Hi all... My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge Linux User #88484 ------------------------------------------------------ BayerWulf Linux System # 129656 The Recycled Beowulf Project Looking for throw-away or obsolete computers and parts to recycle into a Linux super computer WartHog Bulletin Info about new German Stamps http://www.fuzzybunnymilitia.org/~hatridge/bulletin Viel Feind -- Viel Ehr' Anti-US Propaganda stamp collection http://www.fuzzybunnymilitia.org/~hatridge/collection
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 11:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge
*.dat files can come from lots of different applications. They are not meant to be opened. Either contact the person who sent the email and ask them what they were doing or just delete it. If you wife is using a Windows operating system, she should definitely delete it. Malke -- "And that's how we learned our lesson!" - Bender
On Thursday 12 August 2004 21:03, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 11:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge
*.dat files can come from lots of different applications. They are not meant to be opened.
huh?
Either contact the person who sent the email and ask them what they were doing or just delete it. If you wife is using a Windows operating system, she should definitely delete it.
Sillyness based on ignorance. One shouldn't *run* attached exe files, or blindly click on them in case they are concealed executables, but just deleting them on some "eeek, it's on my system, I've been infected" reasoning is just silly. Like you said, a dat file can be anything, including a valid email from an outlook user. Finding out what it is is the first step
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 16:17, Anders Johansson wrote:
On Thursday 12 August 2004 21:03, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 11:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge
*.dat files can come from lots of different applications. They are not meant to be opened.
huh?
In Windows, .dat files are just that - data files that belong to various programs. Very often - in Windows - .dat files are associated with spyware and other malware. You didn't specify whether your wife got this on a Windows or Linux machine. Certainly there's nothing to worry about on Linux. In Windows that is another story.
Either contact the person who sent the email and ask them what they were doing or just delete it. If you wife is using a Windows operating system, she should definitely delete it.
Sillyness based on ignorance.
Thank you for the nice comment. Not silliness, not based on ignorance. Based on that supporting Windows systems is what I do, with a specialty in cleaning up infected PC's. At which I am quite expert and actually know what I'm talking about. Again, if your wife has a Linux system there is nothing to worry about. If she has a Windows system and is running with default settings, she has no idea what that file is. Many Windows users get mysterious emails with .dat files as attachments. They are usually viral, malware at the very least.
One shouldn't *run* attached exe files
There are many other extensions besides *.exe files that are actually executables in Windows.
, or blindly click on them in case they are concealed executables, but just deleting them on some "eeek, it's on my system, I've been infected" reasoning is just silly. Like you said, a dat file can be anything, including a valid email from an outlook user. Finding out what it is is the first step
Yes, finding out what it is - as I suggested - is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone. If your wife is running Windows, sure - let her follow your "oh don't be silly" advice. She should make sure she has a current antivirus using updated definitions and scan for spyware afterwards. Malke -- "Let the Wookie win."
On Friday 13 August 2004 03:57, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 16:17, Anders Johansson wrote:
On Thursday 12 August 2004 21:03, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 11:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge
*.dat files can come from lots of different applications. They are not meant to be opened.
huh?
In Windows, .dat files are just that - data files that belong to various programs.
Yeah, and data files should never be opened?
Very often - in Windows - .dat files are associated with spyware and other malware. You didn't specify whether your wife got this on a Windows or Linux machine.
My?
Certainly there's nothing to worry about on Linux. In Windows that is another story.
Either contact the person who sent the email and ask them what they were doing or just delete it. If you wife is using a Windows operating system, she should definitely delete it.
Sillyness based on ignorance.
Thank you for the nice comment.
I'm sorry but that is what it is. Files sitting on your file system can do no harm to anyone. Suggesting they shouldn't be opened until you know what it is is good advise. Suggesting they be deleted before you know what it is is ignorant silliness, right up there with "delete all mail from people you don't know and don't read them". Yes, I've seen that advise from "experts"
Not silliness, not based on ignorance. Based on that supporting Windows systems is what I do, with a specialty in cleaning up infected PC's. At which I am quite expert and actually know what I'm talking about.
winmail.dat ring a bell?
Again, if your wife has a Linux system there is nothing to worry about. If she has a Windows system and is running with default settings, she has no idea what that file is. Many Windows users get mysterious emails with .dat files as attachments. They are usually viral, malware at the very least.
One shouldn't *run* attached exe files
There are many other extensions besides *.exe files that are actually executables in Windows.
which is why I didn't say .exe, just exe as short for executables
, or blindly click on them in case they are concealed executables, but just deleting them on some "eeek, it's on my system, I've been infected" reasoning is just silly. Like you said, a dat file can be anything, including a valid email from an outlook user. Finding out what it is is the first step
Yes, finding out what it is - as I suggested
You suggested deleting it without thinking. Your exact words were "if you wife is using a windows system, she should definitely delete it"
- is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone.
Sadly, this is completely wrong. Just about every outlook user sends these .dat files all the time. Those TNEF files are encoded mail with the same idea as html mail, in that outlook tries to preserve things like layout.
On Thursday August 12 2004 10:09 pm, Anders Johansson wrote: [snip]
- is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone.
Sadly, this is completely wrong. Just about every outlook user sends these .dat files all the time. Those TNEF files are encoded mail with the same idea as html mail, in that outlook tries to preserve things like layout.
Yes, "LookOut Express" and "LookOut" both send .dat files. Fred -- "Running Windows on a Pentium is like getting a Porsche but only being able to drive it in reverse with the handbrake on."
On Thursday 12 August 2004 09:57 pm, Malke Routh wrote:
Yes, finding out what it is - as I suggested - is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone. If your wife is running Windows, sure - let her follow your "oh don't be silly" advice. She should make sure she has a current antivirus using updated definitions and scan for spyware afterwards.
There are versions of a Windows emailer (not sure it is Outlook or just a particular version of Outlook) that will put attachments in a *winmail.dat* file. The contents of these files can be extracted on linux using the tnef program. The people who send these files don't usually have a clue that they are doing so since it is all done by the email program. Asking them won't yeild much information. On the other hand, James never told us the complete name of the file..... -- +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + Bruce S. Marshall bmarsh@bmarsh.com Bellaire, MI 08/12/04 22:13 + +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Dowling's Law of Photography: "One missed photographic opportunity creates a desire to purchase two additional pieces of equipment."
On Friday 13 August 2004 05:15, Bruce Marshall wrote:
The people who send these files don't usually have a clue that they are doing so since it is all done by the email program. Asking them won't yeild much information.
It's a setting in LookOut, the send mail format as "rich text". Tell them to change to plain text or html. To filter out this junk at the server, this can be done (if running postfix 1.1.x, for postfix 2.0 see mime_header_checks): /etc/postfix/main.cf body_checks= regexp:/etc/postfix/body_checks cat /etc/postfix/body_checks (it's one line, not wrapped) /(filename|name)="winmail.dat"/ REJECT winmail.dat is a binary file, proprietary Microsoft format, incompatible with other mail-clients. Please respect widely accepted standards, html or text format.
Hi Bruce et al... First of all I thanks to everyone, the tnef script did the job. I do not allow my wife on the 'net with her Dos/windows machine. I have enough problems without fixing her system daily. Therefore she gets all her email thru my Linux machine. One of her girlfriend sent pictures of a class reunion in Ulm Germany. The file's full name was "winmail.dat". I didn't know that the winmail meant anything. I use M$ as little as I can get away with. Anyway I got the file open and now my wife is (for a bit) happy with me. Thanks Guys! JIM On Friday 13 August 2004 04:15, Bruce Marshall wrote:
On Thursday 12 August 2004 09:57 pm, Malke Routh wrote:
Yes, finding out what it is - as I suggested - is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone. If your wife is running Windows, sure - let her follow your "oh don't be silly" advice. She should make sure she has a current antivirus using updated definitions and scan for spyware afterwards.
There are versions of a Windows emailer (not sure it is Outlook or just a particular version of Outlook) that will put attachments in a *winmail.dat* file. The contents of these files can be extracted on linux using the tnef program.
The people who send these files don't usually have a clue that they are doing so since it is all done by the email program. Asking them won't yeild much information.
On the other hand, James never told us the complete name of the file.....
-- +-------------------------------------------------------------------------- --+ + Bruce S. Marshall bmarsh@bmarsh.com Bellaire, MI 08/12/04 22:13 + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------- --+ Dowling's Law of Photography: "One missed photographic opportunity creates a desire to purchase two additional pieces of equipment."
-- Jim Hatridge Linux User #88484 ------------------------------------------------------ BayerWulf Linux System # 129656 The Recycled Beowulf Project Looking for throw-away or obsolete computers and parts to recycle into a Linux super computer WartHog Bulletin Info about new German Stamps http://www.fuzzybunnymilitia.org/~hatridge/bulletin Viel Feind -- Viel Ehr' Anti-US Propaganda stamp collection http://www.fuzzybunnymilitia.org/~hatridge/collection
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Thu August 12 2004 18:57, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 16:17, Anders Johansson wrote:
On Thursday 12 August 2004 21:03, Malke Routh wrote:
On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 11:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM -- Jim Hatridge
*.dat files can come from lots of different applications. They are not meant to be opened.
huh?
In Windows, .dat files are just that - data files that belong to various programs. Very often - in Windows - .dat files are associated with spyware and other malware. You didn't specify whether your wife got this on a Windows or Linux machine. Certainly there's nothing to worry about on Linux. In Windows that is another story.
Either contact the person who sent the email and ask them what they were doing or just delete it. If you wife is using a Windows operating system, she should definitely delete it.
Sillyness based on ignorance.
Thank you for the nice comment. Not silliness, not based on ignorance. Based on that supporting Windows systems is what I do, with a specialty in cleaning up infected PC's. At which I am quite expert and actually know what I'm talking about.
Again, if your wife has a Linux system there is nothing to worry about. If she has a Windows system and is running with default settings, she has no idea what that file is. Many Windows users get mysterious emails with .dat files as attachments. They are usually viral, malware at the very least.
One shouldn't *run* attached exe files
There are many other extensions besides *.exe files that are actually executables in Windows.
, or blindly click on them in case they are concealed executables, but just deleting them on some "eeek, it's on my system, I've been infected" reasoning is just silly. Like you said, a dat file can be anything, including a valid email from an outlook user. Finding out what it is is the first step
Yes, finding out what it is - as I suggested - is a good idea - *if* you can contact the person who sent it; i.e., the sender is someone you know. However, in Windows, .dat files are usually nothing you would normally send to anyone. If your wife is running Windows, sure - let her follow your "oh don't be silly" advice. She should make sure she has a current antivirus using updated definitions and scan for spyware afterwards.
Malke
The .dat in the form the original poster is referring to is a format used in old, and now essentially defunct, M$ mailer servers. I have a friend that sends these out all the time from his work - their M$ mailer server is circa 98 NT something or other I believe. Even my M$ only using friends have problems with this format. From what I gather it was some attempt by M$ to combine various doc formats into one - used for corporate communiques that would have embedded charts, stats, yada yada. But the format was wrought with problems and yes much spyware used the .dat format. Also I did hear mention that the spyware and corporate mailing thing M$ was trying led to a series of problems related to corporate espionage and this was another reason it was dumped - not to mention the DAT as in digital audio tape formats and others conflicted in the market - or some such nonsense. Seems there's not a lot of info to be found about this format which leads me to believe M$ wanted to obfiscate any further proliferation of this format. Suffice to say, whether any of these ideas/theories are correct, who ever is sending these is do so from a fairly old corporate system. Cheers, Curtis. - -- Spammers Beware: Tresspassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again! Warning: Individuals throwing objects at the crocodiles will be asked to retrieve them! If pro is the opposite of con, then the opposite of progress must be congress! In the Ocean it's called salvage, on land it's called grave robbing! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFBHsPc7CQBg4DqqCwRAm0+AJ9SKT1Z3d3TLOq0hNqJMv4dCzZwmACdHJkl x9J+HlPqBrcLGWLhAa6BSPE= =aWqy -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
The Thursday 2004-08-12 at 20:43 +0200, James Hatridge wrote:
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it?
The extension .dat stands for "data", usually binary data; many program could use such a file: you'd need to know what created it. Or it might be a false extension, like "something.dat .exe", with so many white spaces that the ".exe" is out of the window and not seen (they hope). Then, it is 99.9999% sure malware (virus, worm, trojan, etc). In Linux you can safely run "file unknownfile.dat" and the program "file" will try to guess what type the file really is, based on it's structure, not the extension. -- Cheers, Carlos Robinson
On Thursday 12 August 2004 20:43, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it?
If it's called winmail.dat it's probably a tnef version of the mail. The package tnef.rpm might have something to help
On Thursday 12 August 2004 02:43 pm, James Hatridge wrote:
Hi all...
My wife got a M$ dat file in an email. Can someone tell me how to open it? Thanks, JIM
It's an attachment to an email.... might contain a picture or other types of data. Use the tnef program against the file to extract what is in it. -- +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + Bruce S. Marshall bmarsh@bmarsh.com Bellaire, MI 08/12/04 20:14 + +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ "Graffiti has changed deface of the nation."
winmail.dat files are often tnef files. move it to a dir and run tnef on it and it should extract itself F
participants (10)
-
Anders Johansson -
Bruce Marshall -
Carlos E. R. -
Curtis Rey -
Francesco Scaglioni -
Fred Miller -
James Hatridge -
Malke Routh -
Silviu Marin-Caea -
Steve Kratz