How to determine the filetype of a file that doesn’t have an extension?

[a cooperator]

Hi,

I found a file named with 'King's Master's Scholarship applications close 31st March 2014', and when clicking on its properties, I don't see any File extension type listed. Only I found a type of file as a file, but this is not recognized file since there is no File Extension determined.

I tried guessing to open it with some programs, such as ,Notepad, PDF reader, and so on, but none of them could recognize it.

I am stumbled What program it will open a type of file as a file with no File Extension ?

I have read an article of How to Open a File with No Extension there , and then I installed XVI32 with following:
1- Create a directory on your hard disk, e.g. C:\Program Files\XVI32
2- Unzip the downloaded archive xvi32.zip completely into this directory
3- Run XVI32.EXE

and I have tried opening my file not having extension as the steps mentioned in this article in this link. However, I don't find find any actual data values in the right side is the data inspector, which basically converts the hex values into actual data values.

 

[k1114]

Just duplicate the file and give it an extension. Try pdf, doc, docx, just common ones. Programs won't recognize it without an extension but giving it one will at least make them try.

 

[a cooperator]

Just duplicate the file and give it an extension. Try pdf, doc, docx, just common ones. Programs won't recognize it without an extension but giving it one will at least make them try.

Thanks a lot,
But as said in that article I have posted its link, But if you have no idea what type of file it is, trying a bunch of different extensions is a waste of time. Additionally, you may not have the program installed that the file type is associated with, so even if you changed it to the right one, it still may not open. For example, if the file actually has a PSD file extension and you try to open it without having Photoshop installed, you may incorrectly deduce that it’s not the correct file extension.

 

[k1114]

That's assuming you have no background info on the file so that leaves millions. But in your case, you can probably assume it has something to do with scholarships so it'll be a common well known text file to be viewed by anyone. Other wise it's just a corrupt useless file. You're not trying a lot. It takes less than a minute to try those 3 extensions.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

I've run that hex snippet through several databases of file headers and came up completely dry. It may be a file type that doesn't use a signature in the first few bytes, or, it may be an encrypted file. The trail is cold at this point.

 

[a cooperator]

That's assuming you have no background info on the file so that leaves millions. But in your case, you can probably assume it has something to do with scholarships so it'll be a common well known text file to be viewed by anyone. Other wise it's just a corrupt useless file. You're not trying a lot. It takes less than a minute to try those 3 extensions.

Thank you all of you very much indeed,
You think that article I have posted its link in my very first post will assuming you have no background info on the file so that leaves millions' I don't think that article depends on the guess, and assuming. Or otherwise, it was not discussed such a long way.

 

[hang-the-9]

It may be a file from a MAC computer, they often don't have extensions. From the title I'd say it has an excellent chance of being some type of document file, doc, docx, txt, rtf Install Open Office and try opening the file in that.

How big is the file?

 

[k1114]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

 

[hang-the-9]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

I can't see the image at work, but a 4k file is not likely to be anything but a text file or something compressed or corrupted. It may be a .zip. See if a program like 7zip can open it.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

It's not an ARC, RAR, 7ZIP, ZIP, or ZOO file, the proper signature isn't present:

Extender - Signature - Type
ARC - 41 72 43 01 - FreeArc compressed file
ARC - 1A 02 - LH archive (old vers.|type 1)
ARC - 1A 03 - LH archive (old vers.|type 2)
ARC - 1A 04 - LH archive (old vers.|type 3)
ARC - 1A 08 - LH archive (old vers.|type 4)
ARC - 1A 09 - LH archive (old vers.|type 5)

RAR - 52 61 72 21 1A 07 00 - WinRAR compressed archive

7Z - 37 7A BC AF 27 1C - 7-Zip compressed file

ZIP - 50 4B 03 04 - PKZIP archive_1
ZIP - 50 4B 4C 49 54 45 - PKLITE archive
ZIP - 50 4B 53 70 58 - PKSFX self-extracting archive
ZIP - 50 4B 05 06 - PKZIP archive_2
ZIP - 50 4B 07 08 - PKZIP archive_3
ZIP - 57 69 6E 5A 69 70 - WinZip compressed archive
ZIP - 50 4B 03 04 14 00 01 00 - ZLock Pro encrypted ZIP

ZOO - 5A 4F 4F 20 - ZOO compressed archive

 

[a cooperator]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

Thank you all of you very much,
Yes, I have given it an extension, but .PDF cannot be opened at all.
and .docx, the file cannot be opened by Microsoft Word because there is a problem with the contents .
Also, with .doc, the file was opened but it wasn't readable it was encrypted/encoded.
I have never ever tried to download MAC Computer files.
I think it's been corrupted, but how to be quite sure it was so in order to threw it.

 

[hang-the-9]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

Thank you all of you very much,
Yes, I have given it an extension, but .PDF cannot be opened at all.
and .docx, the file cannot be opened by Microsoft Word because there is a problem with the contents .
Also, with .doc, the file was opened but it wasn't readable it was encrypted/encoded.
I have never ever tried to download MAC Computer files.
I think it's been corrupted, but how to be quite sure it was so in order to threw it.

Just going by the file size, that is way too small to be anything other than a text file or a corrupt file of another type if it's a document. I created a Word 2010 document with just a single letter in it, and it was 12.3 KB in size. With your document being 4 KB in size that shows that it's either a text file, or a compressed short document or corrupted.

 

[a cooperator]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

Thank you all of you very much,
Yes, I have given it an extension, but .PDF cannot be opened at all.
and .docx, the file cannot be opened by Microsoft Word because there is a problem with the contents .
Also, with .doc, the file was opened but it wasn't readable it was encrypted/encoded.
I have never ever tried to download MAC Computer files.
I think it's been corrupted, but how to be quite sure it was so in order to threw it.

Just going by the file size, that is way too small to be anything other than a text file or a corrupt file of another type if it's a document. I created a Word 2010 document with just a single letter in it, and it was 12.3 KB in size. With your document being 4 KB in size that shows that it's either a text file, or a compressed short document or corrupted.

Thank you so much,
Then, you think I can go ahead to delete it safely?
Also, if I'd been faced with another file with no an extension, then I could have tried to add an extension to it. If so, then that article of "How to Open a File with No Extension via installing XVI32" mentioned in my very first post would be useless, although it was discussed with a detailed way.

 

[hang-the-9]

The screenshot shows 4KB.

I didn't say the article is based on guessing or assuming but we are not here to discuss an article on a random blog. Did you try? Did it work?

Thank you all of you very much,
Yes, I have given it an extension, but .PDF cannot be opened at all.
and .docx, the file cannot be opened by Microsoft Word because there is a problem with the contents .
Also, with .doc, the file was opened but it wasn't readable it was encrypted/encoded.
I have never ever tried to download MAC Computer files.
I think it's been corrupted, but how to be quite sure it was so in order to threw it.

Just going by the file size, that is way too small to be anything other than a text file or a corrupt file of another type if it's a document. I created a Word 2010 document with just a single letter in it, and it was 12.3 KB in size. With your document being 4 KB in size that shows that it's either a text file, or a compressed short document or corrupted.

Thank you so much,
Then, you think I can go ahead to delete it safely?
Also, if I'd been faced with another file with no an extension, then I could have tried to add an extension to it. If so, then that article of "How to Open a File with No Extension via installing XVI32" mentioned in my very first post would be useless, although it was discussed with a detailed way.

There does not seem to be any way of opening the file, but it's small enough that if you think you may need it that you can just keep it. Up to you really. To me it seems like a corrupt file or a blank one.