Basic Troubleshooting How do I turn on File Extension visibility?
| How do I turn on File Extension visibility? |
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Page 1 of 2 Knowing what type of file you're looking at is importantA very old computer standard is to use the letters and numbers after the last 'dot' (or 'full stop') in the name of a file as an identifier for the information in the file.For example, 'My Document.doc' is a 'doc', or more commonly described as a Word document. If you opened this file, Windows would choose Word to display its contents. 'My Document.txt' is a 'txt', a plain text document and will open in Notepad. Or, 'My Program.exe' is an 'exe' or executable program and if opened, Windows would run this program.  Without Extensions  With Extensions The standard is very old and sometimes confusing for newer computer users, which is why Windows hides extensions from users by default. Unfortunately, without knowing the extension of a file, you can't be sure exactly what type it is, and what double clicking on it may do. File extensions are important information about a file that your computer needs to be able to work effectively. You should not delete or modify extensions if you are not certain what you are doing. A 'dot' is a special character when used in a file or folder name. While Windows will let you use as many dots as you like, for simplicity you should avoid using any dots other than the one used in the extension. File extensions can be used to determine if a file is data, ie a picture or video or document, and hence unlikely to carry a virus. Or a program, ie a .com, .dll or .exe and likely to carry a virus. For example, you may receive an e-mail from a friend with the attached file 'Holiday Photo1', and it may have the icon of a picture file, and look safe. However if you have file extensions turned on, you may see the file is actually 'Holiday Photo1.exe', an executable program. Straight away you should be suspicious, as photos shouldn't be sent in programs, but as jpeg or jpg, and you should subject this file a good virus scanner. Another case may be if you received a file that tried to disguise it's extension such as 'Holiday Photo1.jpg.exe'. With file extensions hidden, Windows would show this file as 'Holiday Photo1.jpg'. Remember the letters after the last dot signify the extension, so smart users would see this was a program and should be checked carefully. See How to Protect Myself from Viruses for more information on potentially harmful extensions. |
Basic Troubleshooting How do I turn on File Extension visibility?