When you click on an image such as a .JPG, it opens using the fax and image viewer, same thing as if you right-clicked on the picture and selected PREVIEW. In order to open my images with my image editing software, I always have to right-click on the file and choose Open. (Choosing Edit doesn't work, that always opens it with the Microsoft Paint program.) Neither Preview or Edit is shown as an option configurable in the registry for JPG files or in the File Types under Folder Options.

Can this behavior be customized in Windows XP?

I would really rather just click on an image and have it open directly in my image editor, as I am accustomed to in Windows 2000. At first, the auto preview was cute, but now I tire of it. I wouldn't mind preserving the ability to preview using the context menus, but I don't want this to be the default action.

Also, when previewing, the button that is supposed to close the preview and open image always launches Paint, i.e., it starts the Edit action, instead of the Open action.

Dumb stuff, but hey, if it bugs me, it must be something that would make someone else's life easier too, if there was a workaround from some of you clever folks.