Can't open jpg from Windows 7 Explorer in newly installed Photoshop Elements 11

Question

Elements opens but the image does not appear in the editor.
Other people have reported similar problems but I cannot find a solution.

Answer 1

I got hit with the same issue ... but found a simple clean answer (after a while):
The "default program" ("recommended program" when you use "open with" in the explorer context) which is associated with a file extension ultimately points to the following command: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Elements 11 Organizer\Photoshop Elements 11.0.exe" "%1", which is the PSE Organiser
This command didn't work for me (not even from the command line does this work, so it's a bug). I guess it gets hung up at the welcome screen in the background
I changed the "default program" / "recommended program" to point directly to the Photoshop Elements Editor.  Then it works as it should.
To do this cleanly, you need to delete the wrong "default program" entry by deleting the relevant entry in the Windows registry for each picture file extension associated with PSE 11:
For example, on WIndows 7 64bit, the relevant registry entry for .cr2 files (Canon raw format) is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.cr2\OpenWi thList
and may have several entries labled a, b, c...., one points to Photoshop Elements 11.0.exe - delete it.
After the clean up, go into WIndows Control Panel, select Default Programs, Associate a file type or protocol with a program and then for the first file extension use "Browse" to find the PhotoshopElementsEditor.exe and select it  (mine was at C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 11).
Afterwards, you need to do this for each additional file extension you want to link with PSE 11, but you can pick it now from the Recommended Programs list
Since I only use raw and JPEG, I only needed to change this for .cr2 and .jpg - you may need others as well...
If you are not sure which program (Organiser or Editor) is now shown under the "Recommended Progams" list when you use "open with" from Explorer? 
Photoshop Elements Organiser
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
Adobe Systems, Incoporated     <====== note the comma after Systems
Photoshop Elements Editor
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
Adobe Systems Incoporated      <====== note the absence of the comma after Systems
Hope this gets you working more productively....
Chris - IT support for www.photo2m.ch