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Summary: DAT files are used by many different applications. To know what to do with a DAT file, you need to know what application created it.
In short: there's no way to tell. The problem is that many applications use the file extension ".dat" to indicate a file that contains data. But that's exactly all it tells us, and that's not enough. • The problem is that so many different programs use ".dat" that it really doesn't tell you anything about the file, what it contains, or what program it belongs to. There is no standard format, and there is no standard way to interpret the contents. ".dat" is only a name and nothing more. So I'll be clear: there is no way to know how to open a .dat file unless you know what program created it. Period. "... if you don't know what application created the file, there's no way to know how to open it."
A good example is that Yahoo Instant Messenger (YIM) apparently keeps it's message history in a file that ends in ".dat". The way Yahoo works, you can only open that .dat file using Yahoo Instant Messenger, and only of you are logged in to the account that created the file in the first place. But if you don't know what application created the file, there's no way to know how to open it. If you do know what application created the file, then it's likely only that application can be used to open it. • Recent Comments
Posted by: palin at September 1, 2005 10:48 PM There's no way to answer that without knowing the application that created it. Posted by: Leo at September 1, 2005 10:49 PMPlease tell me the meanings of this extension when it comes after several types of files. Thank you. Posted by: Abebe at September 30, 2005 12:23 AMPlease read the article you just commented on, it answers your question. Posted by: Leo at September 30, 2005 07:31 AMHey Leo, I received a .dat file through e-mail from a Immo-office, they told me it should be opened with Acrobat Reader, but it doesn't seem to work. I replied them with telling them that I couldn't open it and then they just sent it again. An acrobat reader file is a ".pdf" file ... I've not heard of them using ".dat". Either the sender is doing something wrong, or their mail program is. Ask them to either send their mail as "plain text" with the attachment, or if they have some other way to get you the file. Posted by: Leo at October 11, 2005 09:41 AMCan u please tell me how to open an yahoo archived message that says dat file. and the symbol is in media player type....i have tried everything and they all say it does not support that kind of file. Need help fast. Please do the needful action in this regard reply me sooon Thanks Posted by: Kid at October 12, 2005 05:09 AMYou need to open a Yahoo Messenger .dat file using Yahoo Messenger logged into the same account that created the .dat file. Posted by: Leo at October 12, 2005 09:55 AMWhat software creates a dat file. Can I create a dat file using Oracle reportwriter? Posted by: Eugenio Candelaria at October 13, 2005 09:11 AMI'm closing comments on this article because the comments are all the same, and are all answered in the article. I've reworked the article to be more clear, please be sure to read it. Posted by: Leo at October 13, 2005 10:41 AM |
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