# .pif extension ... can I open this on a mac? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616 "2001-12-03T14:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/1 "2001-12-03T14:38:38Z")
I just received an e-mail attachment that’s called: > [@](#): > > HAMSTER.DOC.pif kind of odd, esp. since the e-mail header was > [@](#): > > “re: Renewal of vows/[name of the magazine where I work]” So I wouldn’t normally expect to see a file with the word “hamster” in it … but I WOULD expect to get an e-mail with a subject header like that. A quick search on .pif files indicates that they’re bad mojo. But, as I work on a Mac, most viruses/trojans/etc. aren’t much of an issue for me. Virex cleared the file. But what the heck is it? Can I extract the Word .DOC out of that .pif? Or is it all phony, and the .DOC extension is just part of the virus’s cover (so you think you should try to open it)? I’m e-mailing the sender to see what’s up, but in the meantime, what the heck is a .pif and is there any way to open the file on a mac? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/2 "2001-12-03T14:44:28Z")
That sounds suspiciously like a virus you’ve got there (although it would be a Windows-specific one). .pif files are program information files that (IIRC) tell Windows how to launch other applications, particularly old DOS ones, something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/3 "2001-12-03T14:47:23Z")
The reason it says .doc.pif is that by defaul, the recent versions of Windows hide the file extensions for known file types, so the file would look like hamster.doc and somebody would open it thingking it was just a document, but find themselves executing a virus. You should be pretty safe on a mac, but the best bet (if you want to open it) would be to open it specifically from a plain-text editor. ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/4 "2001-12-03T15:01:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by toadspittle \* > \*\*I just received an e-mail attachment that’s called: > > > [@](#): > > > > HAMSTER.DOC.pif > > kind of odd, esp. since the e-mail header was > > > [@](#): > > > > “re: Renewal of vows/[name of the magazine where I work]” > > \*\* This is a viral email. “.pif” files are bastard stepchildren from the days of Windows 3.1 (“PIF” stands for Program Information File) used to provide Windows 3.1 with extra information required to run old-fashioned DOS applications. Later versions of Windows, in the spirit of being quasicompatible with such ancient crap, will also “execute” .pif files, even though the .exe file format has since been modified to include all the information that used to have to go into the .pif and thus they are no longer necessary. The lengths we go to for the sake of a bunch of insane dried fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/5 "2001-12-03T15:15:16Z")
You have been sent the BadTrans virus. It’s everywhere just now. Don’t think it’ll infect a Mac though. Bin it. There’s nothing in the attachment of any interest to you. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/6 "2001-12-03T15:23:57Z")
Here’s what Symantec had to say about Badtrans: [W32.Badtrans.B@mm](http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.badtrans.b@mm.html) ([http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.badtrans.b@mm.html](http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.badtrans.b@mm.html)) Most important: > [@](#): > > Prevention > > Corporate email filtering systems should block all email that have attachments with the extensions .scr and .pif. > > Home users should not open any email that has an attachment in which the second extension is .pif or .scr. Any email that has such an attachment should be deleted. Hope this helps. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/7 "2001-12-03T16:55:34Z")
thanks all. To the trash it goes. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/8 "2001-12-03T18:38:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KellyM \* > **Later versions of Windows, in the spirit of being quasicompatible with such ancient crap, will also “execute” .pif files, even though the .exe file format has since been modified to include all the information that used to have to go into the .pif** Rubbish. Please explain how all my ancient DOS programs rotting away on their old 5.25" floppy disks have managed to spontaneously upgrade themselves to this “new” .exe format. ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pif-extension-can-i-open-this-on-a-mac/96616/9 "2001-12-04T23:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by psychonaut \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by KellyM \* > > **Later versions of Windows, in the spirit of being quasicompatible with such ancient crap, will also “execute” .pif files, even though the .exe file format has since been modified to include all the information that used to have to go into the .pif** > > Rubbish. Please explain how all my ancient DOS programs rotting away on their old 5.25" floppy disks have managed to spontaneously upgrade themselves to this “new” .exe format. \*\* Try reading what I wrote: the file _format_ has been modified, not the files themselves.