"This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action" error message when you open a Binder file

When you attempt to open a Microsoft Office Binder file, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following: The file does not open.

This behavior can occur because Microsoft Binder is not included as part of Microsoft Office XP.

To resolve this issue, Office XP includes a program named Microsoft Unbind. To install Unbind, follow the steps in the "More Information" section of this article. You can use Unbind to extract sections from the binder file that you want to use with an Office XP program.

To unbind a binder file, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Double-click the binder file.
     
     -or-
   • Right-click the binder file. On the shortcut menu, click Unbind.
2. In the Unbind dialog box, select the folder that you want to save the unbound files in.
3. Click OK.

Microsoft Unbind is not installed as part of a typical Office XP installation.

To install Microsoft Unbind, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Office XP installation CD-ROM.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. In the Add/Remove Program Properties dialog box, select your Office XP installation, and then click Add/Remove.
5. In the Maintenance Mode Options dialog box, click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
6. In the Features to install box, click the plus sign next to Office Tools.
7. Click the arrow next to Microsoft Office Binder Support.
   
   NOTE: If the icon next to Microsoft Office Binder Support is gray, Unbind is not installed. If the icon is white, Unbind is already installed, and you can click Cancel to quit the installation program.
8. Click Run from My Computer, and then click Update.
9. Follow the instructions of the installation wizard to finish installing Microsoft Unbind.

To use Microsoft Unbind, follow these steps:

1. Using Windows Explorer, browse to find the binder file that you want to open.
2. Double-click the file.
   
   Unbind automatically starts.
3. In the Unbind dialog box, select a location to save the contents of the Binder file to, and then click OK.
   
   The Binder contents will be saved to the location in their native format.

If you attempt to run Unbind by double-clicking Unbind.exe, nothing happens.

For more information about using Microsoft Unbind, click Microsoft Help on the Help menu, type Open an Office Binder file in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.