Why is my Mac doing this?

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Hi,

I need a few answers on compressing and decompressing if you can help. Lately, I haven't been able to run any .exe files at all. Most (maybe all) of the programs I download come in as the gold colored .exe file. When I double click on it, it becomes a .zip file, then double clicking on the .zip file brings it back to the .exe file. What's going on here?

A few weeks ago, I downloaded VLC video player and was able to install and run it successfully. But today I realized that the file is no longer on my Mac, so I downloaded it again. This time I was not able to install due to the back and fourth compress and decompress problem - the same problem I'm having with other programs I've downloaded.

Please note that I have Unarchiver installed.

Please explain if you understand the problem.

Thank you!
 
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.exe is a Windows type file. You can not run .exe files on your Mac.
 
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but i always look for mac compatible programs, so why would the come with .exe files?
 
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but i always look for mac compatible programs, so why would the come with .exe files?

I'm not sure about that. Maybe you are downloading the wrong file? I don't know.

Mac programs usually come in .dmg files.
 

dtravis7


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If you are downloading a file with an .EXE extension you are not downloading a OSX file. Can you provide an example URL to a file that is meant for OSX that has a .EXE extension? .EXE will not run on OSX and never has. It's a Windows Executable.
 
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Hi,

I need a few answers on compressing and decompressing if you can help. Lately, I haven't been able to run any .exe files at all. Most (maybe all) of the programs I download come in as the gold colored .exe file. When I double click on it, it becomes a .zip file, then double clicking on the .zip file brings it back to the .exe file. What's going on here?

<snip>

Please note that I have Unarchiver installed.

Please explain if you understand the problem.

Thank you!

As others have mentioned, .exe files only run under Windows. In OS X, The Unarchiver app associates itself with the .exe format, presumably since some compressed files come that way and it is able to reach in and pull the contents out without actually running the executable code.

In your case, for some reason Unarchiver (or perhaps some other app) is instead putting the .exe file into a .zip file. And of course, when you open the .zip file, Unarchiver is extracting the .exe file back out.
 
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Hi,

I need a few answers on compressing and decompressing if you can help. Lately, I haven't been able to run any .exe files at all. Most (maybe all) of the programs I download come in as the gold colored .exe file. When I double click on it, it becomes a .zip file, then double clicking on the .zip file brings it back to the .exe file. What's going on here?

A few weeks ago, I downloaded VLC video player and was able to install and run it successfully. But today I realized that the file is no longer on my Mac, so I downloaded it again. This time I was not able to install due to the back and fourth compress and decompress problem - the same problem I'm having with other programs I've downloaded.

Please note that I have Unarchiver installed.

Please explain if you understand the problem.

Thank you!

To Mac, the .exe file means nothing. An application in Mac should be .app thus remember to check them out before download. Besides, do not use Windows PC to download application for Mac.
 

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