R
Ray
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
P
Paul
Your computer has Notepad and Wordpad.Ray said:I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
Have you tried Wordpad yet ?
Paul
N
Nil
It's probably an attachment encoded for email transmission. You need toI have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to
open it. Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Save the attachment from your email program, whatever it is, to your
hard disk. That should decode the attachment and make it readable with
your text editor/viewer.
P
Paul
Working off Nil's idea, you could also check the file typePaul said:Your computer has Notepad and Wordpad.
Have you tried Wordpad yet ?
Paul
with a program that checks and detects what is in a file.
(This isn't guaranteed to give a result, but it's worth a
shot if nothing else is working.)
This program originated on Unix. In the Unix OS, the file
extensions are more arbitrary than they are on Windows. Since
that is the case (extensions aren't even needed if you don't want
to use them), it means the OS needs a more reliable way to determine
what kind of file is involved. Applications have to "poke around"
within files, to tell what they are. And the "file" program,
is a program that doesn't do anything other than the poking part.
They invented the "file" program for that purpose, and a typical
usage from a command window would look like this
Prompt>> file somedangfile
Output>> Text file with CR/LF line terminations
That would tell you the file was a certain kind of text file.
You could then rename the file, as in somedangfile.txt .
A port of that program, so it will run in Windows, is here.
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/file.htm
I think there is an installer, in the "file-5.03-setup.exe" download,
and it should put the files in the right place. You can also install the
program by hand. For example, if I look on my computer right now, the
necessary files for a test run would be...
05/07/2009 09:18 AM 45,056 file.exe
08/08/2010 04:18 AM 150,016 magic1.dll
10/24/2007 12:10 PM 79,360 regex2.dll
03/23/2007 07:33 PM 72,192 zlib1.dll
somedangfile
What you'd do, is arrange all those files in one folder. The unknown
(text-like) file "somedangfile", the three DLL files, and the executable.
(On some of the gnuwin32 programs, the DLL files are missing, and
then you have to scrounge around and find them.)
You'd open a command window by using cmd.exe in Windows 7. Presumably it
wouldn't need to be elevated to work (because our folder is just
a data folder). Although elevating cmd.exe to run with administrator,
prevents UAC from hijacking the output of the command and ruining it.
When the command window opens, you'd do
cd \
cd foldername
and so on, until you'd traversed to the place where that folder is set up.
Once you "change directory" to the folder holding the above files, doing
dir
should print the four files like in my example.
If the files are now being listed properly, you've successfully traversed
to the test folder. Four of the files are parts of the program,
while the "somedangfile" is the file we want to test.
When you now run the command, it'll tell you what the real file type is.
You can either use the word file or file.exe . If the file is uuencoded
or base64 or whatever, the program should tell you.
file.exe somedangfile
Some of us could also guess at the contents, based on either seeing a
picture of a hex editor opening the file and displaying its contents.
But we don't really want access to the file, for (your) privacy reasons. So
using the file.exe program as above, is the next best thing. If the sender
of the original message, could send you another email where the attachment
was innocuous, then it would be less of a risk to post it in some way
for analysis. But if the contents of the attachment shouldn't be
exposed to the world, then try out the "file.exe" command and
see what it claims the file is. If it is encoded, with a little work
you can find a decoder.
HTH,
Paul
T
Tim Slattery
It's possible that it's a Unix text file. Unix uses a differentThis program originated on Unix. In the Unix OS, the file
end-of-line sequence than Windows. Most half-decent text editors can
cope with that, but not Notepad.
N
Nil
If that were true, the formatting might be all messed up, due to theIt's possible that it's a Unix text file. Unix uses a different
end-of-line sequence than Windows. Most half-decent text editors can
cope with that, but not Notepad.
lines appearing to be concatenated, but the text file should still be
readable (not complete "jibberish").
I just sent myself an email with an attached text file, and specified
that it be UUencoded. If the OP's file looks something like this, it's
probably encoded similarly. There are standalone UU decoders out there: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R. C. White
Hi, Ray.
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
C
Char Jackson
As Nil pointed out, Notepad will display the text portions of suchIt's possible that it's a Unix text file. Unix uses a different
end-of-line sequence than Windows. Most half-decent text editors can
cope with that, but not Notepad.
files without any problem. When I run into such files, I open them
with Wordpad (and optionally resave them if I know I want to open them
with Notepad later. Wordpad will silently replace the LF's with
CRLF's.)
Anyway, this isn't the OP's problem since he said the file is
gibberish.
G
GreyCloud
After looking at this file, it sure looks like it has been encrypted.As Nil pointed out, Notepad will display the text portions of such
files without any problem. When I run into such files, I open them
with Wordpad (and optionally resave them if I know I want to open them
with Notepad later. Wordpad will silently replace the LF's with
CRLF's.)
Anyway, this isn't the OP's problem since he said the file is
gibberish.
I've only run into this once a few years back.
C
Char Jackson
I don't think we've seen the file yet, have we? Where did you find it?After looking at this file, it sure looks like it has been encrypted.
I've only run into this once a few years back.
B
Brian Cryer
Are you sure it is a .txt file? If you have file extensions turned offRay said:I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
(which is the default) then it may be a .exe file pretending to be a .txt
file. So what you think is readme.txt is actually readme.txt.exe. That would
explain why you see jibberish when you open it in notepad. This is a trick
used by some spammers to get stuff installed on your pc.
R
Ray
No. I tried changing the extension to .doc - .exe - .dat but got the same
results.
Ray
"R. C. White" wrote in message
Hi, Ray.
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
results.
Ray
"R. C. White" wrote in message
Hi, Ray.
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
R
Ray
Yes. Tried that first.
Ray
"Paul" wrote in message
with a program that checks and detects what is in a file.
(This isn't guaranteed to give a result, but it's worth a
shot if nothing else is working.)
This program originated on Unix. In the Unix OS, the file
extensions are more arbitrary than they are on Windows. Since
that is the case (extensions aren't even needed if you don't want
to use them), it means the OS needs a more reliable way to determine
what kind of file is involved. Applications have to "poke around"
within files, to tell what they are. And the "file" program,
is a program that doesn't do anything other than the poking part.
They invented the "file" program for that purpose, and a typical
usage from a command window would look like this
Prompt>> file somedangfile
Output>> Text file with CR/LF line terminations
That would tell you the file was a certain kind of text file.
You could then rename the file, as in somedangfile.txt .
A port of that program, so it will run in Windows, is here.
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/file.htm
I think there is an installer, in the "file-5.03-setup.exe" download,
and it should put the files in the right place. You can also install the
program by hand. For example, if I look on my computer right now, the
necessary files for a test run would be...
05/07/2009 09:18 AM 45,056 file.exe
08/08/2010 04:18 AM 150,016 magic1.dll
10/24/2007 12:10 PM 79,360 regex2.dll
03/23/2007 07:33 PM 72,192 zlib1.dll
somedangfile
What you'd do, is arrange all those files in one folder. The unknown
(text-like) file "somedangfile", the three DLL files, and the executable.
(On some of the gnuwin32 programs, the DLL files are missing, and
then you have to scrounge around and find them.)
You'd open a command window by using cmd.exe in Windows 7. Presumably it
wouldn't need to be elevated to work (because our folder is just
a data folder). Although elevating cmd.exe to run with administrator,
prevents UAC from hijacking the output of the command and ruining it.
When the command window opens, you'd do
cd \
cd foldername
and so on, until you'd traversed to the place where that folder is set up.
Once you "change directory" to the folder holding the above files, doing
dir
should print the four files like in my example.
If the files are now being listed properly, you've successfully traversed
to the test folder. Four of the files are parts of the program,
while the "somedangfile" is the file we want to test.
When you now run the command, it'll tell you what the real file type is.
You can either use the word file or file.exe . If the file is uuencoded
or base64 or whatever, the program should tell you.
file.exe somedangfile
Some of us could also guess at the contents, based on either seeing a
picture of a hex editor opening the file and displaying its contents.
But we don't really want access to the file, for (your) privacy reasons. So
using the file.exe program as above, is the next best thing. If the sender
of the original message, could send you another email where the attachment
was innocuous, then it would be less of a risk to post it in some way
for analysis. But if the contents of the attachment shouldn't be
exposed to the world, then try out the "file.exe" command and
see what it claims the file is. If it is encoded, with a little work
you can find a decoder.
HTH,
Paul
Ray
"Paul" wrote in message
Working off Nil's idea, you could also check the file typeYour computer has Notepad and Wordpad.
Have you tried Wordpad yet ?
Paul
with a program that checks and detects what is in a file.
(This isn't guaranteed to give a result, but it's worth a
shot if nothing else is working.)
This program originated on Unix. In the Unix OS, the file
extensions are more arbitrary than they are on Windows. Since
that is the case (extensions aren't even needed if you don't want
to use them), it means the OS needs a more reliable way to determine
what kind of file is involved. Applications have to "poke around"
within files, to tell what they are. And the "file" program,
is a program that doesn't do anything other than the poking part.
They invented the "file" program for that purpose, and a typical
usage from a command window would look like this
Prompt>> file somedangfile
Output>> Text file with CR/LF line terminations
That would tell you the file was a certain kind of text file.
You could then rename the file, as in somedangfile.txt .
A port of that program, so it will run in Windows, is here.
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/file.htm
I think there is an installer, in the "file-5.03-setup.exe" download,
and it should put the files in the right place. You can also install the
program by hand. For example, if I look on my computer right now, the
necessary files for a test run would be...
05/07/2009 09:18 AM 45,056 file.exe
08/08/2010 04:18 AM 150,016 magic1.dll
10/24/2007 12:10 PM 79,360 regex2.dll
03/23/2007 07:33 PM 72,192 zlib1.dll
somedangfile
What you'd do, is arrange all those files in one folder. The unknown
(text-like) file "somedangfile", the three DLL files, and the executable.
(On some of the gnuwin32 programs, the DLL files are missing, and
then you have to scrounge around and find them.)
You'd open a command window by using cmd.exe in Windows 7. Presumably it
wouldn't need to be elevated to work (because our folder is just
a data folder). Although elevating cmd.exe to run with administrator,
prevents UAC from hijacking the output of the command and ruining it.
When the command window opens, you'd do
cd \
cd foldername
and so on, until you'd traversed to the place where that folder is set up.
Once you "change directory" to the folder holding the above files, doing
dir
should print the four files like in my example.
If the files are now being listed properly, you've successfully traversed
to the test folder. Four of the files are parts of the program,
while the "somedangfile" is the file we want to test.
When you now run the command, it'll tell you what the real file type is.
You can either use the word file or file.exe . If the file is uuencoded
or base64 or whatever, the program should tell you.
file.exe somedangfile
Some of us could also guess at the contents, based on either seeing a
picture of a hex editor opening the file and displaying its contents.
But we don't really want access to the file, for (your) privacy reasons. So
using the file.exe program as above, is the next best thing. If the sender
of the original message, could send you another email where the attachment
was innocuous, then it would be less of a risk to post it in some way
for analysis. But if the contents of the attachment shouldn't be
exposed to the world, then try out the "file.exe" command and
see what it claims the file is. If it is encoded, with a little work
you can find a decoder.
HTH,
Paul
R
Ray
Yes.
Ray
"Paul" wrote in message
Have you tried Wordpad yet ?
Paul
Ray
"Paul" wrote in message
Your computer has Notepad and Wordpad.I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
Have you tried Wordpad yet ?
Paul
R
R. C. White
Hi, Ray.
No, I don't mean changing the file's type. I just mean using the Type
command in DOS (or a Command Prompt window):
C:\type "<filename>.txt"
If the file is binary, such as an exe file, then you'll get a bunch of
gibberish -some of it audible beeps and bloops. But you may spot sequences
of text, such as error message texts within the file. If it is a .doc
file - or an .eml file, you might see a lot of disjointed text, along with
the gibberish. A database file would show a lot of text entries at somewhat
regular intervals. If it is a short file (I don't think you told us whether
is is 1 KB or 1 MB or 1 GB long), the whole thing will probably fit on your
screen. A long file might take so long that you'll press <Ctrl>+C to abort
the output. But you might at least get some clue as to its contents.
Since the Type command and Notepad both deal with ASCII text, the outputs
should be similar, but not identical. You're not trying to actually read
the file at this stage, but only to get a clue as to what program might be
able to deal with it.
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
No. I tried changing the extension to .doc - .exe - .dat but got the same
results.
Ray
"R. C. White" wrote in message
Hi, Ray.
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
No, I don't mean changing the file's type. I just mean using the Type
command in DOS (or a Command Prompt window):
C:\type "<filename>.txt"
If the file is binary, such as an exe file, then you'll get a bunch of
gibberish -some of it audible beeps and bloops. But you may spot sequences
of text, such as error message texts within the file. If it is a .doc
file - or an .eml file, you might see a lot of disjointed text, along with
the gibberish. A database file would show a lot of text entries at somewhat
regular intervals. If it is a short file (I don't think you told us whether
is is 1 KB or 1 MB or 1 GB long), the whole thing will probably fit on your
screen. A long file might take so long that you'll press <Ctrl>+C to abort
the output. But you might at least get some clue as to its contents.
Since the Type command and Notepad both deal with ASCII text, the outputs
should be similar, but not identical. You're not trying to actually read
the file at this stage, but only to get a clue as to what program might be
able to deal with it.
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3508.1109) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1
"Ray" wrote in message
No. I tried changing the extension to .doc - .exe - .dat but got the same
results.
Ray
"R. C. White" wrote in message
Hi, Ray.
Does the DOS "Type" command also produce gibberish?
RC
"Ray" wrote in message
I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
G
GreyCloud
It came from a Linux user that I knew.I don't think we've seen the file yet, have we? Where did you find it?
IIRC, one can encrypt a text file from whatever email client they use.
It isn't done by default tho. In the OPs post, we might ask if his
friend is a Linux user.
N
Nil
Or, he might have just shown it to us, but I think that he'd ratherIIRC, one can encrypt a text file from whatever email client they
use. It isn't done by default tho. In the OPs post, we might ask
if his friend is a Linux user.
make us beg for it. He's playing a mind game with us.
R
ray
You might pass that off to a friend who runs Linux. *nix systems have theI have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to open it.
Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
'file' command which generally does a really good job of guessing what a
file 'is'. And even if it is a binary file, one can often get a good idea
of it's contents with the 'strings' command - shows all the printable
strings in the file.
N
Nil
Emails do not normally have "txt" extensions. They might acquire oneI have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a way to
open it. Using Notepad I get jibberish.
when exported by the mail user agent that stores them. So, what are you
referring to?
If you are really looking for a solution, you will have to tell us the
whole story. Vague partial details aren't enough.
T
Twayne
In
is, otherwise delete it as spam.
HTH,
Twayne`
Then it's not a text file. Beware! If you know the sender, ask him what itRay said:I have an email with a "txt" extension but can't find a
way to open it. Using Notepad I get jibberish.
Ray
is, otherwise delete it as spam.
HTH,
Twayne`
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