As of now, opening several unknown files is very dangerous. Some of the virus creators managed to create unknown files. They are aware that there are people who are so curious with what’s with that unknown file leading them to attempt of opening it. There are some viruses which are embedded on those unknown files and executing it once can activate the virus. Because of this, before opening it, make sure you know the nature of the provided file extension and if it is safe to be opened.
Typically, once a file has an unknown or unrecognized extension, opening it will make a window appear giving you options on which program to be used for it to be opened. Actually, this is not that helpful because it will not help you to answer the question in your mind. Below are some of the ways and programs to be used to safely decode the nature of an unknown file extension. All of the steps provided are free and safe as told by professionals.
Using “Open With”
This is the oldest way in trying to open an unknown file extension. With this, you just have to right click the icon of the unknown extension and choose the “Open With“ option. A list of programs will appear which may be affiliated with that file extension. Still, this is not a guaranteed method as there is no specific answer. We can say that this is on a trial and error basis.
Wolfram Alpha
This is a website which can effectively help you in finding the most specific data about the unknown file extensions. It works like the search engine which allows you to type in the unknown file extension you just encountered. Actually, it has already thousands of answers to the most popular and uncommon file extensions. It can give you the full details about its file developer and possible root. However, this website is still on the run of updating its database and there may come a time which it cannot answer you query anymore.
File Signature
Being knowledgeable on the signature of the file extension is the most helpful way for you to identify it. With the file signature, you can view the developer of such extension, the date it was created, along with its nature. With this step, you will need the help of software which can effectively identify a file signature. One of the most common is the TrID File Identifier (Download here: http://mark0.net/download/trid_net.zip). This is an application which is widely used because of being lightweight and easy to operate.
To use the application, just open the program. From its interface, type in or paste the location of the file with the unknown file extension and click “Analyze”. From there, it will automatically scan down that file and in a few seconds, the full information will be available. To be more informed on the shown details, you can search for it online and check if it is dangerous or safe for your computer.
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