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Windows 2000 and Explorer

Show File Extensions

SUMMARY: Show Windows 2000 file extensions to help spot potentially virus-infected e-mail attachments.

Normally, Windows 2000 hides the file extensions that help show what kind of contents are contained in a file. While this makes for a cleaner display, there are some reasons why showing file extensions are important. Developers may need to know the difference between a .dat and .tmp file. Virus attachments can be recognized via e-mail sometimes with a .jpg.vbs, .gif.vbs, or .gif.pif extension, but if file extension viewing is turned off, those attachments may look like innocent .jpg or .gif picture files.

To view file extensions:

1. Double-click "My Computer".
2. Click the "Tools" menu and select "Options".
3. When the "Folder Options" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, select the "View" tab.
4. Uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types"
5. Press OK to close the dialog box.