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How to Stop Windows Hiding Files and Folders
By default, Windows hides some files and folders that Microsoft
considers to be part of the Windows Operating System.
The idea is to save users from self-harm by discouraging them from
entering these proscribed areas and going on a rampage of deleting
files.
If you have to do any form of maintenance or problem solving on your
PC then you'll soon find yourself straying into these areas and you'll
quickly
become frustrated if
Explorer windows are only showing you a filtered version of what's
actually there.
This is the sanitised view of a typical C: drive:-
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This is what's really there:-
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To make Windows display all files:- Click Start - My Computer
then click on Tools - Folder Options - View
and change the options in the
Advanced settings window to how they appear below.
The 3 settings that have been changed are indicated with red arrows:-
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Click OK and the new settings will take effect immediately.
Include Hidden files when Searching
Even after making the above changes so that Explorer windows will
display these files, they still won't be included when using the built-in
Windows search function.
To include hidden files in a search, in the Search main window, click on the right-facing
arrowhead next to More advanced options. The arrowhead then faces
downwards and more options are revealed.
Tick the 3 option shown below to include hidden files in your search:-
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Super-Hidden Files
This is not the end of the story as Microsoft still has some more trickery
to hide folders from users who, otherwise, have full administrative
rights to a computer. The following is an example of some files and
folders on your hard drive you'll have trouble seeing:-
System Volume Information
This is the folder directly under the C: drive, and usually on all
other hard drive partitions as well.
Double-click on the folder in an Explorer window and this is what you get:-
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Preventing access to this folder isn't really a trick, it's just that
the default security permissions only allow access for System, which
means just Windows itself:-
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If you have Windows XP or Vista Home, the only way you'll see a folder's Security tab is to
boot into Safe Mode and logon as Administrator.
In XP Pro it's only visible if you've deselected:-
"Use simple file sharing" in
Control Panel - Folder Options - View
which, you guessed it, is selected by default.
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You can right-click on the System Volume Information folder and choose:-
Properties - Security and Add - Full Control access for Administrators.
Then you'll be able to see what's hidden inside:-
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It's where Windows stores the System Restore information which is a
disaster recovery measure which allows
you to set your PC's configuration back to a point in time before a
problem occurred. In the example above, there are 3 Restore Points
available.
To perform a System Restore you use the tool called, unsurprisingly,
System Restore which can be found in: Start - All Programs -
Accessories - System Tools
It doesn't disrupt the operation of System Restore to leave the extra
access permissions on the System Volume Information folder.
The Strangest Folder on your Computer
This is:
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C:\Documents and Settings\<Windows logon name>\Local
Settings\Temporary Internet Files |
(You should substitute your username for <Windows logon name> )
If you've made the changes in the first part of this page, you should
now be able to see this folder using Windows Explorer:-
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You'll find Windows Explorer in:-
Start - All Programs - Accessories
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It shows 8 files (often there are many more) related to Internet Explorer's cache.
But what does a Command Prompt window show?
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It shows one file, desktop.ini and 5 folders, not
shown in the first listing,
while the 8 files shown in the first listing are missing from this
Command Prompt listing.
If you now log-off and log-on again with a different administrator-level
user and go to this folder using Windows Explorer, the Command Prompt
listing is then confirmed:-
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This time, the folder
is not part of the logged-on user's active profile.
Note that
My Documents has changed to John Smith's Documents
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Another trick that this folder can perform is to contain
multiple files with the identical name.
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This really is your computer's Twilight Zone.
So why is Windows hiding folders and showing other files that aren't there?
On the one hand it doesn't really matter - perhaps the Internet
Explorer Development Team got over-excited one day.
On the other hand it shows that Microsoft is prepared to fiddle with
the internal workings of Windows in order to make Windows Explorer tells
lies for, what appears to be, trivial reasons, probably, they would say,
for the user's own protection.
That hidden folder name that begins with OLK is where Outlook
temporarily stores email attachments, but if Outlook is closed with an
email containing the attachments still open, then the files are never deleted.
This can be a useful place to look if you're wanting to find an
attachment someone sent you a while a go and you've lost the original
email:-
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Rootkits
Rootkits are "super-viruses" that modify Window's internal workings
so that the virus's files are invisible to you in Explorer windows and,
worse still, are invisible to your anti-virus program. Rootkits do a
more thorough job of hiding things than some of the Windows tricks
we've described earlier.
Rootkits certainly exist as, in 2006, Sony got into a lot of trouble for
installing a rootkit from a music CD in order to hide it's copy
protection software on users' PCs.
Usually the only way to detect a rootkit on your PC is to boot from a CD
containing a scanning program.
The ability of anti-virus
programs
to detect rootkits is improving and they can usually
detect known rootkit installation programs before they go invisible.
However, if your PC is behaving oddly and you've exhausted all logical steps to
fix it then it's worthwhile scanning for rootkits.
The Moral of the Story
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You can never be 100% sure that Windows is telling you the
truth when it displays file listings |
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If a search says a file doesn't exist on your hard drive
when you felt sure it should be there, it's usually worth a look
with Windows Explorer or even from a Command Prompt window, in the location you think the file should be |
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Hidden files are not always Microsoft's fault but could be
an evil rootkit in stealth mode |
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