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word documents appear as "unix executable files" and cannot be opened

Hi: I am running 10.5.5 on my Intel Imac. The problem is that many old MS Word documents have suddenly flipped into documents with no file extension, but which are identified in the Preview window as "unix executable files."

I've had this happen before, and all I had to do was add the .doc extension for them to become Word documents again. This time there is nothing I can do to change them over. I have tried opening them from Word, from Pages, from Text Edit, with no results. (I have also used all the possibilities available from Word as well).

There doesn't seem to be any pattern -- random documents in the same folder, created at the same time and modified at the same time, appear as unix files, while the others seem fine. Any ideas?

<Post Relocated by Moderator>

iMac (new, Intel), Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Feb 9, 2009 6:30 PM

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Stanwich

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Posted on Mar 4, 2009 10:25 AM

I was having this problem too. I had installed a new harddrive on my Macbook Pro and then reinstalled 10.5.6. When I connected to our server at work, all the fonts and any file that did not have an extension changed to the Unix Executable icon/file format. I tried everything in this discussion and some other solutions on different websites with no luck. I called our external IT guy and had him look at it. He figured out that I was connecting to our server using SNB (Windows File Sharing) rather than Appletalk. That was the reason none of the additional (Mac) file data was showing up on the font files.

*To fix this:*
Click the "Go" menu in the Finder,
Click Connect to Server
Change the IP Address of the server from snb://192.168.555.55 (whatever your server's ip address is ) to afp://192.168.555.55 (whatever your server's ip address is)
Click Connect
The change from snb to afp switches you to Appletalk. When you reconnect to the server, all the Mac data will return and your fonts, files etc will work right.

Not sure how this affects items on your harddrive. I am no IT guy so take this with a grain of salt.

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25 replies

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 8:35 AM in response to Tom in London

In my original posting I said that I usually add .doc extensions when this happens, and that ordinarily this solves the problem. So I have tried that, but it has not helped this time.

Feb 10, 2009 8:36 AM in response to NSH

ok sorry . I didn't see that.

What happens if you open them in TextEdit?

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 8:37 AM in response to Yer_Man

TD -- as you will see below, I have tried added the .doc extension. Does NameMangler do something besides re-attaching the extension?

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 8:37 AM in response to Tom in London

Thanks for trying to help! Yes, I have tried opening them in TextEdit.

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 9:27 AM in response to Tom in London

Yes, that's exactly what happens to me -- there is gobbledygook when I do open them -- most of them time odd symbols, paragraphs of them.

Feb 10, 2009 12:08 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Now that was illuminating. THanks, Francine.

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 2:03 PM in response to nerowolfe

I had tried that. But thanks.

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 2:04 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Then I guess that the files hve been corrupted. Because I do not get any of the text -- just the formatting information, if anything.

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 2:05 PM in response to Király

Kiraly. I tried this, but it did not work. Thanks, anyway.

NSH Author

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Feb 10, 2009 4:17 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

I'll try this, Francine, and let everyone know! (Can't right now -- will have to do this tomorrow).

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word documents appear as "unix executable files" and cannot be opened