gnome desktop icons appear as desktop text files

[nick623]

When I try to create an shortcut icon on the desktop instead I get an icon named *.desktop which is a text file.
I did something don't quite no what that made my firefox, googlearth, and thunderbird desktop icons disappear.
Now when I right click on an application to "add to desktop panel" I get a text file with *.desktop extension not an application launcher.

I loged in KDE and I could create a desktop icon short cut with no problem.
I am at a loss.

Here is an example of one of my files in the Desktop directory.
[Desktop Entry]
Categories=Network;Application;X-Fedora;
Comment=Browse the Web
Comment[en_US]=Browse the Web
Encoding=UTF-8
Exec=firefox %u
GenericName=Web Browser
GenericName[en_US]=Web Browser
Icon=firefox.png
MimeType=application/vnd.mozilla.xul+xml;application/xhtml+xml;text/html;text/xml
Name=Firefox Web Browser
Path=
StartupNotify=true
StartupWMClass=Firefox-bin
Terminal=false
TerminalOptions=
Type=Application
Version=1.0
X-DCOP-ServiceType=
X-Desktop-File-Install-Version=0.10
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false
X-KDE-Username=

Any info or input would be really appreciated

thanks

[nick623]

I think it might have to do file type assocition. I noticed some windows media audio player files ask me to associate it with an application instead of default.

Any ideas how I can change file type associations with gnome?

[Dan]

Huh!? I used to know, in Redhat 9. Can't find it in FC6! Still looking though...

Dan

EDIT: The only thing I can tell you tonight is to right click the icon, select, "Open with other application" and select the weapon of choice, and go from there. I just noticed that a lot of those nifty tools I only used once in a great while in RH9, are flat gone from FC6.

D

[nick623]

I'm using FC5 but still can't find anything to change file types or MIMES.
I'm trying the "open with other application" selection but can't find the right application to use.
I believe *.desktop files are gnome applications? I don't know but the "other applications" don't seem to associate correctly.
Maybe their is a text configuration file I need to edit?
Still trying to figure out.

When I click on the Computer desktop icon all of the icons appear as *.desktop text files and won't open.
Also wmv and jpg files wouldn't open correctly I had to use "open with other application" option. So what application do I use to open a *.desktop file?
Appreciate the input.