File.exe

[Lord Maelstrom]

Okay I'm kinda new to Macs. I don't know much 'bout PC/Mac differences so this may seem like a stupid problem.

.exe files don't work for me. And I'm not sure if they should.
So this goes back tow hen I got my first .exe file I was downloading.
It came up with a little notice about not having the right application.

"There is no application available to open the document 'Blah Blah Blah'.
[Choose Application...] [Okay]"

So I ended up choosing Script Editor. I don't really know why, or how, but figured it might work.

So then when I open up my file in Script Editor (it does that automatically), it pops up the message.

"Could not read the dictionary of the application or the extension because of a program error."

Now that same message comes up with every .exe file. Is there something I should do? Am I screwed for .exe files? Is this just a a file that won't work for Mac?

All help appreciated.

 

[Cat]

.EXE is the traditional extension for MSDOS/Windows executable files (applications). These will not run in any Mac OS. If it is necessary for you to run these files, you could try VirtualPC (By Connectix, recently acquirerd by Microsoft) or RealPC (Forthcoming, by FWB).
Mac OS X applications have the extension .app mostly, but the Mac OS does not employ file extension (like e.g. .EXE or .COM) in the same way as Windows IIRC.

Most applications and games are available in separate version for Windows and Macintosh, which are not compatible with one another. When you buy or download programs, make sure to pick the appropriate one for your system: check the OS version and type and any hardware requirements, otherwise there is a big chanche your program will not run.

Welcome to the Macintosh platform and this wonderful board! Feel free to ask questions and post what kind of Mac you have (e.g. in your signature).

 

[Arden]

All that files with .exe at the end will do for you on your Mac is take up space. The Mac OS and Windows have different instruction sets, written for different types of processors, and so applications must be written to take advantage of these different instructions. Therefore you can not inherently write an application that will work on both unless you either a) make it cross-compatible by writing appropriate code to do so or b) use a program that will use the right instructions for both systems. You have to look for programs that will run on Mac, and .exe's will not. Typically, if a file to download ends in .sit, .bin, .hqx, or .dmg it is a Mac program. .zip is shaky because both Macs and PC's can use zipped files, so you have to check this.