title: How can I programmatically check file that a file association exists before attempting to Process.Start() it?
body: <p>My .Net Windows Forms application generates a PDF report, which I want to show to the user.</p>
  
  <p>Instead of just assuming the client PC has a PDF viewer installed and blindly throwing the PDF at the Operating System to open, <strong>is there a way to check against the list of file associations on the client</strong> beforehand, then show a "<em>you need a PDF viewer application installed - here's a couple of suggestions..</em>" dialog if PDF isn't a registered type?</p>
  
  <p>I've found a lot of questions and answers about changing or registering file associations, but I just want an easy way to query the list, not change it.</p>
  
  <p>I'd like a solution that works on Windows XP onwards (WinXP, Vista, Win7).</p>
  
  <p>Thanks for your help</p>