QuickTime grabbed all my .WAVs by the throat and won't let go!

Question

This is a Quicktime problem. I fully updated Quicktime on my PC,
Febr. 3d, six weeks ago. I have Windows Vista HP SP-2. I don't
have or use iTunes, so it's not relevant here. I've used NCH music
software for all my music work for 3 years, and am happy with it.
Since that QT update, I've only used my NCH "Switch" program
twice for converting any .flacs to .wavs, which is 95% of the
music file conversion I ever do. The first time about a month ago,
I noticed that the .wav files were suddenly being rendered as QT
.wavs instead of Windows .wavs. I didn't bother to try to listen to
(test) any of them prior to burning to a CD-R, but this type of
thing happened to me a couple yrs. ago w/ a different music file
manager/company, so I should have. QuickTime has taken all the
.wav files everywhere on my computer, no matter how old, and
converted them over to QT .wavs. I wouldn't care, except that
when I try to open and listen to one, it won't play. Instead I get
the following pop-up window, which twice displays the full
pathway-location of the .wav file-- once in top window frame,
and just below that in the top of the inner field. There's a big red
button-like thing in upper-left with a white X in it. The message
states, "The application has failed to start because it's side-by-
side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event
log for more detail". I haven't been able to locate an event log
for Switch, and even if I could, I have no idea what a 'side-by-side
configuration' is, much less how to correct it. The .wavs will
burn to a CD-R accurately with no problem, and I have no trouble
listening to the disc. But I cannot listen to them sitting on my PC,
which is a big problem. I teach music-related skills for a living
and manage music from my PC all the time. Please assist.
Thanks, D. Demarin

Answer 1

Let's first check your Windows default settings for association of your wavs.
You'll use the Default Programs control panel as per the following Microsoft document:
[Change which programs Windows uses by default|http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Change-which-programs- Windows-uses-by-default]
Use the *Associate a file type or protocol with a program* option. Check to see if you've currently got .wavs associated with QuickTime. If you do, change the association to your preferred player. Do wavs play properly now?