The exe file extension. No, we're not talking about the other X-Files, with agents Mulder and Scully. Those familiar, although mostly hidden, application engines, the ones that start everything. They're absolutely necessary and also often hazardous.
The Key To Almost Everything
Offhand, what would you say is the most vital part of your personal computer? Your monitor? Keyboard? Mouse? Your hard drive or CPU or memory?
How about your exe file extension? Do you ever think of those?
No reason you should, not really. These days, the exe file extension, which means "executable file," tends to be muted, hidden behind flashy icons, but it's still there, just like in the old personal computer days of MS-DOS.
As hidden as they appear to be, exe files still do pretty much the same thing as always. They make stuff happen. Whenever you click on an icon, you're essentially telling an exe file to begin. The exe files are vital and crucial components of our personal computers.
Look Before You Click
But like pushing a random button or opening a letter with no return address, exe files aren't always good things. They're just little bits of code, after all, that tell an application how to begin. An application that sometimes, rarely but sometimes, can be up to no good.
I'm talking about malware, of course, viruses and the like, which is why a strange or unknown EXE file should always be treated with suspicion unless you absolutely know what it does. A little caution goes a long way when it comes to EXE files.
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