what the heck are these and how do these work?

[Girl_needs_help]

hi, i want to learn more about files sicj as files with extensions "filename.INF" etc etc
can some one suggest me a site where i can learn about these files and how they work etc. i m not very advanced user but do still have some advanced knoweldge, so plz tel me know of any links or website.
many thans in advance.
hugs and kisses in advance

[Tekime]

If you are curious about file extensions, but not specifically .INF files, they are pretty straight-forward. Here's a basic description of them.

If you mean INF files in particular, they are usually used by drivers or software during installation, and can be used to perform file operations and registry edits and the such.

[Girl_needs_help]

would it it be possible to get more in depth informatio on each of those files and how they work and what data goes in those fiels, how they execute and stuff etc etc
plz, thanx for ur help budy, appreciate that.
many thanx in advanc once again

[Tekime]

There's a more complete list of extensions here. I'm not sure of any sites that get in-depth on every possible file extension since there are so many, but I can try and outline some of the real popular ones..

Executables:
EXE
Most popular type of executable file. This is usually a program (such as notepad.exe), or a program which installs an application, piece of software, or just more files to your computer. Expect something to happen when you open an EXE file.

COM
Older type of executable, usually only used for small DOS programs or to initiate another executable.

BAT
A type of DOS executable file that will allow you to run other executables, perform DOS commands, etc.


Viewable:
DOC, TXT, RTF, PDF, LOG
Just a few of the different types of document files. Usually text, PDF files are more dynamic but still a viewable file. They aren't programs or anything, but rather documents, letters, manuals, etc. The LOG type is usually just that, a log of sorts made by a program or Windows itself that logs events, such as a crash or system changes.


Windows System:
DLL
Dynamic Link Libraries, used by windows for Windows operations and you usually don't deal with them on a personal level unless you're a programmer.

INI
Store settings for Windows and programs.

SYS
More system files, can be of various types and are generally untouched.


Compressed:
ZIP,TAR,GZ,ACE
This is usually a number files compressed into one to take up less space.


Internet/WWW:
HTM,HTML,XML,CSS,CFM,CFML,DBM,ASP,ASA,SHTM,SHTML,JHTM,JHTML, JS,VB,VBS,BAS,CGI,PL,TXT,SQL,VTM,VTML,WML,HFT,HTC
These can be part of or an entire web page, or a component of a web page. HTML is the most popular, forming the basis of most of the others.


Image Files:
GIF,JPG,JPEG,IFF,DXF,CGM,CMX,CDR,IMG,PCX,DCX,BMP,WPG,EMF,CLP ,GEM,TGA,RAS,PSD,PSP,PNG
Image files of all different types. Different types of images open differently, some may open in your browser some in an image editing program. This all depends on your computer's files associations.



Okay I don't think I can handle any more of these, and this is just a few. These are most of the popular types you'll see on a Windows system.

The file extension basically defines the type of file, and depending on how your operating system handles that type of file, will act differently. Exacly how your OS handles the file is determined by file associations, meaning that if you double-click say, README.TXT, it will check the file association for a TXT file, find that it is associated with NOTEPAD.EXE and open README.TXT with NOTEPAD.EXE so you can view the TXT file.

If a file is not executable, it usually has to be associated with an executable file that can use, view, or otherwise interact with it.

I really hope that helps out some more

[Tekime]

bump

cuz i hope your still interested as you sounded :P

[Tracker00]

sometimes you can right click on them and go to "install"

[Trav2003]

Originally posted by Girl_needs_help

hugs and kisses in advance

DAMN That's the closest i'll ever get to beeing kissed by a girl

Anyway I like www.webopedia.com and www.techweb.com/encyclopedia They seem to give me all the definition and extension information i need

[Paladyr]

Alright... i think i have the correct explanation for this since I am a programmer.

When writing a program, you can only store "values" while the program is running, so in order to save a "preference", which programmers normally put in an .ini file, they have to write to a text file. Then to "remember" the preference the user chose, they search through the .ini file (which is nothing more then a fancy text file) for the appropriate line and grab that "preference" setting and apply it. Make sense?