Trying to figure out what a program file does can be a challenge. That’s especially true when the file in question is one of many EXE and DLL files in a folder. When in doubt, right-click and choose Properties. For Windows program files and DLLs, the resulting dialog box contains a Version tab that includes all sorts of valuable information about the program, including the current version number and the developer’s name.
I use this technique all the time. Recently, for instance, I found that a file called Reader_sl.exe was loading automatically at startup. What is this file? A quick search revealed that it was in the Program Files folder, deeply nested in the Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader folder. When I inspected its properties, I found this information:
On my notebook computer, speed is at a premium, and I rarely read Acrobat files. Armed with this information, I looked in the Common Startup folder (%allusersprofile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) and deleted the SpeedLauncher shortcut. These details can also come in handy if you’re considering an upgrade to an installed program but aren’t sure exactly which version you currently have installed.
Ed Bott 