ascBackup

ascBackup is a lightweight and free application designed to help you create file associations with other installed programs, as well as to repair drive and folder navigation.

It contains approachable options that can be tackled with ease by all types of users, even the ones less experienced with such tools.

Setting up this program takes minimal time and effort, since there are no special options, mandatory software products, or third-party offers involved. As far as the interface goes, the utility opts for a single window that gives you an overview of all settings.

File associations can be made for browsing the computer and Internet, performing system-related actions, playing audio and video files, viewing images, sending emails, as well as for opening compressed and help files, Microsoft Office documents, and executables.

For each of these categories you can check out a list of available extensions. For instance, the supported audio, video and photo files are .avi, .mpg, .wav, .mid, .bmp, .gif, .ico, .jpeg and .tiff.

New associations can be made while existing ones can be changed by indicating the target application's executable. Once all settings are done, ascBackup can be asked to back up the associations, enabling you to restore them later.

Tasks were carried out fast in our tests while CPU and RAM usage remained low. On the other hand, it failed to put together backups in our tests. We must also keep in mind that it hasn't received updates for a long time and likely has compatibility issues with newer Windows versions.

To wrap it up, ascBackup supplies you with a simple and effective solution for creating, backing up and restoring file associations. The project doesn't seem to be in development anymore, though.