Internet Explorer (Explorer, IE), which is part of the Windows operating system , is known to every user of a computer running Microsoft Windows. This is explained very simply: the program icon, in fact, is a fairly well-promoted brand, and the launch link is located not only in the menu of the “Start” system button, but also in the application quick launch panel .
In the glorious years of the heyday of the Windows 9X line, Explorer was the dominant browser: most users chose it, and over 80% of sites were optimized for viewing accordingly. Due to planning errors in the corporation, alternative solutions became more and more popular every year, and the Explorer was no longer considered the main browser. Currently, users choose Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera and decide how to make Opera the default (also true for all others).
As a result, each user on the computer has at least two different browsers installed: built-in IE and the second one used for surfing the Web. The exception is newcomers who have not yet had time to understand the features of browsers, as well as a narrow circle of users who love Microsoft products.
The peculiarity of using multiple browsers is that the operating system is initially configured so that all pages on the Internet and any html (mht, chm) files stored on the disk are opened by the Explorer. A striking example: in the received email there is a link to some network resource. When you click on it, the program that is selected in the system by default will be launched. It is not surprising that for adherents of the Norwegian browser, the question of how to make Opera the default is so relevant. There are several ways to solve it.
The easiest is to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the developers. Consider how to make Opera 11 by default (the method is fully suitable for version 12). The procedure is as follows: in the upper left corner of the launched browser, click the button with the Opera icon, in the menu that appears, go to the "General Settings - Advanced" tab, where we drop down to the "Programs" section of the list. It remains to put a checkmark indicating to check the default program and restart Opera. Make Opera the default can be selectively. To do this, in the same window, click the "Settings" button, located opposite the line with a checkmark, and manually specify the associations with file extensions and protocols. The solution allows you to more flexibly configure the collaboration of several browsers than activating all the options at once.
The next way to make Opera the default is to adjust the operating system itself. Open the control panel and follow the menu "Programs by default" (similar to Start - Programs by default). Here you can set the program. Click file type matching and specify the desired program. In this case, the peculiarity of how to make the Opera by default is that it is necessary to specify not only extensions (html, htm), but also http protocols , etc.
A small nuance: if the browser was installed incorrectly or did not reinstall at all with the operating system, then it may be completely absent in the displayed list. In this case, you cannot associate it with protocols using regular means, but you will have to use a special reg-file, which is easy to find on the Web. An alternative is to reinstall the program. However, the need for manual configuration arises only in very specific situations, and the capabilities provided by the developers (the same one that is built into the Opera browser) are quite enough.