Windows XP Pocket Reference

Name

Notepad — \windows\notepad.exe

Synopsis

Start → Program → Accessories → Notepad

Notepad is a rudimentary text editor that allows you to view and modify .txt files (plain text files), .reg files (Registry patch files), .bat files (batch files), .ini files (configuration files), .html files (web pages), and any other ASCII text-based file type.

TIP

Notepad has no intrinsic formatting of its own, so any file that is opened in Notepad is displayed exactly as it is stored on the hard disk, with the proviso that only visible characters will be shown. Although binary files will look like gibberish, there are times when opening them in Notepad can be useful. For example, if you suspect that an image file or a movie file has the wrong filename extension, you can open it in Notepad to look for markers near the beginning of the file to help identify its format.

The Word Wrap feature (Edit → Word Wrap) will break apart long lines of text so that they are visible in the Notepad window without horizontal scrolling. However, no permanent changes will be made to the file, so you can use the Word Wrap feature without fear of damaging the integrity of the document.