Lame Question I'm Sure

[marebay]

Hi-- I'm not sure if this question belongs here but here goes--lately I've been getting emails from a friend with attachments with a ".dat" file extension. What is a ".dat" extension, are they safe to open and if so, how is it done?

 

Not too long ago I had to get some major help from rridgely (thanks again) to get my computer cleaned up so I'm being uber-careful about what I open but I'm also curious what these are.

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[TwistedMetal]

If you don't know what it is, I wouldn't mess with it. I don't see any reason to run .dat files if you don't know why.

[Andavari]

Your friends PC could easily be infected therefore asking them if they're responsible for attaching the .dat files is something to do. If they aren't then it would be a good idea for them to post a hijackthis log. Like TwistedMetal stated, those files aren't worth the risk to open hence you don't know what you're getting.

[Glenn]

By any chance are these attachments "winmail.dat"?

 

If your friend is using Outlook as an e-mail client and using Rich Text or HTML format, Outlook attaches this formatting information file.

 

If you use Outlook as an e-mail client, it works in the background and you won't see the attachment but if you're not using Outlook, it appears separately.

 

Ask your friend to send a message in Plain Text and if no attachment appears, that is the explanation.