exec files?

[ineedhelppppppp]

So im trying to download mods for game, and most of them download correctly. When the files download they are always .package files. but with some of them, instead of the icon being like a blank piece of paper the icons are black with green letters that say exec and they wont run in the game. is there any possible way that i can make them useable?

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

So im trying to download mods for game, and most of them download correctly. When the files download they are always .package files. but with some of them, instead of the icon being like a blank piece of paper the icons are black with green letters that say exec and they wont run in the game. is there any possible way that i can make them useable?

Those files marked "exec" are likely some kind of executable Windows files. If the game you're downloading mods for can be played in both macOS and Windows, then it's understandable that there would be files for both. You are not going to be able to run them on your Mac unless you have Windows running in Boot Camp and the game loaded in Windows.

 

[harryb2448]

You might give File Viewer for Mac a try. Perhaps they are photo files etc. No promises alas.


https://macfileviewer.com

 

[Raz0rEdge]

These files must have some information that deems them to be executable and thus are marked as such. Depending on the game, you would need to load these mods based on their instructions. Some require you just to copy the files to a specific location, others may vary..

So what game is it?

 

[pigoo3]

Looks like add-on packs for Sims (or add on packs for another game). And if so...the question's/thought's are:

- Are they for the Mac or Windows version of the game?
- What OS version is required for the game (if an older game...newer Mac OS versions may not be compatible).
- Were they obtained legally?
- If they were obtained legally...then OP would have original install media, instructions, and installer app on how to do it & all would be good.

* Nick

 

[Slydude]

These may /may not be executables. I've had a few instances before where web pages I had saved were suddenly being identified as executables. I'm not sure if I ever figured out why. For some of the files I was able to change the extension and have the OS see them properly. That was only possible because I knew what the files were supposed to be.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

These may /may not be executables. I've had a few instances before where web pages I had saved were suddenly being identified as executables. I'm not sure if I ever figured out why.

I can tell you why. The files lost their type and creator information (which sometimes happens when a file is moved, especially from one hard drive to another), and they didn't have a suffix added to the names of the files to provide such information. Since the OS was without any meta data to use to identify the files, it could only generically identify them as Unix executable files.

(This is a different situation to the one that the OP has encountered.)

For some of the files I was able to change the extension and have the OS see them properly. That was only possible because I knew what the files were supposed to be.

Exactly. As soon as you gave those files a suffix, the OS knew what they were. Alternately, you could have used a utility to restore the invisible type and creator data to the flie(s) to the same effect.

 

[Slydude]

That would have been the cause Randy. Until you mentioned it I had forgotten about moving these files across one or more hard drives. Several years had passed between the time the files were created and the time I discovered the problem. I'm sure there was at least one hard drive transfer (possibly due to directory problems) and possibly several OS changes.

 

[chscag]

Come on guys.... look at what the OP was trying to do. Instead of all the merry go round about exec files, etc, it's very likely he downloaded game mods both for Mac and Windows and the Windows ones are showing up as exec files. Nick is probably right.

 

[Slydude]

Come on guys.... look at what the OP was trying to do. Instead of all the merry go round about exec files, etc, it's very likely he downloaded game mods both for Mac and Windows and the Windows ones are showing up as exec files. Nick is probably right.

I agree but we're still at the same point. In fact, it's possible that some of those files can be used on both platforms. Essentially the solution is to either:

1. Repeat the download and see if the same problem occurs.
2. Find out the correct extensions and apply them.

 

[pigoo3]

There's still the question of were these files obtained legally (versus a torrent site). If these were obtained legally...I think the OP would/should have all the instructions necessary to install properly. And/ or something silly could have been done...like downloading Windows game files from a torrent site & trying to install them on a Mac running the Mac OS.

And then there's always the OS version compatibility problem. Even if these files are for the Mac OS version of the game...someone could have Sierra installed...and trying to run an older game that's not compatible with Sierra.

- Nick