Program to view .dat files?

[Smolek]

does anyone know of a freeware one to view them ?

 

[Maetryx]

Notepad, apparently.

 

[VTHodge]

Depends on where the files come from. I think a lot of data collection programs store output in DAT files. All of our EE and ME labs have software like this. The first program that I always try is just notepad (unless that would make no sense at all).

 

[XZeroII]

.dat is a universal file type. There is no guarentee what you'll find in there... but notepad would work best.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Internet Explorer interprets more than Notepad does... Use Internet Explorer.

nik

 

[Smolek]

tried notepad and wordpad neither work, just jumbled characters. IE pops up with a download box for some reason. XP is recommending wordperfect although it is not available

 

[FelixDeCat]

>Internet Explorer interprets more than Notepad does... Use Internet Explorer.

Talking about taking the long way home. Notepad is more effecient than a browser. Ive been using notepad for .sys, .dat, .bat files for almost 10 years now, sonny.

The reason why you are seing junk when you open the file smolek is because the program that created the dat file has produced output that wasnt intended to be read, but used by the file !!!

 

[toant103]

logicworks or windows media if it's a movies file.

 

[Smolek]

It was a newsletter so its text. No graphics either

 

[GermyBoy]

You say view like it's a videofile or something. I only see .dat files in VCDs, and for that, MPlayer2 works well.

 

[Derango]

a .dat can be pretty much anything. .dat stands for data, and data could be anything the programmer wants it to be.

 

[yakko]

It depends on the .dat file.