Opening Grib Files

[Wandering Star]

Please think technophobe before composing any reply!!

My boat has an Iridium phone with a subscription to Mailasail for the purposes of obtaining weather info. I downloaded the Airmail Grib reader on the boats laptop. The boat is now en-route for Europe from Caribbean with another forumite skippering her. That's the background.

The Iridium email is working fine but the crew are unable to read the downloaded Grib files. I think the problem is that when they click to open a Grib file attachment it gives them a message that there's no application associated with the Grib file type.

So my question is, what is the blow by blow procedure to ensure the Airmail Grib reading software is automatically associated to the downloaded Grib file? It should be possible to double click on the downloaded email attachment and open it without any pratting around! What must they do to achieve this? If it's useful to know, the laptop is a brand new Dell Inspiron 10 netbook with Vista which has very little other software on it. The email software is Outlook Express.

If I can get a solution, I'll email it to them as they still have 2500 miles to cover! Thanks.

Cheers, Brian.

 

[sarabande]

you will need to know the exact file name and location of the application (program) which is going to use the gribs. Usually easy to find in Program Files.

To change the program that opens a file:

1 Find the file that you want to open , in Explorer or by using Search. (To open Search, L click Start, and then L. click Search.)

2 Right-click the file you want to open in the Grib program, and then R click Properties.

3 On the General tab, L click Change.

4 Click the name of the program which you want to open the file. If it's not in the list, use the Browse button to find where the application is resident.

From now on all grib files should be opened automatically by your chosen app.

 

[chasroberts]

Sounds like you need a programme to display the grib data ou are receiving. Try US Grib which we ahve used for a number of nyears and found to be very good. And it's FREE.

Chas

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

We use Viewfax.

Also free

You will have to Google it.

No registrations etc.

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks for this - just what I wanted, I'll cut and paste it to the crew! Thanks also to Chasroberts & MarkJohnson but yes, I already do have a Grib viewer via Airmail - I think it possibly is the Viewfax viewer now you mention it. My problem is that the downloaded Gribs aren't associated with the Viewfax Grib viewer (however that situation arose) so even though the Viewfax Grib reading software is installed, the Grib files don't know that. It was Sarabandes instructions I was looking for. But thanks anyway, much appreciated everyone.

Cheers, Brian.

 

[sarabande]

umm, I guess the same instructions apply to Vista. I use XP Pro ver 3.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

When I download a grib file I always store it in a folder called Grib in my documents.

Then I load the Viewfax programme, and it learns to look into that folder to open the latest Grib file.
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I have just tried the US Grib programme recommended, it works very well, and automatically downloads the latest files for a specified area.

Both good.