How to open a db file -- was: Need to know

[Mike]

With a file of unknown type and origin you get the opportunity to be a 
detective.  Although I don't know of an absolutely conclusive way to 
determine the origin of the file there are three things I would do in this 
situation.

1) Do a Google search on the file extension (.db in this case).  Someone 
else on the list apparently did that and got a long list of possibilities.

2) Open an xterm window and use the "file" command on the file.  For 
example if the file name is 'data.db' simply type 'file data.db'.  The 
file command will "look" at a few bytes in the file and try to recognize 
what type of a file it is.

3) Use 'hexdump' on the file.  This will allow you to see the bytes in the 
file and hopefully gleen some useful information.  Again open an xterm and 
type: 'hexdump -C data.db | less'.  This will give you a screen full of 
what usually looks like garbage.  Use the space bar to get to the next 
screen or the up/down arrows to move up and down a line at a time.  The 
potentially useful stuff is at the right side of the display.  With some 
file types you can actually see what application created the file and/or 
make some sense about what the file contains.

Hope that helps.

-- Mike

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007, Art Giles wrote:

> Hi do not know it was sent to me to look at a manual. By a friend.
> Thanks
> Art (Dad)
>
>>>>> Hi how do you open a db file