Andy Dingley <dingbat@codesmiths.com> writes:

> On 24 Apr, 18:18, David B. <tall_wal...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Using Win XP SP2
>>
>> I wrote up a XHTML file using notepad. Now I want my browser to open
>> it as a web page but it only sees it as a .txt file. I tried changing
>> the extension to .htm but its still a .txt file. What do I do?
>
> Hack around in Windows Explorer (NOT Internet Explorer) and switch off
> the desktop option uder Tools | Folder options | View | Advanced |
> Hide extensions for known file types

Clicking a checkbox in a config dialog qualifies as "hacking"? Setting the
bar rather low these days, aren't we? Kids today... :-)

> If you have this option on (by default), Windows assumes that you're
> too stupid to understand a file extension, so it hides them from you.
> If you enter one (such as .htm) when editing something that Widnows
> thinks is already a ".txt" file, then it thinks you're using some sort
> of internal part of the basename and not an extension ('cos you're too
> stupid to understand those). Windows then makes you a text file with a
> htm in it, as the name "example.htm.txt"

A popular phishing attack is based on that too. The phisher emails the
victim a program named "jennanaked.jpg.exe". The victim, unaware of the
".exe" extension that Windows is so fully hiding, clicks on what he
thinks is an image.

sherm--

--
My blog: http://shermspace.blogspot.com
Cocoa programming in Perl: http://camelbones.sourceforge.net