Students, teachers, and schools don't always have the same software to use for work. When this happens, there is sometimes an issue with compatability and opening the file on another computer. For example, a student emailed a paper to her teacher. The student used Microsoft Works to create the file. The file extension is .wps for this type of file. The teacher was unable to open the file because her computer did not have Microsoft Works. So, what do you do?
When you try to open a file with an extension your computer doesn't recognize, it will usually give you an error message and a window with a choice to either let the computer search for software to open the file, or let you pick the software. I always pick the software. How do I know which software to pick? I use the software that I have that I would use to create that type of file. If it is a document, I will try to open it using Microsoft Word. If it is a spreadsheet, Excel, and so on. If I have no idea, I try using Word first. Once the file is opened and you can view it, you can "Save As" the file to a format that you use.
In this case, I used Word to open the Works file, and then saved it as a Word document and gave it back to the teacher. She can now read and comment on the paper using Word.
If you try this and it still doesn't work, try letting the computer search for a program to open it. If that doesn't work, look at the file extension (the three letters after the . ) and do an online search for that extension. You can then see what software was used to create the file and search for tips on how to convert it for your own use.