File extension can be considered a type of metadata. They are commonly used to infer information about the way data might be stored in the file. The exact definition, giving the criteria for deciding what part of the file name is its extension, belongs to the rules of the specific filesystem used; usually the extension is the substring which follows the last occurrence, if any, of the dot character (e.g. txt is the extension of the filename readme.txt, html the extension of mysite.index.html).
On file systems of mainframe systems such as MVS, VMS, and PC systems such as CP/M and derivative systems such as MS-DOS, the extension is a separate namespace from the filename. Under Microsoft's DOS and Windows, some extensions, including EXE, COM, BAT, and CMD, indicate that a file is an executable program. This is different from Unix-like operating systems, where a suffix is not a separate namespace, and where even having a suffix is voluntary, as file system permissions are used to decide whether a file is executable.
With the advent of graphical user interfaces, the issue of file management and interface behavior arose. Microsoft Windows allowed multiple applications to be associated with a given extension, and different actions were available for selecting the required application, such as a context menu offering a choice between viewing, editing or printing the file.
Pre-OS X versions of the Mac OS disposed of filename extensions entirely, instead using a file type code to identify the file format. Additionally, a creator code was specified to determine which application would be launched when the file's icon was double-clicked. Mac OS X, however, uses filename suffixes, as well as type and creator codes, as a consequence of being derived from the Unix-like NEXTSTEP operating system, which did not have type or creator code support in its file system.
File extensions problems are a very normal thing that one faces while operating a computer are due to the registry which undergo changes as soon as a new software or game or any other thing is installed or uninstalled. A software generally when installed becomes the default software for that kind of file and when another similar software is installed then again the default software changes.This brings about changes in the registry and brings about registry errors and honce File Extension problems. This is why it is very necessary to know about all this and have a registry cleaner whoch cleans all the registry errors.Some common file extensions are PDF,DAT,PPS,DLL,XLS,3GP,FLV,DMG,MP4,BIN,RAR.
