Sometimes you can "fix" the problem simply by renaming the file with the correct file extension. For example, if a student creates a file using Microsoft Word but sends it to you with the name: Mydocument.feb (where they have changed the file extension to the month they created the file), you can open it simply by renaming it to Mydocument.doc. However, if the file was created with another program, such as Microsoft Works for Windows, this won't work--you will need to know what type of file it is.

If you know you have the correct application, but Windows does not open the application automatically, you can do one of two things:

1. Open the application, then use the "File" and "Open" menu commands to open the file, or
2. Tell Windows to associate the file extension with a particular program. For example, many Windows systems are set to automatically open .htm and .html documents with Microsoft Internet Explorer. To change the system so that these files will automatically be opened in Netscape Communicator instead, you will need to
   • Double click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop.
   • Click on "View" and then "Options" in the menu bar.
   • Select the "File Types" tab.
   • Scroll through the list of options, and locate the files that Microsoft has designated as "Microsoft HTML Document 5.0." (Note: They really are not Microsoft HTML documents; Microsoft just named them that to confuse us!)
   • Click on "Edit" and then, in the dialog box that appears, click on "Edit" again.
   • Use the "Browse" button to locate the Netscape.exe application to use to open the file. (Note: the .exe file extension indicates an executable file, or program.) Warning: This is the tricky part--you need to know where your programs are located. For more information on directory structures, see Directories and Folders.
   • After you have selected the application to open the file type, click on "Ok," then click on "Close" until you return to your desktop.

Sometimes the file extension is correct, but you do not have the correct application to read the file. (See the table below for a list of some Common File Extensions.) For instance, many students create documents using Microsoft Works (the file will have the .wps extension). Neither Microsoft Word nor Corel Word Perfect will read Works documents; you must have Works to read it.... Students using Microsoft Works should be instructed to save the file (using the "Save As" feature) in a format you can read. (For more information on using the "Save As" feature, see "Creating MLA-Style Manuscripts" for either Word Perfect or Word. The instructions for saving the document are the same for Works.)

Common File Extensions

Where Can I Find Out More?

Netscape also offers information on plug-in's (programs that work from within Netscape to allow you to play audio, video, or other types of multimedia files). For instance, in order to read .pdf (portable document format) files, you must have the free Acrobot Reader plug-in. Most of these applications are free, downloadable files, and many of them should already have been installed with newer versions of Netscape. However, you may need to update the plug-in's from time to time as new versions are released. You can find out more by clicking on "Help" in Netscape and then clicking on "About Plug-ins." Netscape can also automatically recognize which plug-ins you already have installed and recommend additional plug-ins you may need.

If you already have the plug-in or application, you may simply need to tell Netscape to associate the file type with the correct plug-in or application. You can do this in Netscape by clicking on "Edit" and then choosing "Preferences" from the menu bar. Next, select "Navigator" and then "Applications." Locate the description of the file type in the scrolling box, click on "Edit," and choose the application using the "Browse" button.

Help! I'm Still Lost!

Copyright 2000 J. Walker