A question about some particular computer files for you techies...

[AJ]

Recently I'ved received a couple of .dat files via trusted associates and friends. For some reason none of my software programs recognize these files. What program opens/reads .dat files?

Thanks in advance for all of the wonderful advice I know will come! :thumbup:

AJ

 

[kozak6]

http://filext.com/detaillist.php?extdetail=.DAT

Says it could be anything, really.

 

[RDomina]

Received via email ?
Maybe this would help.
http://www.gpc.edu/~jbenson/resource/winmail.htm

 

[rebeltf]

.dat files , just like Kozak6 said can be for lots of things.

For instance if your friend sent you a file say from... photoshop (just an example) and you had no program on your pc that recognized the file , you wouldnt be able to open it in any usable way.
If you open up those .dat files say with a text editor like Notepad , you would see a bunch of mumbo jumbo that wouldnt make sense unless you were a programmer or the program that created or can use the file.

Best bet is to email your friends and ask them what they sent you so you know what program you need to access the files properly.

 

[billyp]

You might try using the "open with" in the right click menu, then open them with notepad. If you do, just make sure that you uncheck the box on the bottom left that says "always use this program to open this type of file".

billyp

 

[Buzzbait]

Read this and see if it helps.

http://www.gpc.edu/~jbenson/resource/winmail.htm

 

[mycroftt]

I wonder why they are sendingyou files that you can't process. Try opening them using any text reader editor you may have.

 

[heathah]

The links mentioned above are for the winmail.dat problem which I myself experience frequently. It happens when individuals using Outlook (my coworkers) send an email with certain formatting characteristics that is retrieved by an individual not using Outlook (myself). All of the formatting characteristics for the email are placed into a separate file, winmail.dat. As everyone knows, Microsoft doesn't play well with others so Outlook is the only mail program that can read this file and put the message back into it's original form with all of the formatting that was originally intended. See this website to download the WMDecode program that will allow you to open the winmail.dat file and view the message correctly.