File extension WIM
| File type | Windows Imaging Format Archive Format |
| Developer | Microsoft |
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What is a WIM file?
File with a .WIM extension contains a disc image stored in an imaging format based on files it holds. It was introduced to Vista version of Windows system and it enables to place a singular image on many platforms, mainly for purpose of managing drivers’ files or updates with no necessity to initiate the operating system.
WIM files also enable to start a computer from a WIM disc image. It may also contain many different images which can be mounted as virtual discs – new volumes in Windows system.
Program(s) that can open the .WIM file
How to open WIM files
If you cannot open the WIM 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 WIM 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 WIM file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the WIM format files
The inability to open and operate the WIM 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 Windows Imaging Format Archive Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a WIM file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the WIM file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the WIM from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the WIM format
- The WIM 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 WIM file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a WIM file are out of date.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 WIM file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the WIM file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the WIM file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .adz | Amiga Emulator Compressed ADF Format |
| .aff | Advanced Forensics Format Disk Image |
| .ashdisc | Ashampoo Disk Image Format |
| .atr | Atari 8-bit Disk Image |
| .avhd | Microsoft Hyper-V Differencing Disk Format |
| .b5i | BlindWrite Image Format |
| .b5t | BlindWrite Image Format |
| .b6i | BlindWrite Image 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.WIM) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected WIM 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 WIM 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. WIM) 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.