How to fix File Errors

There are times when we come across files that cannot be opened as they are unknown file types that our system does not recognize. Our system does not recognize such files as it lacks the program or application that is associated with that particular file or a corrupt registry may cause the file type to go unrecognized. When the appropriate program is in our system; the file is read as its code is deciphered by the software making it readable and executable. Without the right program it is impossible to open unknown file types.

Opening Unknown File Types

One factor that most people consider when dealing with an unknown file type is considering if the file is actually a virus. You need to be sure about the source of the file or the person who sent you the file perhaps in an email. If you are unsure about it you can try and look up information about what kind of file it is by researching online about its extension.

You can learn what kind of file it is by opening Windows Explorer, Tool, folder options, and then by unclicking the “Hide extensions for known file types” box.

When you try opening the file you may get a message that it is an unknown file type and you may get a list of programs that you can try opening the file with. There is an option available that says “always use the selected program to open this kind of file” which you need to unclick as you are not sure which program is the right one for that particular file. Windows also offers more information about the file by going online and making a search. This option helps sometimes but there are times when this may not help you find the right solution either.

To avert virus attacks by opening unknown file extensions that come your way as they have been sent by people you do not know or end up on your system somehow, you need to learn all you can about the file type and the software used to open such files.

What most users do not know is that corrupt registry associations may be the reason that certain genuine files are being listed as unknown file types. You just need to install a registry cleaning software that can detect errors and repair them easily. The software that you use must have the undo feature to ensure that the system’s original settings can be restored should there be a need for it. If that does not solve you problem with the unknown file type you need to look up information online.

When you make a search online for software required to open a particular file extension, you get a list of the software that can possibly open the file. Some of the software is available for free while you may have to purchase some others. If you are absolutely certain it is a genuine file sent from a reliable party you can go ahead and download or purchase the appropriate software.

There is some software available that can archive file extensions and provide you with details about the particular file extensions that you are looking up. You get details about the software used to open the files and those who created such extensions. This can save the time taken to research about the file extensions online. There are also websites that can give you detailed information about the kind of files you are trying to open.

The user has to open the file at his discretion as some files may appear to be genuine and could be sent by a contact’s email ID, however, it could be a virus sent without the contact’s knowledge. If you are unsure about it, and if you feel it’s not important you can always delete it and forget about it.

So you have a file on your hard drive which you can’t identify? There are various tactics that you can use to figure out what kind of file something is and what the right program to open it is. First of all, think about where you got the file from. It may be that you already know what general type of data the file has - whether it is a text file of some kind, a word processing file, a graphic file, an audio file, a video file or so on. If you know this then you should look at the info on popular media players online and possibly search for the file extension and the word “player” to see if there is a free program to read your file.

Researching an unknown file type online is a good way to identify what it might be. There are sites on the world wide web where you can get details on hundreds and hundreds of file types. They are usually organized by the file type extension, so by reading the name of the file and looking up the extension online you can find out what the file is and what opens it.

It may be that you already have the right software to open the file, but the file has not yet been associated correctly with the proper program. When you identify a program that can open the file, the next step is to make the association in Windows so that you can click on the file to open it using that program. To do this you right click on the file in question, click “open with”, select the program that you want to use from the list, and make sure that the “Always Use ____ to Open this File” box is checked.

With that, the program that is used to open the file should be identified by Windows. Once you make the association the icon for the mystery file in your Windows Explorer should change. Before it was a blank page but now it should have the icon of the program which is being used to open it (or an icon which stands for the general type of media file it is). You should be able to double click on the file now to open it with the program that you selected.

If you want to make a change to the way that the file type is opened (i.e. start opening it with a different program) there are two ways. Often when a new media program is installed and run you will have the option at some point to associate files that it can open with it. If the new program does not give you this option you can always change the association manually. This involves right clicking on an example of the kind of file you have in mind and clicking on “open with” again, then making the new association. With these tips, you should be able to both identify and handle unknown file types!

So you want to choose the right program to associate with a file extension? There are various reasons that you might decide to associate a file extension with one piece of software or another. It doesn’t just have to do with whether you like one program or another better, although that is part of it. The decision to associate a file type with one particular type of program should ultimately be based on how you want to be able to open the file.

File associations in Microsoft Windows make it so that when you see the icon for a file you can open it with a certain program by double clicking on it. This makes it easy for you to locate a file in the File Manager program (or in another part of the Windows OS), double click it and immediately see what is inside it and start working with it if you want to. There are two general ways that you can open a file in Windows - one of them is by opening the program first and then accessing the file through it, and the other is by double clicking on the file to open the associated program.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have to make frequent small changes to files, you might decide that one program is better than another for that kind of light editing. In a case such as that, while your main program for handling the files when you want to do in-depth work might be accessed through its own icon, you may associate the file type with the lighter program so that you can click through them rapidly and make changes.

Altering the association of a particular file type couldn’t be easier in Microsoft Windows. The “open with” dialog which you can access by right clicking on an example of a given file type will let you associate that file type with any program that you like. Usually the “open with” dialog will have a long list of candidates that it thinks are well suited, along with a longer list of general Windows programs. You will also have the option of clicking the “browse” button and finding any executable file on your hard drive to associate with the file type.

You can change the file type association whenever you want, which makes the “open file” dialog one of the easiest and most versatile features of Microsoft Windows. Normally you will want to change your file associations when you have a new program that you want to start using more frequently. You can give it a try as your go-to program and then change the association back if it does not work out as well - it’s all up to you.

These are just a few of the things to think about having to do with file associations. By being able to open your most commonly used programs with a double click, Microsoft Windows gives you a great and convenient tool for managing your files!

One of the most irritating problems that you can run into when you are dealing with files in Windows Explorer is when you mistakenly associate a file with the wrong program. File types are associated with programs in Windows, so that when you view the files in File Manager you can see an icon that tells you what the file is and what kind of program opens it. The thing with Windows Explorer, however, is that it gives you the ability to change names and file associations. If someone has set the association for a file incorrectly then you may need to fix it.

The first step in repairing a problem with a file extension association is to know for sure what kind of file you are dealing with. You should probably already have some idea of what the file is. If you can open the file with some kind of program and look up the internal info, the format (which may have been auto-detected) may be given. This can be a more accurate way of finding out the actual file format than relying on the user-editable data that Windows Explorer relies on.

After you figure out for sure what the correct file format is, you need to choose the program that you are going to use to open it. You may already have a program in mind, or you may want to go online and search for software that reads the format and which has a good interface and list of features. Either way, get the software that you need installed on your computer and then you are ready to go on to the next step, which is making the association between the file format and the program manually.

The way that you create an association between a file extension and a program for reading it is by using the “open with” command on the right click menu. Access this menu and you will be able to choose from a list of programs that are registered with Windows. If you installed the program that you are going to use to read the file with a typical Windows installation routine it should either be on this list or easy to find in the Program Files directory of your hard drive.

You can test out the program at first to see if it will work and then make the association permanent the next time - this is a good way to avoid mistakenly associating files with the wrong program. The first time that you use “open with” to open a file, leave the “always use” box unchecked so that it will only be a one-time thing. If the reader program works, you can use “open with” again, but this time check the box and make it so that the file extension will be associated with the reader. Take care while you are making your file associations and fix problems right away so that you do not forget about them to get the best results!

Q. What are unknown file type errors?

A. This is a pretty common problem that can occur when you download a file or try to open a type of file that your computer is not used to. It will most commonly occur if you happen to download a file that you don’t have the right software installed to open it. Examples for this would include downloading a PDF file and not having the required free Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open the file.

Q. Why does this commonly occur?

A. As we mentioned above, this is a problem that occurs when your computer doesn’t know which program to use to open the file. Each type of file has a different extension that clues your computer in on the application that it needs to use to read the file. For example, html files will typically be associated with web design programs, mp3 files with sound programs and doc files with Word. If you don’t have the right software installed on your computer, the association with the extension doesn’t make sense to your computer and it produces this error.

Q. How do I solve this problem?

A. First, determine whether or not you need to have special software installed on your computer for that file. For example, if you have a pdf file you’ll need Acrobat Reader. However, the waters get a little bit murkier if you are dealing with files with extensions such as php, mp4, or even png. The first type is a file that is commonly used for websites, the second is a sound or video file and the last is a graphic file.

In this case, you can train your computer to associate this extension with a particular application that is already installed. Let’s use MP4 as an example. If you have downloaded a file and you know that it is either an audio or video file, right click the icon and select Open With. Choose the software you have for audio or video, such as Real Players, Windows Media Player or Quicktime. This should open the file for you.

For php or other web files, you can usually open these with notepad if you need to edit them. Otherwise, you really don’t need to mess with them unless you are a developer. Use the same process mentioned above and then select notepad as the program you want to use.

Q. How do I keep this from happening again?

A. If you need to open a certain kind of file and you don’t have the right software, your best bet is to see what the extension is and then download the appropriate software. For graphics software, you may need an image viewer that is capable of viewing more than just gifs and jpegs. Using our png example below, some common graphics programs simply do not support this file type. However, you can download a free image viewing program that will to solve the issue.