Re: Problems with file extensions and opening files in a folder window

From: Suzanne S. Barnhill (sbarnhill_at_mvps.org)
Date: 07/01/04 

Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 11:17:07 -0500

I hate to say it, but it sounds as if you may have contracted a virus
(possibly from the floppy). 

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Ed Harpe" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2325801c45e1a$1bbeb460$a401280a@phx.gbl...
Operating systems is Windows 98, with Office 2000
installed.
I had some word files on several floppy 3 ½ inch disks
that I wanted to move to my hard drive. I clicked on My
Computer, then on the A drive and a window opened that
showed all of the files on the disk. The word files had
Icons with a big blue "W' and a page, which is normal. The
properties of the files say they are Microsoft Word
Documents.
I selected a file by left clicking on it, then attempted
to drag and drop it into the folder on the desktop. By
holding down the shift key, I made this operation a move
instead of a copy.
This is when the problem occurred! When the file appeared
in the folder on the desktop, the Icon had changed to a
page with a turned down upper corner, with the "Windows"
flag in the middle.
I selected the file again, then right clicked and looked
at the properties. The extension was now .DOC.
When I double clicked on the file to open it, it would not
open. Instead, the Icon changed to the DOS floppy disk
Icon, and the file extension changed to .EXE.
The file would not open at all, and all I could do was
delete it. When I tried this, I got a message saying that
this was a program file, and if I deleted it I would not
be able to run it again. But it was not a program, it
began as a Microsoft Word Document.
I then went back to the window that showed the files on
the floppy disk and saw that all of them had changed to
the Icon with the turned down corner and the windows flag.
I then found that all of the files on the hard drive, in
every folder, had done the same thing. None of the files
would open by double clicking, and each time I tried the
file was lost.
To further complicate this issue, one or two of the files
changed to the DOS floppy Icon, then a folder appeared
that was named "Recycled Files" and inside the folder was
a copy of the file that had been changed, which would now
open. However, each file did not go through this process.
I found that I can go into "Word" and open the files on
the disk in the normal manner, but it doesn't matter what
I save them as they are saved as .DOC files with the
turned down page/flag Icon, and all then have identical
characteristics. IE, none will open from a window by right
clicking or by selecting file and trying to open them from
there. I am not losing any more files because I have
stopped trying to open them.
I just today found that I can open the window for Control
Panel but no single link to any item in control panel will
work. I can't open a window that shows the mouse
properties or the system files or media or anything else.
This is pretty much driving me crazy, and I am afraid I
may lose all of the files altogether! Anyone have any
suggestions?

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