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Opening *.dat files
Does anyone know what application or execution file opens data file. I've been sent several email attachments (attactments.dat) but when I click to open them...I don't have an apllication to open them. Please help! Edy
Jim Hardin
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June 9th, 2001 11:00
The choice of the dat extension for email was a very poor programming decision.
I am not familiar with how you create them, but if I were sending things that the majority or recipients can’t read, I would find a better way to do it. Likewise if someone sent me something and told me I have to do this and this to read it, I would tell them not to send me anything in that format.
Shadowspawn
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June 14th, 2001 13:00
beefcake2000
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June 14th, 2004 18:00
Dan Manley
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June 15th, 2004 15:00
AFAIK, you will not find the answer you are looking for. DAT files are essential files utilized by applications and are not intended to be, "opened" or "read" in the sense you might be thinking. For example, many antivirus providers use the .dat extensions for periodic updates of their signature files. Open these in a text editor and you will only see graphic symbols of the programing language of the file.
Bottom line, if you are receiving .dat files as attachments in email there is a better than even chance the sender is not sending or attaching the file properly. There is no email program I am aware of using this format to compose or send attachments. If they were, recipients would be unable to read or view them. Even the most proprietary of email providers (AOL, for example) utilize formats that can be universally accessed. I might suggest that you contact the sender(s) of these files and determine what type the attachment (text documents, image files, sound file, etc.) was "supposed to be" and go from there.
beefcake2000
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June 16th, 2004 01:00