Setting default editor for files without extension in Windows

Oftentimes, files that have no ending can be treated as text files. Still, Windows 8.1 kept asking me, which program to use for such files.

The solution is to provide a default program for files without extension – and this can be easily done, even without modifying the registry directly:

  1. Open a priviledges Shell:
    (Windows+Q -> cmd -> Context menu -> Run as administrator
  2. Enter:
    assoc .="No Extension"
  3. Enter:
    ftype "No Extension"="[Path to your favorite text editor]" "%1"
  4. (Optional) Enter the following to get a nicer default icon for files without extension:
    assoc "No extension"\DefaultIcon=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-102

Thanks to this post at Stackoverflow for the solution.