How to handle files with no extensions

Have you ever received a file with no extension from someone? These files can be a royal pain in the neck if you don’t know which program was used to create it. Users of Macintosh computers have a real advantage over Windows users here. In Mac, information about the software used to create a file is always embedded within the file itself. So, even if you create a file with no extension on a word processor, it will always open with the word processor, no matter which Mac you transfer it to.

If you are a Windows user, however, you are in a fix. What to do? Well, you could always call up or send an e-mail to the person who sent you the file in the first place, asking him/ her to clarify the source software of the file, so that you can open it. If that is not the case, then you will have to put it upon luck. However, you can try the following solution:

1. First, make sure that you can see the extension of all files. In order to display known file extensions, open Windows Explorer and click on Tools > Folder Options, located in the top menu.
2. Choose the tab “View” in the window.
3. Uncheck the box next to the setting “Hide extensions for known file types”.
4. Click on Apply, and then on OK.
5. The changes will take effect immediately. You do not have to close the Explorer or reboot your system.

Now, you will be able to see the extensions of all files. Read the name of the file carefully. If the filename corresponds to any topic that you recognize, try to guess in which application it was created, like a word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation creator. If it was sent from your workplace, then it could have been created using an office application.

Try to rename the file by right clicking on the file and choosing the “Rename” option from the pop up menu. Add an extension and see whether you are able to open the file. Assuming that you have MS-Office™ installed in your PC, .doc, .xls, and .ppt (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx if you use MS-Office 2007) would be the most likely suspects. Other likely extensions to try would be .dat, .avi, .mp3, and .wma. Unfortunately, trial and error will be your only way of finding out the application that can open a file, unless you can contact the creator.