Cannot open .BR8 file

A friend sent me (yes, I'm certain it was actually from my friend) a draft of a document that I need to read. It's an attachment with a .BR8 file extension. When I tried to open it, I got the "Windows can't open this file" message.

Following the "search the Web" option brought me to a download for a program called SpeedyPC. Instead of opening the attachment, though, it started scanning my system and finding loads of "problems" that needed to be fixed. This made me very suspicious. I stopped the scan, checked up on SpeedyPC, found this thread: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=247018 exposing it as malware (or at least junk), and uninstalled it.

Thanks for the warning on SpeedyPC, but that leaves me with my original problem: How can I open and read this .BR8 attachment? I prefer WordPerfect but getting it into Word or even WordPad will be fine.

 

Can you ask your friend what application he/she used to create the file?

It may be an old Broderbund file, not sure tho...

 

Cipher, thanks, your approach worked, though probably not in the way you anticipated.

I'm embarrassed to report that the "application" my friend used to create the file was his own lack of familiarity with computer practices. He created the document in WordPerfect, which he and I both use, but then he manually changed the extension to "BR8" so that he would know it was the eighth draft of the brief. He didn't realize how that would confuse Windows.

He's now re-sent it to me with a .wpd extension and all is well.

Cipher, I thank you for your time and your help. This thread is unlikely to enlighten anyone else anywhere in the world, so if some admin can delete it, that would probably be a good idea.

 

Glad you got it figured out. Someone may read this, I don't think the" Powers That Be" delete threads that are useful...