Can the GWD Text Editor replace Notepad as the dafault editor? I would like to use it to edit .BAT files.

You have to do this through the OS. There are a couple of ways.

1) Change the association via Explorer.
Open Windows Explorer.
Shift-RightClick on a file with *.bat extension.
Select "Open With..." in the context menu.
Select GWD Edit
Check the "Always use this program..." box.
Click OK.

2) Edit the association using Regedit.
If you don't know how to edit the Registry, contact your IT/IS dept.
If you do, then I did a search and replace for Notepad and switch almost all text files to GWD.