File associations?
C'mon Mac, You can do better than that.
It just might be that the file associations are not set.
Right clicking and selecting open file for a file type not previously accessed will open a dialogue box with;
Windows can not open this file
To open this file windows needs to know which program created it. Windows can go online to look it up automatically or you can manually select from lists of programs on your computer.
What do you want to do?
1) Use the web service to find the appropriate program
2) Select the program from a list
Select option 2 and the most appropriate program should appear at the top of the available program list. For example *.xls files will need Microbloat Excel to open them.
Unless I've missed the point of the first post Hugh, this may be the answer you're looking for. If I have missed the point, blame the Margaret River Cabernet!!
Two Dogs