Question:

How can I view AOL .art files on Windows 11?

I have some AOL .art files that I retrieved from a floppy disk, but none of the online file converters I tried could open them. These files are a proprietary image format used by AOL in the past. I am using an HP computer with Windows 11 as the operating system. What are some free and reliable methods to view these files on my computer? I appreciate any guidance you can offer.

Answer:

AOL .art files are a type of compressed image files that were used by AOL (America Online) in the 1990s and early 2000s. They were designed to reduce the bandwidth and storage requirements for online images, especially for dial-up users. However, they are not compatible with most modern image viewers or editors, and online file converters may not recognize them either. If you have some AOL .art files that you want to view on your Windows 11 computer, you may need to use some special software or methods to do so. Here are some free and reliable options that you can try:

• Use an old version of AOL software. One of the easiest ways to view AOL .art files is to use the software that created them in the first place. You can download an old version of AOL software, such as AOL 9.0, from [here](https://www.oldversion.com/windows/aol/). After installing it, you can open the AOL .art files with the AOL Image Viewer, which is included in the software. You can also save the files as other formats, such as JPEG or BMP, for easier viewing or editing later.
• Use a third-party AOL .art viewer. Another option is to use a dedicated program that can open and convert AOL .art files. One such program is [XnView](https://www.xnview.com/en/), which is a free and powerful image viewer and converter that supports over 500 formats, including AOL .art. You can download XnView from [here](https://www.xnview.com/en/download/). After installing it, you can open the AOL .art files with XnView and save them as other formats, such as PNG or TIFF, for better quality and compatibility.
• Use a hex editor to extract the JPEG data. A more advanced and technical method is to use a hex editor to manually extract the JPEG data from the AOL .art files. A hex editor is a tool that allows you to view and edit the raw binary data of any file. You can use any hex editor that you are comfortable with, such as [HxD](https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/), which you can download from [here](https://mh-nexus.de/en/downloads.php?product=HxD). After opening the AOL .art file with the hex editor, you need to find the JPEG header, which is a sequence of bytes that indicates the start of a JPEG image. The JPEG header usually begins with `FF D8 FF E0` or `FF D8 FF E1`. You can use the search function of the hex editor to locate it. Once you find the JPEG header, you need to select everything from there to the end of the file, and copy it to a new file. Then, you need to save the new file with a .jpg extension. You should be able to open the new file with any image viewer or editor that supports JPEG.

These

are some of the ways that you can view AOL .art files on Windows 11. Depending on your preference and skill level, you can choose the method that suits you best. Hopefully, this article has helped you to solve your problem and satisfy your curiosity. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading!