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"Must Know" Terminology
for the Beginning Computer User
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Filename Extensions
(such as: MyStory.doc, Home-Budget.xls, Aunt_Jane.jpg, etc.)
Every file on a Windows-based PC has a name, and each name has an "extension."
An example is "setup.exe." The file's name is "setup" and its 3-letter extension (.exe) tells us it's an "executable" file, ie: one that will "execute a command of some kind" when double-clicked.
One of the peculiarities of Windows is that it has always been shipped with these filename extensions turned off.
In the above example, all you would see is the word "setup."
You will soon come to realize that these extensions are very important and that they tell us something about the
filenames to which they are appended.
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The following is a ONE TIME FIX that will keep these extensions from being hidden.
Windows XP users will click on any Desktop folder and then click on Tools>Folder Options>View. Finally, UNcheck the box preceding the phrase, "Hide extensions for known file types." (We do NOT want these extensions hidden!)
Users of other versions of Windows will go to View>Options>View to find thie above item.
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The list of filename extensions below shows a few (a very, very few) of the dozens in use. Nonetheless, some are extensions the average user may encounter very soon after getting started with a computer.
Click here for a
complete list of filename extensions & their meanings.
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afs Music File (Similar to mp3 & wma)
ai Adobe Illustrator Drawing
avi Video File (Format Used by Many Digital Cameras)
bak Backup File
bmp BitMap Picture
cdr Corel Drawing File
com Command File (program)
dll Dynamic Link Library File
eml Outlook Express Email File
doc Microsoft Word Document
dot Microsoft Word Template
exe Executable File
gif Graphic File - 256-color Drawings & Animations
htm HyperText Markup File
html HyperText Markup File
ini Initialization File
jpg Graphic File (Used for Photos & Other Images)
mid MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Input File)
mov Movie File for QuickTime
mp2 Video File
mp3 Music File
pcd Adobe PhotoShop Image File
pdf Portable Document File
pps PowerPoint Show File (Playable Format)
ppt PowerPoint Show File (Editable Format)
ra RealPlayer Audio File
ram RealPlayer Audio File
rm RealPlayer Audio File
rtf Rich Text Format File (for Word Processing)
sys System File
tif Tagged Image File (Extra High-Definition)
tiff Tagged Image File (Extra High-Definition)
txt Text File (Plain, Unformatted Text)
wav Windows Audio File
wma Windows Media Audio File
wmv Windows Movie File
wps Microsoft Works Word Processing File
zip Zipped (Compressed) File
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© 2006 — Donald Ray Edrington — All Rights Reserved
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Some Fun Snapshots