Quick Launch" toolbar, but yours might be in the Start Menu or on the Desktop.
3. Select the "Run as Administrator" option. The UAC confirmation dialog will come up stating that A program needs your permission to continue. Press Continue.
4. Go to the Options menu item under the wrench icon (upper right of Chrome).
5. On the bottom of the Basics tab will be the Make Google Chrome my default browser button. Click it. Everything should now work. Theoretically.

Thanks to this Google Chrome Help forum post with the correct answer by englitmajor. That is what clued me in to the proper solution.

I hope this helps.

Inside the IT Recruiting Scene

A fascinating blog from inside the Austin IT Recruiting Scene. http://markcunningham91.blogspot.com/

I have used recruiters to look for jobs and also to find employees. It is interesting to see how they (or at least one of them) operate under the hood.

Hello and Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable :-)

My name is Peter Stephens and I live just north of Austin, TX in the city of Liberty Hill. I have worked professionally in the software industry since 1994. Of course I got my first taste of computers and things technical long before that while in the third grade with a hand-me-down Sinclair ZX-81. Since then I have learned a bit of everything from C to WPF and a whole lot in between. You can read more about my history with computers here.

Recently, I decided to start a software consulting business. I possess extensive experience with Microsoft .NET and Microsoft SQL Server. If you have need of custom software, I can write your web application in ASP.NET or your Windows desktop application in Windows Forms or Windows Presentation Foundation. If this all sounds like Greek to you, drop me a line and I will be happy to advise you on the technical aspects for your project.

I hope to discuss both the business and technical side of software in a way that is both interesting and useful to the internet community. Technology on the internet is a fast moving target. Hopefully I will be able to document my journey as I learn the latest the tech field has to offer.

Do you need custom software?