Have a file, don't know extension?

radiospan

I have a file here, but I don't know what the extension should be.

Is there a tool that can scan the file itself, to see if it looks like a zip or mp3 or exe, etc?

Victor

If using windows explorer

Tools > Folder Options > View and make sure that "Hide file extensions for known file types" is unchecked.

Why anyone would have it any other was is beyond me.

radiospan

What I meant was, I downloaded a file with a .mp3 extension.

But none of my MP3 players recognise it as MP3, so it must be something else. I need to know what I should rename the extension to, in order for the file to be usable.

But I agree with you, having the extensions hidden in Windows is a crippling feeling....

Squall

It could be a corrupted file. Try dwnloading it again. Doesnt sound to me like renaming will do any good.

Spunj

Theres a handy utility that integrates into the Windows shell which allows you to analyse files, great for general purpose poking around or seeing what codecs videos etc use. It's called FileAlyzer, made by the same guy that does SpyBot.

jessy

If your running Xp, windows media player should play it regardless of the extinction if the data is of a known format. If the file it self is corrupt then unfortunately its a re-download.