Windows XP--opening an attachment which ends with "exe"

[Norm Terreri]

I have an attachment to an e-mail which ends in "exe". My
computer put a "red check" on it and will not open it.
There is a message-- "for security reasons, by default,
exe file extensions cannot be opened. Thanks, Norm

 

[Jason Haynes]

Gonna need to know what e-mail client you're using.

 

[pjp]

What's it matter what email client?

If it's an "exe" file as an attachment you'd never want to directly just
"open" it. If you must, save it to hard disk and run complete recently
updated virus scanner on it first.