by Cameron Laird
A family friend first asked this one: her camera uploaded photographs as:
001.JPG
002.JPG
003.JPG
… and so on.
but her “content-management” software would only incorporate .jpg files to her Web site. What to do?
(more…)
April 19, 2009
How Can I Correct a Batch of Filenames Under Windows?
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April 18, 2009
File Extension mov
Extension: mov
What is it? Apple Quicktime movie file
Where’s it from? The mov standard for multimedia files was created by Apple Computer. It is widely used by developers of multimedia content and applications. It is available on Mac OS and Windows platforms.
How do I use it? Use Apple Quicktime for Mac or Windows, or the free IRFranview utility for Windows.
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? Yes. Mov files found on P2P networks such as Limewire are often infected with malware. Use antivirus software.
— David Hakala
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April 17, 2009
File Extension dmg
Extension:dmg
What is it? Macintosh OS X Disk Copy Disk Image File
Where’s it from? An Apple Mac OS X CD burner. A dmg file is a bit-for-bit image of CD-ROM, hard drive, or other disk full of data. A dmg file can be stored on your hard drive, mounted and used as if it was a drive itself by one of the programs listed above. A dmg file can also be burned to a CD or DVD disc, and the programs it contains can be run from disc. Dmg files come in several file system formats including HFS, HFS+, UFS, ProDOS, Linux, and Fat32 and so may also require special mounting software.
How do I use it? Mac OSX Disk Copy; Windows: dmg2img http://vu1tur.eu.org/tools/; Linux: DMG Automounter for Linux http://sourceforge.net/projects/dmgmount/
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes
Can it be dangerous? No
–David Hakala
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April 16, 2009
File Extension iso
Extension: iso
What is it? ISO-9660 CD Disk Image File
Where’s it from? Generally, ISO files are created by CD burning software such as Nero. The ISO (Intl. Standards Organization) 9660 standard specifies how to copy data, such as a set of music files, to an iso file that can be read as if it was a CD disc. ISO files can be transferred over the Internet, then burned to CD to re-recreate the original CD. An ISO file can also be mounted and used like any other drive. MagicISO can translate proprietary image file formats (such as Nero) into standard ISO files.
How do I use it? Windows: MagicISO http://www.magiciso.com/ ; Mac: Mac OS X Finder, built into Mac OS X; Linux: mount command, i. e., mount -o loop -t iso9660 filename.iso
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? No
–David Hakala
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April 15, 2009
Docx Extension
Extension: docx
What is it? Microsoft Word 2007 document
Where’s it from? Docx is the default file format used by Microsoft Word 2007, part of the Microsoft Office 2007 productivity suite. It is based on the XML Web page standard and is compressed using the ZIP standard to save disk space.
How do I use it? Use Microsoft Office 2007; or an earlier version of Office updated with the Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats; or any of several free online Office 2007 docx file conversion services.
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? Yes. Docx files can contain macro viruses. Use antivirus software.
–David Hakala
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April 14, 2009
File Extension .dup
Extension: dup
What is it? Duplicate Backup File
Where’s it from? Many programs create dup files so you will have a spare in case the original gets corrupted.
How do I use it? The program that created the dup file uses it.
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? No
–David Hakala
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April 13, 2009
File Extension bin
Extension: bin
What is it? Binary File
Where’s it from? Many programs create bin files. They contain data intended for use by programs, not humans. You will see just random, strange characters if you open a bin file with a text editor.
How do I use it? Let the program that created it use it.
Can I safely delete or move it? Leave it alone, some program needs it right where it is.
Can it be dangerous? By itself, a bin file can’t do anything to your computer because it doesn’t “run.” But it may be used by an executable malicious program.
— David Hakala
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April 12, 2009
File extension avi
Extension: avi
What is it? Audio Video Interleave File
Where’s it from? Avi is an old, widely used standard for audio/video files. Avi files are uncompressed, so they take up more disk space and take longer to download than compressed files such as MP3. However, the quality of avi files is higher than compressed formats.
How do I use it? Virtually every program that plays audio/video files will play avi files, including Windows Media Player and Apple Quicktime.
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? Yes. Avi files found on P2P networks such as Limewire are often infected with malware. Use antivirus software.
— David Hakala
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April 11, 2009
File Extension ppt
Extension: ppt
What is it? PowerPoint Presentation File
Where’s it from? Microsoft PowerPoint graphics presentation program. Many “entertaining” ppt files are passed around via email. Virtually identical to the Microsoft PowerPoint Slideshow format (pps). In fact, you can rename a pps file to a ppt file and vice versa, and it will still play. The difference is that when you double-click on a ppt file it opens in PowerPoint’s editing mode, while a pps file opens in slideshow mode and begins playing.
How do I use it? Microsoft Office; Windows (free): OpenOffice; Web-based: Zoho.
Can I safely delete or move it? Yes.
Can it be dangerous? Yes. Use antivirus software, especially on email attachments
— David Hakala
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