Hi Mike,
I'll try to answer each question:
I ran Anti Malware before I posted the question and no viruses were found.
The files were all created on the same computer that I'm using to open them.
I was able to change the extension to .doc but it didn't solve the problem.
They showed the .defect file extension in Explorer and I've attached a print screen to show the icons (that I've never seen before.)
Now, the strangest thing happened when I just attempted to copy one icon into word. Using the same procedure I've used to copy pictures, I right clicked on the icon, clicked "copy". When I moved to the document, I clicked on the "Paste' icon in the top menu and I got the original document in word format. I'll do the same with the other documents and hopefully I'll be able to save them all. I'm still sending you the icon and if you get any info about what may have happened, I'd really appreciate it so that I can make sure it doesn't happen again.
Thanks again, Ro