Problems with File Types

Q: I am having trouble opening pdf files sent to me by a graphic design studio I work with. I have always been able to open them in the past and have even gone back to old ones I definitely opened but now can't.

A: Sounds like Acrobat Reader is corrupted. Click Start > Settings> Control Panel and uninstall it via the Add/Remove Programs icon. Then go to www.adobe.com and download the latest version of Acrobat Reader (v6). Save it to your desktop, then double-click the installer file and follow the instructions. Then you should be fine.

 

Q: I sent a picture I scanned in to a friend of mine and he says his computer can't open it. I tried it on my computer as well - and my computer can't open it either! Even though I created the file on this computer. I thought JIF files were universal?

A: When you rename a file, be very careful not to change the last three letters of the filename, the suffix. .jpg, .gif, .bmp are all different file types and you cannot convert one file type into another by changing the last three letters. All you do then is make the file unintelligible to all! Rescan the photo and save it is as a .jpg. JPG files are universal file types which all computers can read.

 

Q: With some of the attachments I get via e-mail, why is it when I open some attachments all I get is heiroglyphics.... rows & rows & rows of little boxes with the odd letter thrown in?

A: This means that someone has sent you a file for which you do not have the right software to open it! eg - they sent you a Word document and you don't have Microsoft Word installed on your computer. The solution to this is to install the software needed onto your computer. Have a look at the last three letters of the filename; that will tell you what format the file is in and what software you need to install to read it.

 

Q: In the last day or two I have had trouble opening some attachments. I can still open some files - Rich Text, Internet e-Mail Message and Adobe Acrobat Documents, but I have lost the ability to open Open Office files and Microsoft Word documents. I presume I have done something wrong?

A: It sounds like you have lost the File Type association with those files. Find an instance of the file in your My Documents folder. Right-click on it and choose 'Open With....' or 'Open' and then choose the program you want to open the file with. Highlight it and tick the box which says 'always use this program'. Microsoft Word files are called .doc files and these should be opened by Microsoft Word.

 

Q: A friend of mine sent an email Birthday Card to me - but I couldn't open it. It told me to download 'macromedia'. Should I do this? Or will it muck something up? Please advise.

A: Any software from Macromedia is safe to download & install. Macromedia are the originators of 'Flash' software, which clearly this card has been written in - and therefore you need it to actually view the card that your friend has sent you. Basically, there are a few companies you can trust pretty much without hesitation as far as downloading & installing software from the internet is concerned - Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia, Shockwave being common sources for essential internet software.

Q: Where do I adjust the settings so that I can open TIFand JPEG files?

A: If you have a tif or jpeg file already saved, then right-click on it and choose 'open with' and then choose the program you want to open it with. I would suggest you choose 'Windows Picture & Fax Viewer'- and put a tick in the box to 'always use this program to open this filetype'

 

Q: Tried to open my docs/investments/files and it tells me: 'Can't open; To open windows needs to know what created this file; To do this use web service to find or Select program from list'. What do I do?

A: What program you need to open the file depends on the suffix - the last three letters, eg letter.doc opens with Word, letter.xls opens with Excel, letter.wks opens with Works Spreadsheet, letter.pdf opens with Acrobat Reader etc. If it does not open automatically, then this for one of two reasons:
1) you do not have the right software installed to open that file type (in which case you need to buy/install it)
2) the last three letters (suffix) is missing - If there are no last three letters, then you will have to try making it up - if you believe it is an Excel file, then rename the file from 'letter' to 'letter.xls' and then try and open it. If it opens up as gobbledygook, then it was not an excel file in the first place, so try renaming it with a different extension - and keep trying until you find the right extension!
Moral of the story: file extensions are very important!