~File Extensions

Meanings for Most of the Main Ones  -  By Simon Burrows


~Section 1 - Still Graphics Extensions

BMP  -  OS/2 or Windows Bitmap
CUT  -  Dr Halo
DIB  -  OS/2 or Windows DIB
GIF  -  Compuserve GIF
IFF  -  Amiga
IMG  -  GemPaint
JIF  -  JPEG, JFIF Compliant
JPG  -  JPEG, JFIF Compliant
LBM  -  Deluxe Paint
MAC  -  MacPaint
MSP  -  Microsoft Paint
PCD  -  Kodak Photo CD
PCX  -  Zsoft Paintbrush
PIC  -  PC Paint
RAS  -  Sun Raster Images
RLE  -  Compuserve or Windows
SDR  -  SuperSketch Sketches
TGA  -  Truvision Targa
TIF  -  Tagged Image File Format  (TIFF)
WMF  -  Windows Meta File


~Section 2 - Moving Graphics (animation) Extensions

ANI  -  Amiga/Deluxe Paint ANIM
FLC  -  Autodesk Animator FLIC  (Ususally higher res. than below)
FLI  -  Autodesk Animator FLIC
RIF  -  Amiga Zeotrope
SEQ  -  Atari ST Cyber SEQ


~Section 3 - Sound and Music Extensions

CMF  -  Creative Music File
MID  -  Musical Instrument Digital Interface File
MOD  -  Module File  (Usually 4 track)
MTM  -  Multi-Track Module  (Between 8 and 16 tracks usually)
ROL  -  Roland File
SAM  -  General Music Sample
VOC  -  Creative Labs Voice File
WAV  -  Microsoft Wave File


~Section 4 - Word Processing Extensions

DCA  -  Displaywrite
DOC  -  Microsoft Word/Word for Windows
DOC  -  Wordperfect
RTF  -  RTF
WRI  -  Microsoft Write
WPS  -  Microsoft Works Word Processor


~Section 5 - Unformatted  (DOS-Based)  Text Extensions

NOTE:  These are all purely guidelines and are by no means the
       extensions always used, because ANY could be used.

1ST  -  Readme File  (Usually README.1ST)
DOC  -  General Product Documentation
FAQ  -  Document of Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
HLP  -  Product Help File
MAN  -  Text-Based Manual File
ME   -  Readme File  (Usually READ.ME)
NFO  -  Information Text
NOW  -  Readme File  (Usually README.NOW)
TXT  -  General DOS Text


~Section 6 - Windows Extensions

BMP  -  OS/2 or Windows Bitmap
CAL  -  Calendar File
CLP  -  Clipboard File
CRD  -  Cardfile
GRP  -  Group File
ICO  -  Icon File
PAL  -  Paintbrush Colour File
PCX  -  Paintbrush File
PIF  -  Program Information File
REC  -  Macro Recorder File
TRM  -  Terminal File
WAV  -  Microsoft Wave File
WRI  -  Write File


~Section 7 - Archive Extensions

001  -  Microsoft Backup  (1st file is 001, 2nd, 002 etc.)
ARC  -  Pkarc Compressed
ARJ  -  Arj Compressed
LZH  -  Lharc/Lha Compressed
ZIP  -  Pkzip Compressed
DWC  -  ¿
LBR  -  ³____Other compressed-file files
PAK  -  ³    (not sure of software they're made from)
ZOO  -  Ù


~Section 8 - DOS Extensions

BAT  -  Batch Files
BAK  -  Edlin Memory-Disk File
BIN  -  Binary Files
COM  -  Command Files
CHK  -  Chkdsk Lost File Allocation File
CPI  -  Code-page Information File
EXE  -  Executable Files
LOG  -  Scandisk Log File  (Usually SCANDISK.LOG)
REC  -  Recover Recovered File File
SYS  -  System Files
TMP  -  Temporary Files  (also created by other software)


~Section 9 - General Gaming Extensions

NOTE:  None of these are specific to any game, they are all
       the most commonly used extensions for various jobs.

SAV  -  Save game
CFG  -  Configuration  (what sound, graphics, memory  etc.)
HIS  -  High Score Table Information
DRV  -  General Hardware Drivers  (Joystick, SVGA Monitor etc.)