Windows Cannot Open This File

When your computer can't open a file, it displays a dialog box and asks you what program you wish to open the file with.

-You can try using a web service to find the correct program or selecting a program to run the file from a list of installed programs. However, I would recommend looking up the file's extension on a search engine and seeing if there is a website that will explain what the file extension is so that you can search for a program that will know what to do with that particular file extension. Also, a lot of files that people usually have difficulty opening are compressed files such as RAR files, which are archive files which you can open and extract with the commercial Win-Rar program or free Al-Zip program.
-Please note: Don't just attempt to open any file you find on your computer. Some files are not meant to be opened, but just stored on your computer, so that they can be used for other things, such as storing certain pieces of information, running certain parts of one big program, running only at certain times, etc. Please know what the file is, where you got it from, and why you really need to open it before attempting to access the file.
-If you got the file in an email or from a friend, tell them to give you the file in a more universal format by saving it in a more universal format. For instance, if they saved it as a .txt file instead of a .wpd file, that would probably be a lot more helpful to you as you might not have Word Perfect installed on your computer. To save a file in a more universal format in virtually any program, go to File, Save As, Save As Type, and then select a more universal format to save the file as. The more universal file formats are files with the extensions: txt, png, jpg, gif, pdf, rtf, html, mp3, exe, reg, shtml, wav, wmv, and others (refer to "File Formats" article coming soon).
-If you are still having troubles, download and install all the programs and codecs on this Download Squad webpage. This should allow you to open most file extensions and prevent your exposure to the "Windows cannot open this file" dialog box.

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How to Create a DOS Boot CD

An MS-DOS Boot CD is a medium used to boot a compact disc instead of the hard drive upon Windows startup. A boot CD is comprised of programs and DOS commands that are compressed in removable data storage. This removable data storage is capable of loading and running operating systems or other utility programs.
A Boot CD is also used in:

• installing operating systems
• recovering lost data
• software and hardware troubleshooting
• software demonstration
• data purging
• customizing the operating system
• administrative access that allows users to retrieve forgotten passwords
• loading games.

The Boot CD can only run automatically through startup if the computer has a built-in program that meets the boot CD’s
standards. This built-in program serves as a trigger that executes programs contained in the boot CD.
There are also several types of boot CD, since every operating system has different contents required for its boot CD. This implies that a boot CD must be compatible to run with the designated operating system it was designed for.

Step 1:

Place a CD into the computer’s CD-ROM drive. Users may use a rewritable CD or a blank CD in this case.

Step 2:

When the CD is inserted in the CD-ROM drive, access “My Computer” through the icon placed on the desktop screen or by selecting it from the Windows “Start” menu.

Step 3:

In the “My Computer” window, point the mouse at the icon of the computer’s disc drive (usually D:). Right-click on the icon, then select “format”.

Step 4:

Once “Format” is clicked, a window box will appear. Options are provided in the Format window wherein users can choose from a variety of actions. Check the box that indicates “Create an MS-DOS startup disk”.

Step 5:

Click the “Start” button after checking the “Create an MS-DOS startup disk” box.

Step 6:

Users may also copy additional files to their boot CDs. Files added to boot CDs are programs or processes that the user chooses to run upon the system’s startup phase. This is done to support the operating system in launching other applications or utilities such as Anti-virus software and hardware drivers.

Step 7:

There are also several types of boot CD that have content specially designed for different operating systems. The required programs in a boot CD include (1) command.com, (2) io.sys/ibmio.sys, and (3) msdos.sys. These processes must be compatible with your version of the operating system.

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