How do I get windows to not ignore the period in file names?

[DougoMan]

like say I want to change a .txt files to a .html file. how do i get windows to consider a file with a different ending a different file type?

This is windows 7

 

[Tsavo]

tools>folder options, uncheck hide extensions for known file types.

sorry about punctuation, eating bread

 

[Paperlantern]

tools>folder options, uncheck hide extensions for known file types.

sorry about punctuation, eating bread

+1

My guess is your extension is hidden and all youre actually doing is renaming the file so, while you see "filename.html" on screen, what the computer knows it is is "filename.html.txt" thus keeping the txt association. Doing what Tsavo said to do will reveal the .txt and you can then remove it and have an html file.

 

[Nothinman]

This has to be one of the worst Windows default settings of all time...

 

[Binky]

This is one of the very first changes I make on a new install.

To the OP, the instructions given are correct and they are applied in Windows Explorer. Win7 hides these menus by default (also lame) so you may have to dig around for the tools/options setting. I'm in front of a WinXP machine now so I can't remember exactly where they bury the settings menu in Win7 - but it is there.

 

[rasczak]

This has to be one of the worst Windows default settings of all time...

agreed.

 

[Nothinman]

This is one of the very first changes I make on a new install.

To the OP, the instructions given are correct and they are applied in Windows Explorer. Win7 hides these menus by default (also lame) so you may have to dig around for the tools/options setting. I'm in front of a WinXP machine now so I can't remember exactly where they bury the settings menu in Win7 - but it is there.

If you hit Alt+T in the Win7 Explorer it takes you to the tools menu with no digging.

 

[RebateMonger]

This has to be one of the worst Windows default settings of all time...

I'm not a big fan of stoning, but this crime deserves it. Virtually everything Windows does with files is extension-based. I'm guessing that MS wanted to emulate the "Macintosh Experience". But hiding those extensions on a PC is dumb.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I agree and it's the first thing I change after a clean install, but most people don't understand what a file extension is and would just delete them when renaming files.