.exe extension on original Mac folders

k66 · Jan 31, 2018

Hi,
A USB pen or an SD card plugged into the Mc, some folders, all originals by Mac, are now displayed with an extension ".exe" and can not open. How to have access in?
This pen on another Mac, presents the folders normally. So it's a bug of "my" computer. I did Onyx maintenance yet...
Good ideas here?
Thank you

System: El Capitan v10.11.6
Model ID: MacBookPro5,2
Processor name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor speed: 2.66 GHz
Total number of hearts: 2
Memory: 8 GB

IWT · Jan 31, 2018

Hi and welcome.

EXE is a file extension for an executable file format; that is, a particular kind of file that is capable of being executed or run as a programme on the computer.

It is more or less confined to Microsoft Windows and must have been created on a Windows' computer or downloaded from the internet in this form

It cannot be read by macOS.

Ian

k66 · Jan 31, 2018

IWT said:
Hi and welcome.

EXE is a file extension for an executable file format; that is, a particular kind of file that is capable of being executed or run as a programme on the computer.

It is more or less confined to Microsoft Windows and must have been created on a Windows' computer or downloaded from the internet in this form

It cannot be read by macOS.

Ian

Thanks Ian,
Maybe i wasn't clear enough : these items are folders, all created by Mac & other computer presents the folders normally.
My question is : How to have access in?

IWT · Jan 31, 2018

Hi again k66.

.exe files cannot be run on a Mac, natively; that is, you need to have Windows installed via Bootcamp or run Windows via Virtual Environment.

You can also use Wine, Crossover and the like, at your own risk, to open these.

Here are some articles explaining in more detail what I've said.

https://www.wikihow.com/Open-Exe-Files-on-Mac
https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/how-run-windows-apps-on-mac-3660718/

The bottom line is that .exe files cannot be created by a Mac - unless that Mac can also run Windows by one of the methods discussed in these articles.

How you have acquired these I can't say; but you cannot access them natively on a Mac.

If you do a Google search on ".exe" and another on ".exe and the Mac", you will see that what I'm saying is correct. No offence intended at all.

Ian

MacInWin · Jan 31, 2018

k66, try this: Right click (Option-click) on one of the misnamed folders, then select Get Info. In the resulting window, click on the lock icon bottom left and enter your admin password. Now in the "Name & Extension" box click on the name, use the right arrow key to move the cursor to the far right edge and backspace over the ".exe." Don't miss the dot. You should now get a warning about changing names like that. Go ahead and make the change, then close the window. The previously named .exe file should now appear as a folder. If it was, in fact, a folder and not a true .exe file, then you should be able to open the folder. However, if it was really a Windows Executable program, you won't be able to use Finder to open it because it's not really a folder after all. I cannot tell from your post whether or not it's a real folder or a real .exe file.

gsahli · Jan 31, 2018

What Jake said ... and...
I would start by using Disk Utility to repair the USB/flash drive.
It might help us to see all the file folder info using the Terminal - these commands:
df (to see what MacOS calls the flash drive)
cd /Volumes/"what the above command revealed"
ls -ale (to see the info in this format

drwxr_xr_x_ 8 greg staff 272 Feb 9 2016 Documents

k66 · Jan 31, 2018

MacInWin said:
in the "Name & Extension" box click on the name, use the right arrow key to move the cursor to the far right edge and backspace over the ".exe." Don't miss the dot.

Yes, I tried it and it does not accept because the name already exists, but it is not visible.

If I change the name, they become "executable Unix" all of size 1,476,263 bytes.

MacInWin said:
The previously named .exe file should now appear as a folder. If it was, in fact, a folder and not a true .exe file, then you should be able to open the folder. However, if it was really a Windows Executable program, you won't be able to use Finder to open it because it's not really a folder after all. I cannot tell from your post whether or not it's a real folder or a real .exe file.

These folders are still in the USB drive, they are displayed on another computer. Here they do not appear in the main display of the Finder, but yes with the command "Search".... They have been replaced by these ".exe" in the normal display of the Finder.
I tried to remove these parasites and the original folders do not appear anyway.

k66 · Jan 31, 2018

gsahli said:
What Jake said ... and...
I would start by using Disk Utility to repair the USB/flash drive.
It might help us to see all the file folder info using the Terminal - these commands:
df (to see what MacOS calls the flash drive)
cd /Volumes/"what the above command revealed"
ls -ale (to see the info in this format
drwxr_xr_x_ 8 greg staff 272 Feb 9 2016 Documents

I did SOS Disk Utility to repair. Nothing new.
I can't follow the Terminal use...

MacInWin · Jan 31, 2018

I'm sorry, but your posts are increasingly confusing to me.

You said

These folders are still in the USB drive, they are displayed on another computer.

Are you certain they are on the USB drive? IF they only appear when on another computer, I wonder if they are ON the other computer and not on the USB drive.

You also said

Here they do not appear in the main display of the Finder, but yes with the command "Search".... They have been replaced by these ".exe" in the normal display of the Finder.

This statement is totally confusing. Either they are on the USB drive or they are not. They can't have names changed. They are what they are. ".exe" is not used by the macOS for anything, so it is never going to name anything .exe unless you force it to. When you say "they do not appear" you are saying that in Finder, when you select the USB drive, the these files do not appear at all? But that somehow when you do some sort of search they show up but with names changed? That is, to be honest, impossible.

Finally, you said

I tried to remove these parasites and the original folders do not appear anyway.

How did you try to remove whatever it was you tried to remove? Did they not appear in the trash? Did you empty the trash if they did appear there?

If the search function you used was in Finder, be aware that that searches ALL attached devices so when these misnamed files appeared there they could have come from anywhere on your system, including all external drives and networked drives. To know where they are actually located you would need to right click on one, Get info and see where they are actually stored. You might try that to find out where these .exe files you are seeing are actually located because I suspect that they are NOT on the USB drive.

k66 · Jan 31, 2018

MacInWin said:
I'm sorry, but your posts are increasingly confusing to me.

I understand, this bug is so confusing. So many things "impossible" are here & confusing me.

MacInWin said:
Are you certain they are on the USB drive?

Yes, they are on the USB drive. These folders are still in the USB drive, they are displayed on another computer & here they appear with the command "Search"

MacInWin said:
IF they only appear when on another computer, I wonder if they are ON the other computer and not on the USB drive.

They are NOT on the other computer and only (by) on the USB drive. They not only appear on another computer, here they appear with the command "Search".

MacInWin said:
Either they are on the USB drive or they are not. They can't have names changed. They are what they are. ".exe" is not used by the macOS for anything, so it is never going to name anything .exe unless you force it to.

They are on the USB drive & they are not displayed by the main window. If ".exe" is not used by the macOS for anything, I guess Windows have done it when the USB drive was on another computer.

MacInWin said:
Finally, you said How did you try to remove whatever it was you tried to remove? Did they not appear in the trash? Did you empty the trash if they did appear there?

Here, (my fault, sorry) "try" wasn't the right word. I did (try) many things to understand & I did remove these .exe items, but the good ones do’nt appear by the main Finder window.

MacInWin said:
If the search function you used was in Finder, be aware that that searches ALL attached devices so when these misnamed files appeared there they could have come from anywhere on your system, including all external drives and networked drives. To know where they are actually located you would need to right click on one, Get info and see where they are actually stored. You might try that to find out where these .exe files you are seeing are actually located because I suspect that they are NOT on the USB drive.

I do the search function in Finder & only in the USB drive & the path is ok : these items ARE ONLY in the USB drive, & they are not displayed by the main window.

I came here to understand how the impossible are possible & repair it.

MacInWin · Jan 31, 2018

OK, thanks for the update. Finder will show every file on the USB drive that is not hidden. Please humor me for a moment and open Finder, select the list view, then on the top bar select View, and click on Show Path Bar. A path bar will appear at the bottom of the list of files. Now get to where you can see the nefarious .exe files (use Search if you have to) and then do one click on one of them and read what the path bar reports. From there you can see if these .exe are actually on the USB drive or not. The problem with Search is, as I said earlier, it's universal. It searches everywhere, not just in the directory or drive. Once the search is done, you can then select down from the default of "This Mac" to the folder in which the search was launched or in the Shared user files. But the default Search is "This Mac" and it just mixes everything together.

The only way I can see for these files to be on the USB and not visible in Finder is if they are set to hidden, but then Search wouldn't find them either. So, if Search is finding them, they cannot be on the USB. If they are on the USB, hidden, then Search is finding them somewhere else on your system. I don't think there are many other options, if any.

So do the list/path bar check and see if these found files are actually ON the USB or not. If they are there, then more drastic steps may be needed to sort out your system.

EDIT: I just tested and the path bar is visible on all the Finder display options once it has been selected from the View menu so you don't have to set to list view, just View/Set Path Bar and the bar should appear.

IWT · Jan 31, 2018

Hi k66

They are on the USB drive & they are not displayed by the main window. If ".exe" is not used by the macOS for anything, I guess Windows have done it when the USB drive was on another computer.

Which is pretty well what I said from the start. Someone on a Windows PC created the .exe files/Folders and they are not readable on a Mac - totally different operating systems.

I'm sorry you've had all this bother.

Ian

k66 · Feb 1, 2018

.
MacInWin, again : these items ARE ONLY in the USB drive, the path is clear : they are in the USB drive & they appear by the search function in Finder & they are NOT displayed by the main window.

IWT said:
Which is pretty well what I said from the start. Someone on a Windows PC created the .exe files/Folders and they are not readable on a Mac - totally different operating systems.

Well, & now, why these items are not displayed by the main window when the parasites are deleted ?
I did "SOS" by Disk Utility on the USB drive.

MacInWin · Feb 1, 2018

I simply cannot follow your description of what you are seeing because, partly, of the terms you are using. I don't know what a "parasite" is and there is no "SOS" function in Disk Utility that I am aware of. What you have described you are seeing is simply not possible. About all I can suggest is an erase and reformat of the USB drive and have the folders put there again. If the fails, backup your Mac, erase, reformat and reinstall the OS there. If the problem is in Finder, then Finder is a deeply integrated part of the operating system and cannot be fixed outside of a reinstall.

Good luck with it K66.

Sawday · Feb 1, 2018

K66 perhaps some screen shots of what you can see might be helpful

pm-r · Feb 1, 2018

Maybe the OP might want to try a web search on something like:
'mac folders with .exe'
https://www.google.ca/search?client...F-8&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=7mFzWsOTFJHU8AeSqaegAw

and have a look at some of the hits.

Might be something similar that might make sense or at least provide an explanation.

PS: Some Mac applications sometimes include some files with the .exe extension, but they are unique to the application. But not with folders.

- Patrick
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