File extension SYS
| File type | System Format |
| Developer | Microsoft |
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What is a SYS file?
Files with the .SYS extension contain settings, variables, and system functions used during system launch – for the DOS and Windows systems. They usually contain device drivers and other basic functions of the Windows operating system, without which it would not be able to work.
By default, the files are stored in the Windows catalog, and, for later versions, also in the Windowswinsxs catalog, in the part of the drive on which the system is installed. In the case of DOS, the most used SYS files are IO.SYS, which contain default device drivers and a program that initializes system launch, also used for Windows 9x-family systems. MSDOS.SYS contains the source code of the system core, namely the DOS kernel, whereas CONFIG.SYS contains the basic system configuration.
Program(s) that can open the .SYS file
Windows
Mac OS
How to open SYS files
If you cannot open the SYS file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports SYS among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the SYS file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the SYS format files
The inability to open and operate the SYS file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the System Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a SYS file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the SYS file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the SYS from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the SYS format
- The SYS file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the SYS file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a SYS file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the SYS file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the SYS file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the SYS file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .adm | Administrator Policy Template Format |
| .adml | Microsoft Administrative Language-specific XML Template Format |
| .admx | Microsoft Administrative XML Template Format |
| .aml | Microsoft Assistance Markup Language |
| .ani | Animated Cursor |
| .ann | Microsoft Windows Help Annotation Format |
| .aos | Archos Signed Encrypted Data Format |
| .asec | Google Android Encrypted Application Package Format |
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.SYS) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected SYS file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the SYS file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. SYS) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.