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    How to open a DAT file?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by eloidan, Apr 20, 2008.

  1. eloidan

    eloidan Notebook Consultant

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    How can I open DAT files in Windows Photo Gallery? I get the message that this file format is either not supported or that I don't have the latest update to Photo Gallery.
     
    eloidan, Apr 20, 2008
    #1
  2. Gintoki

    Gintoki Notebook Prophet

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    Windows photo gallery can only open images and some videos, not DAT files. Try opening that in Word, or Writer.
     
    Gintoki, Apr 20, 2008
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  3. eloidan

    eloidan Notebook Consultant

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    But these Dat files are images. :confused2:
     
    eloidan, Apr 20, 2008
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  4. Budding

    Budding Notebook Virtuoso

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    Where did you get these DAT files?
     
    Budding, Apr 20, 2008
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  5. de.1337

    de.1337 Notebook Evangelist

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    Maybe if you changed the file's extension? You could try, .jpg, .bmp, .png to start with, I suppose. Do have any idea what type of underlying file it is?
     
    de.1337, Apr 20, 2008
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  6. WackyT

    WackyT Notebook Deity

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    WackyT, Apr 20, 2008
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  7. de.1337

    de.1337 Notebook Evangelist

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    .dat isn't really a established extension. It can be any number of things, to my knowledge.
     
    de.1337, Apr 20, 2008
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  8. Jalf

    Jalf Comrade Santa

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    Rename it to .txt, and open it in notepad?
    Rename it to .doc and open it in Word?
    Rename it to .avi and open it in Media Player?
    Rename it to .cpp and open it in Visual Studio.


    The file extension means nothing. What matters is the actual format the data is stored in. Unless we know what that is, there's no possible way we can answer you.

    (And it doesn't help that .dat has historically been an extension for anyone who needed to store "data", and didn't use an existing format. I can think of at least 5 applications that generate .dat files, and none of them are compatible with the others.

    Which application created the file?
     
    Jalf, Apr 20, 2008
    #8
  9. jimc

    jimc Notebook Consultant

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    Probably a MPEG file as stored on VCDs, try Windows Media Player first. That's a common use of the dat extension for a user file.
     
    jimc, Apr 20, 2008
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  10. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    its a video format.. use vlcplayer or wmp
     
    flipfire, Apr 20, 2008
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  11. timtravel42

    timtravel42 Notebook Virtuoso

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    i recommend vlc...
    its probably a .dat file from a VCD
     
    timtravel42, Apr 21, 2008
    #11