pif (a program information file that tells Windows how to run an old DOS app). Other service-launching extensions: If you double-click a file whose extension is associated with a Windows service, that service will open and run, using the information in the file you double-clicked to tell the service what to do. The script file extensions to be wary of include those that work with Windows Script Host (.
You encounter scripts frequently while Web browsing and performing other PC tasks, but you probably don’t want to let just any old script file run on your computer. Windows will launch one of its many script services when you double-click a script file (just as Windows will open Word to display a word processing document if you double-click a.
Script teasers: Scripts are pieces of human-readable programming code that services translate into machine-code instructions and execute. cmd (Windows 2000 batch files) include executable commands and may contain malicious code. Don’t open any executable file until you have confirmed by phone or e-mail that the file is legit. Also, many worms propagate via e-mail address books, so you may know the purported sender of an infected file. Don’t launch executable files that you receive from an unknown source (such as via an unsolicited e-mail), since the sender could have a malicious purpose.
exe) lists machine-language instructions that a computer can understand and execute. Here are the file extensions you need to be aware of.Īn eye on executables: An executable (. Or you can show the extensions of only the file types you select. If you’re willing to edit the Registry, you can display most file extensions but hide a few of your choice. Now extensions will be visible for nearly every file on your desktop and in your Explorer and folder windows. Click the View tab, make sure the option to ‘Hide extensions for known file types’ is unchecked (the exact wording will vary depending on your version of Windows see FIGURE 1 FIGURE 1: The hidden is revealed when you make Windows show all file extensions.), and click OK. To make sure your file extensions are visible, open Windows Explorer or any folder window and choose View, Folder Options or Tools, Folder Options (depending on your version). Unfortunately, Microsoft started hiding file extensions in Windows 95. Knowing a file’s extension can also help you customize your system and clean out the dross. This extension is an essential aspect of nearly every file on your computer without it, Windows doesn’t know whether to open the file in your word processor or another app, to launch it as a program, or to let other programs use it as a system resource. The fastest way to spot the interlopers is by their file extension–the letters (usually three) following the final period in the file’s name.
Don't download random files from random people who message you, don't download scr files and make sure to set up windows so it "displays full extensions for known file types" under "folder options".Computer viruses sometimes masquerade as harmless e-mail attachments. As windows(by default) hides file extensions the user wouldn't realise the file was not what it cliamed to be until it was too late. In other cases the criminals might not even bother with double extensions, just get the user to open something which they say is an image but is really an scr file. What the criminals do is either put a double file extension, and hope the user only notices the png part as windows will usuallly hide the second file extension so the average user would only see sneakyfile.png. There are plenty of instances of criminals sending people something that thye claim is an image, getting the victim to download the "image" and then open it. Scr is a windows screensaver file, it is not an exe file but it can more-or-less do anything an exe can including being a virus.