Remove Arma2 1.05 hold on PBO file association

[oktane 0]

http://www.506th-pir.org/scripts/oktane/remove_arma2_pbo_association.reg

If you aren't editing or decompressing PBO files, then this fix probably won't be important to you.

The latest patch seems to glom onto the .pbo file association. Hopefully posts will help those get back to their previous association for PBO files.

EDIT:

Beerhunter found out that if you use XP as your OS, the solution is simpler:

"Start"->"Control Panel"->"Folder Options"

Folder Options has 3 tabs. Select "File Types"

Find "pbo" , click on it and the "delete" button becomes available. Click on "delete" and confirm (or "edit" and select another program to open the pbo's rather than ArmA2).

It is pretty difficult to remove and there is no way to do it without using the registry. (that I know of) This reg file removes the stuff that Arma2 1.05 does to the association. You can look at the file, it is just text. To run it, just double click the file. If you have Vista/7 with UAC, you will have to run it as Administrator.

If you previously had a default action, it may go back to normal after running this. If after running it, it still doesn't work, you may have to reinstall whatever app you previously had managing pbo files. (for example, I use cpbo.exe)

If anyone knows WHY this was put in, post here! I think its so you can launch missions directly by double clicking on them. While this may be useful to some degree, it isn't so useful for a power user that works with both mods and missions.

Edited January 1, 2010 by oktane

[Binkowski 26]

Thanks for this. A great alternative to deleting the .pbo extension from you Registry completely. Thank you!

[Simon C 0]

Nevermind, worked out how to use it now. :)

Edited December 23, 2009 by Simon C

[WA Lancer 94]

Thank god for you man!

[Nazul 10]

I just downloaded a mission that was just a .pbo file, not zip'd or anything, Soon as it finished downloading Arma2 started up. It was because in the 'save file' dialogue it was on the "Open with" option i didnt look properly. lol.

I need to unassociate this.

Thanks for the reg file, it works.

[.kju 3245]

Thanks for sharing!

The idea isn't that wrong. Yet the key issue is that it loads arma without params.

Even casual players use launcher apps these days..

[cbfasi 4]

Thank you !!

One thing that maybe should of been an optional install rather than a forced install !

[[frl]myke 14]

Thank you !!

One thing that maybe should of been an optional install rather than a forced install !

+1

I was a little annoyed when i realised cpbo didn't worked after patch install. Managed it myself with editing the registry.

I would also suggest to make it optional. I guess people that do work with pbo's would probably prefer to keep them associated with cpbo while "usual gamer" might be happier with pbo's associated with ArmA 2.

My vote for "Optional".

[Snake Man 407]

PMC Editing Wiki: Remove BIS PBO association.

Greetings to oktane for the reg file.

[Relemar 10]

This isnt doing anything for me, I ran it, then installed cbpo, nothing.

[mattxr 9]

i just rightclicked the pbo and said open with, and then clicked cpbo and always use this program fixed it for me.

[Relemar 10]

I can create .pbos, but just can't extract them. Can anyone help?when i click open with and find .cpbo it doesnt add it to the list.

[mosh 0]

This isnt doing anything for me, I ran it, then installed cbpo, nothing.

First of all, thanks oktane! :)

I used your reg file and it did it's thing... but I still had to go into reg editor (not a place for me to be) and search for pbo and delete files it found... Then i ran cpbo again and all is good now.

[Non-Human 10]

good work The solution works perfectly

@ relemar

reboot your PC after installing registry file

[Binkowski 26]

I have this strange problem when using this. After I run the it and put it into the registry and restart my computer Windows won't start. Thankfully Windows 7 has that built in repair / restore system. I'm on Windows 7 64-bit. Maybe I'm doing something wrong on my end?

[Non-Human 10]

work on win xp pack 3

[froggyluv 2136]

Egad, not having any luck I'm afraid. Like the above said, I've run this program and re-booted but can only create pbo's, not extract them. If I try to force Open with -cpbo.exe, I see the .cmd screen for a brief instant but nothing is extracted.

I also tried creating the reg file, but once I installed the text, it won't run but opens as a text document rather, even though it is a .reg file :confused:

Can someone please direct me to an alternate program as I have no idea how to 'clean out' my registry and don't really want to for saftey reasons.

Edit- NM, got things going with Eliteness though I still prefer me old cpbo.

Edited December 23, 2009 by froggyluv

[Jantemplar 0]

Awesome, thank you very much, worked like a charm.

[76 0]

This isnt doing anything for me, I ran it, then installed cbpo, nothing.

Didn't work for me either so I just opened 'regedit' and serached 'pbo' and deleted every entry and ran cpbo again and all good :)

Not happy when BI make small and distrupting changes that no one ever asked for, I thought this was the purpose of public betas............... there are many bugs/problems that users are aware of that need BIs attention, let alone the features that do nothing but cause power users pain.

Stop building this world for stupid people :)

EDIT: Using Vista x64 :)

Edited December 23, 2009 by 76
to add OS

[1longtime 10]

If the regedit fix failed for you (like me) then here's another fix:

1) run regedit.exe

2) under Edit -> Find do a search for "pbo"

3) delete every key/value pair defining PBO values.

4) log out of Windows and log back in

6) run cpbo.exe to re-install the cPBO Explorer tools

7) log out and log back in again

8) right click a PBO, you should now see the "extract PBO" option you had before installing 1.05

This is an issue with Kegety's tool and the way it associates itself with files in the registry. The steps I listed above fixed the problem for me (Win 7) but the reg fix listed before did not.

EDIT: um, ok looks like I should have refreshed before I posted. 76 posted the same thing in fewer lines... but whatever, I'll leave my redundant post.

[Pauldarrington 9]

thanks it works great cpbo works once again

[oktane 0]

Hmm I dont know why it's working for some but not all. And Binkowski, that's scary.. it shouldn't do anything like that. I also use Windows7 64 bit.

If it doesn't work for someone, can you take a look at the registry and find out why like I did initially? (and post?) That way I can update it so it works better. I'd prefer just to remove the things that arma2 did to it, not nuke ALL the pbo file associations.

And you should not associate pbo files with cpbo with windows. (maybe this is where the issues arise) Instead just run cpbo.exe and it will ask you if you want it associated, click yes.

Also I just realized that the reg file could be a lot shorter, wasn't thinking..

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PBO_auto_file]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\PBO_auto_file]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pbo]
@=-
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pbo\AppsTable]

If you are stuck and can't get cpbo to work still, try this:

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PBO_auto_file]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\PBO_auto_file]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pbo]

Edited December 24, 2009 by oktane

[zonker3210 1]

Thanks for the fix, Oktane.

I really wish BI had thought this through a little more. The benefits of forcing the PBO file association is...to assist those users who are too clueless to use the in-game GUI to start up a mission? Seriously? :butbut:

I hope I don't have to perform this manual fix after each Arma2 patch.

[vilas 477]

i agree , this "feature" is pain in the ***

i wanted open archive PBO and. .. it launches me game, annoying like hell

i changed it in Windows, but really annoying surprise

new Apache, lower range for AKSU is of course super, fixed G36 range, fixed SVD range

THANX

Edited December 27, 2009 by vilas

[Minoza 11]

Is that file association changed the way editor opens missions? I ask cause can't open any custom missions from editor, only the ones I created in editor... Btw, they are unPBOed so I don't uderstand what's the problem...

Oh and I use Eliteness for unPBOing so PBO association doesn't matter for me...