.dat file

doodah · 7 Oct 2010 at 14:55

Friend of mine is having problems with an email attachment. The file type is .dat and registers at over 6mb in the email but when I download it - it comes in at 4.5mb. I have tried opening it with Adobe Reader, Notepad, Wordpad and Word. None of them worked - it is just a bunch of random characters. I have also tried changing the the file type extension to .doc(x) but it wouldn't open. Any ideas?

Dewotter · 7 Oct 2010 at 14:59

Is the file called winmail.dat? If it is then use WinMail Opener to get at the files.

PhillyDee · 7 Oct 2010 at 15:11

What is it supposed to be?

SourChipmunk · 7 Oct 2010 at 15:14

A .dat file could be a huge number of things. My most frequent encounter is with McAfee updates, but they are usually larger than 6MB. It could also be malicious.

What is the exact file name, and what is the email in regards to? That might help.

doodah · 7 Oct 2010 at 15:25

Yes it is called winmail.dat - I believe the file is a document with some pictures from an estate agent.

Thanks RKO - worked a treat.