Windows won’t recognize .aep file type

[Danny Hays]

Try this, try to open it by double clicking the aep file itself. Then select choose application if AF isnt showing. navigate to the AF install directory and select AF start icon, then check always use this app. This should give all your aep icons the AF icon and assiciate them with AF in the future. Hope this helps.
Danny Hays

[Paul Weiss]

This is precisely what’s not working. I’ll just reinstall; pain in the butt but a definate fix. Thanks for the help ya’ll.

[Kevin Camp]

if you google exe association, you’ll find some info on fixes… but they almost sound worse than reinstalling ae…. lots of warnings about messing with the registry and making backups and such.

i’m not familiar enough with windows to try anything like that, i’d try the reinstall.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Paul Weiss]

I’ve now reinstalled the CS3 Master Suite, and wouldn’t you know it; it still will not boot up a saved after effects .aep file. Although it now has the correct icon, I still get a message that says it is “not a valid win32 file.” Any ideas on where to go from here?

[Thomas Leong]

Something is amiss. Suggest you do an anti-virus scan of your system first…with an updated database. Then try the file association procedure of ‘Open With’ again.

Thomas Leong

[Paul Weiss]

Tried an anti-virus scan. No viruses. Tried a registry fix. No deal. It works fine on a friends computer. Not on mine.

[Thomas Leong]

Since you have the icon already associated with AE, the program should be used/recognised as the one required to open .aep files. Wierd.

Just to double-check, look at –
My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types

and scroll down to –
AEP Adobe After Effects Project

highlight AEP, and click on Advanced > Edit
it should show under –

Action:
Adobe After Effects Project

Application used to perform action:
“C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CS3 (or your relevant version)\Support Files\AfterFX.exe””%1″ [Note: all the ” and spaces shown here are relevant]

Use DDE
[is enabled]

DDE Message:
[is blank]

Application:
AfterFX

DDE Application Not Running:
[is blank]

Topic:
System

If the above is all in order, and you still have the problem, it has got me stumped!…and I’m afraid I can’t help further. Sorry.

Thomas Leong

[Paul Weiss]

Thanks for the help everybody. I’ve reinstalled and it more or less fixed the problem; .aep files are again “recognized”, although I still can’t double click a saved file and have it open up AE. I can, however, open AE and then open a saved file from inside it. That’s good enough for me.

[Paul Mann]

I’ve got a similar problem, I’m on Vista with After Effects CS4. I can set association but the correct icon doesn’t appear. This is going to look ugly for my next video tutorial. Also I tried re-installing twice and changing the association icon in the registry but nothing works, and my AEP files don’t save properly.

I don’t have much time to keep re-installing, so please help me.

Thank You.