.EX_ File Extension

An EX_ file is a Windows executable file renamed from ".exe" to ".ex_". It contains the exact contents of an .EXE file. EX_ files are commonly found on installation CDs, where the installer must first rename the file before executing it.

Renamed EX_ files are useful for preventing accidental or unwanted execution in Windows. For example, if the user accidentally double-clicks the file, it will not execute by default.

To make an EX_ file executable, rename the ".ex_" extension to ".exe". You can now double-click the file like any other EXE file.

An EX_ file may also be a Windows executable (.EXE) file compressed using some form of compression and renamed from ".exe" to ".ex_." EX_ files are used to decrease the size of EXE files so they can be included on software installation CDs and other space-limited external media. Users must decompress EX_ files using the Windows Command Prompt's expand command to transform them into installable EXE files.

EX_ files are commonly created using Makecab, a file compression utility included with Windows. Here is example syntax for creating the file program.ex_ from the file program.exe:

makecab program.exe

EX_ files created with Makecab can be decompressed back to their original form using the expand.exe command included with Windows. The program uses the following syntax:

expand program.ex_ program.exe

After expanding your EX_ file to an EXE file, you can double-click the EXE file to install the program it contains.