What is a .DED file?
A .DED file is a type of document created by a software called Dr. Engrave. Dr. Engrave is used by people who want to make designs for things like nametags, nameplates, and awards. This document can include both text and pictures, and it tells the engraving machine exactly how to make the design, including the size and where everything should go. It can use different kinds of pictures, like raster (which are made of pixels, like a photograph) and vector graphics (which are made of paths and can be resized without losing quality), as well as fonts that you can use on Windows computers. To actually create the engraving, you need a special machine made by Roland that works with these .DED files.
The only program that can open and work with .DED files is Roland Dr. Engrave. This means if you have a .DED file and you want to see or change the design, you need to have this specific program.
However, it's important to know about a dangerous computer virus called Nbes ransomware. This virus attacks computers by locking all the files it can find and changing their names by adding ".ded" at the end. So, if you had a file named "holidayphoto.jpg," the virus would change it to "holidayphoto.jpg.ded," and you wouldn't be able to open it anymore. The virus does this to many types of files, like spreadsheets, documents, pictures, videos, and even important system files. After locking the files, the virus shows a message demanding payment in Bitcoin to unlock them. This payment is usually a lot of money. The virus typically gets onto computers through bad emails that trick people into opening a harmful attachment.
So, if you see a .DED file but you weren't using Dr. Engrave to make an engraving design, it might be a sign that your computer has been infected by this ransomware virus. In that case, it's very important not to pay the ransom and to get help from a professional to safely remove the virus from your computer.
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