File Suffixes
Computer files come in many kinds, which are distinguished from each other by their suffixes. The suffix .exe means that a file is a program, .doc means it is a word processing document, and so on. This is, of course, pretty important information.
Microsoft, in designing Windows 95 and later versions, made a controversial decision in setting things up so that, unless you do something special, you don't get to see the suffixes.
If you want to restore your view of suffixes, do the following:
Click Start
Click Settings
Click Control Panel
Click Folder Options
Click on the View tab
Uncheck the box that says Hide File Extensions for Known File Types