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General discussion

Question about .exe files

Mar 8, 2005 1:38AM PST

Sometimes when I download something I end up getting an .exe icon on my desktop. I searched for .exe files in Search and found a multitude of them. A number of them relate to Norton which I no longer have, and there are others that seem to relate to things I no longer have. When I click on the entries on the Search page, I usually get a message which enables me to download something or other.

I find myself wondering what purpose these .exe files serve other than to enable me to download something I already have or something that I no longer want.

Perhaps someone could help me understand better. I guess one thing I am wondering is, should I do something in order to clean out the .exe files that are of no use to me?

grandpaw

Discussion is locked

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.exe = executable
Mar 8, 2005 2:32AM PST

An .exe file is a program, an executable file. If you double-click on it, it will go through some actions, which might be anything.

Sometimes that might be the running of a complete program; or
sometimes that might be only a portion of a full program, and it requires other support files (like .ini or .dll, or anything else) that typically are kept in the same location (but does not have to be!); or
sometimes it might just be a compressed set of files that when you open that .exe will extract the files into some location (a "self-extracting" archive).

It really can be just about anything, including a virus or bugged program! so it is important that after you download any .exe file, that you then scan it with a good virus checking program.

By the way, many times compressed set of files in a self-extracting archive, that .exe file, you can alternately open it with some unzipping program (like WinZip - but there are others). BUT you need to NOT just double-click on such a .exe!
Instead you can Shift+right-click the .exe and select "Open With" and then select your unzipping program to say you want to open that .exe with the unzipping program. (You could also open your unzipping program and browse to where you have the .exe and click on it that way.)

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Just a warning... Don't double-click on that EXE...
Mar 8, 2005 2:58AM PST

Know what it does ahead of time. Some early Windows 98 users found some treasures and booby traps by trying to run every .EXE that was on their system and a few found a program that would take the machine back to as it was delivered.

Just a warning...

Bob

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.exe
Mar 8, 2005 4:00AM PST

My only comment to Grandpaw is that sometimes it's useful to keep .exe files for programmes that may have been downloaded and become corrupted or accidentally altered. It saves time searching for the original location and downloading all over again.

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Deleting .exe files
Mar 8, 2005 5:52AM PST

Thanks for the posts. My understanding now is that the only function the exe files serve is to be there if I want to reinstall something that I've already installed or that I downloaded but didn't install. Is that right?

And my understanding is that I can delete the exe files without affecting what I now have installed, is that right?

Maybe there is some reason I'm not thinking of for not deleting them, other than the one Paul mentioned, that is, the possibility that I might want to reinstall something.

If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate any further comments you might as a result of my comments above.

Thanks, grandpaw

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No Grandpaw, not right
Mar 8, 2005 6:03AM PST

exe files are the main parts of all your programs. Every program you have on your computer, Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel,(if you have them), taskbar, "everything" that is a program starts with an exe program, so please don't delete exe files unless you are sure what they are, and that you no longer need them

What Paul was saying was this. Say you downloaded a brand new utility, for keeping notes, eg a shopping list. The file you downllad may be called something like, "ShopList.exe".

That exe file is a self-extracting file that, when you double click on it, will install the shopping list notes program onto your computer. It is like an installation file. Paul was saying that you could save that file, to a folder called "My Downloads" for example, so that, if ever you had to uninstall the shoping list notes program, you could re-install it by finding the ShopList.exe file and double clicking it again.

So, please be careful before deleting .exe files. You could make your computer completely unworkable.

Mark

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just leave it...
Mar 8, 2005 1:29PM PST

I agree. If they're not doing anything, just leave them alone.

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Thanks, Mark
Mar 16, 2005 10:40AM PST

I know that I composed a reply already thanking you, but I guess I somehow failed to submit it.