Many of my older files now appear as black rectangles with 'exec' on them. I have recently migrated to a new iMac and Sierra. The files will not open. How can I get access to them? Are they lost?
Help will be appreciated!
iMac with Retina 5K display, macOS Sierra (10.12.5), 27"
From Apple software perspective, Pages '09, Numbers '09, Keynote '09 were the last applications that could open AppleWorks v6 documents, and then only if they were pure word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation. If they incorporate multiple AppleWorks tools, then the opening probability drops.
Pages v5.6.2 (El Capitan) and Pages v6.2 (Sierra) can open Pages '06, '08, and '09 documents, but not earlier Pages formats.
LibreOffice v5.4.1 (you want the “fresh” version) was just released, and it has had the capability to open ClarisWorks 5/AppleWorks 6 documents for some time including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database files as spreadsheets. Again, the degree of individual document complexity may alter your results. I have a bunch of AppleWorks documents here that present as:
As already stated, if an application associated with a document is no longer installed, you may see this icon, and it is not indicative that the content is necessarily an executable entity.
In the Finder, navigate to one of these icons, click once on it, and then press option+command+I (cap i). Unhide the extension if that is checked, and if it is .cwk, then you are dealing with an AppleWorks document. If it is a .pages extension, then you have an out of date, unsupported Pages document format. If the latter, there may be a way to salvage some content.
From Apple software perspective, Pages '09, Numbers '09, Keynote '09 were the last applications that could open AppleWorks v6 documents, and then only if they were pure word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation. If they incorporate multiple AppleWorks tools, then the opening probability drops.
Pages v5.6.2 (El Capitan) and Pages v6.2 (Sierra) can open Pages '06, '08, and '09 documents, but not earlier Pages formats.
LibreOffice v5.4.1 (you want the “fresh” version) was just released, and it has had the capability to open ClarisWorks 5/AppleWorks 6 documents for some time including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database files as spreadsheets. Again, the degree of individual document complexity may alter your results. I have a bunch of AppleWorks documents here that present as:
As already stated, if an application associated with a document is no longer installed, you may see this icon, and it is not indicative that the content is necessarily an executable entity.
In the Finder, navigate to one of these icons, click once on it, and then press option+command+I (cap i). Unhide the extension if that is checked, and if it is .cwk, then you are dealing with an AppleWorks document. If it is a .pages extension, then you have an out of date, unsupported Pages document format. If the latter, there may be a way to salvage some content.
So there is no way of reading correspondence from just 15 years ago? Any program that emulates older Macs? I guess I'll just have to get an old Mac on eBay. What a bizarre situation for business, scholarly work, etc.
Documents appearing as 'Exec' files can be down to a combination of not having an Application installed that is compatible with those files, or the files not having a valid file extension, or both.
Do you know what type of file they are supposed to be?
What documents are these? I suppose they are yours so I may have an idea what they abd what program may have created them. They may appear this because they are not being recognized. If you can figure what they are supposed to be you may find current programs that can read them.
I have the same problem as E.Baum. And my files are created by Pages!!!! At one point, my Appleworks files became unreadable, and I had to open them with TextEdit and transfer them to Pages. To my utter astonishment and dismay, after a while the new version of Pages would not open the old Pages files!!! And now it is even worse: on icloud everything has become exec files, which I can't open at all. Many of these files are of immense value to me... I am shocked and disgusted by this lack of respect for users.
Try to add a .pages extension to the file.
At one point, my Appleworks files became unreadable, and I had to open them with TextEdit and transfer them to Pages. To my utter astonishment and dismay, after a while the new version of Pages would not open the old Pages files!!!
The original version of pages would open the AppleWorks docs, but not later versions.
I have yet to see a version of Pages that won't open older pages documents. The new Pages can even export into an old Pages file format.
the .exe file types belong to windows. You can send them to a windows computer and print them out or I believe you can change the .exe to something mac can read. exe are executable files. jpg files both types of computers can read.
They are probably quite old, and the software you had that created them is either missing or no longer functions.
What does File > Get Info say?
printer downloads
What? You have given me exactly no information to act upon. As I asked, what does File > Get Info reveal? Please describe what it says because I can’t read your Mac’s display from here.
Kind: Unix executable
Open with Terminal (2.7.3)
But I don't know how to operate Terminal...
Kind: Unix executable
Open with Terminal (2.7.3)
But I don't know how to operate Terminal...
ittlbok wrote:
the .exe file types belong to windows.
That has absolutely nothing to do with this post.
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How to open exec files?
