Adding Tags to files

[RemyMaza]

As much as I hate posting to this specific newsgroup, someone in here
may have the answer to my q's. I'm trying to find a way to add tags
to files or add any other information to certain files. I've noticed
a whole lot more options for Vista compared to XP, but I can't seem to
find any easy way to accomplish this. Actually while writing this, I
found an article that shows me how to do it, however, my Vista box
will not allow me to edit these fields. I left click and right click,
but I get no response from the O.S. at all.

This is the link I found:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/0acda837-dacc-4a88-bb01-43dc816ad3821033.mspx

Maybe someone could cordially walk me through getting my tagging
ability back. I'd really appreciate it.

Regards,
Matt

 

[Guest]

Vista and XP are completely different in this respect - even though it looks
similar. In Vista only stuff stored in the file can be added. Where in XP
one could write alternate streams shadowing the file. Problem was in many
cases moving the file lost the added info in the shadow file.

You need to be specific.

 

[Nonny]

As much as I hate posting to this specific newsgroup, someone in here
may have the answer to my q's. I'm trying to find a way to add tags
to files or add any other information to certain files.

What are "certain files"??? Notice in that article that "you can't
add or modify the properties of TXT or RTF files."

 

[Tim Slattery]

Vista and XP are completely different in this respect - even though it looks
similar. In Vista only stuff stored in the file can be added. Where in XP
one could write alternate streams shadowing the file. Problem was in many
cases moving the file lost the added info in the shadow file.

I suspect that what you call "shadow files" are NTFS "Alternate Data
Streams". (I have a discussion of them here:
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt/Streams.html). They are an NTFS
thing, not an XP or Vista thing. I don't have a Vista system in front
of me (I have it at home, but not at work), but AFAIK Vista uses them
just as XP does for storing information about some files, ie:
right-click, properties, "Summary" tab.

 

[Guest]

I called them alternative streams

Vista doesn't use streams. Streams are there and are fine, but Vista doesn't
use them. All is file based. This is the big change in Properties. Note OLE
Compound files are unaffected.

 

[RemyMaza]

" As much as I hate posting to this specific newsgroup, someone in here
 may have the answer to my q's."

Now that's a well thought-out opening phrase.

Thanks ;-)

 

[RemyMaza]

I suspect that what you call "shadow files" are NTFS "Alternate Data
Streams". (I have a discussion of them here:http://members.cox.net/slatteryt/Streams.html). They are an NTFS
thing, not an XP or Vista thing. I don't have a Vista system in front
of me (I have it at home, but not at work), but AFAIK Vista uses them
just as XP does for storing information about some files, ie:
right-click, properties, "Summary" tab.

Thanks for that link. That command dump within that link solved
another problem I had too. Sweet a 2fer.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Tim Slattery]

I called them alternative streams

Vista doesn't use streams. Streams are there and are fine, but Vista doesn't
use them. All is file based. This is the big change in Properties. Note OLE
Compound files are unaffected.

Oh, I see. They dropped the "Summary" tab for general files, things
that don't have a place in the file itself for meta-data. So the tab
still appears for things like jpg, mp3, and the office (OLE Compound,
as you said) files, but not for *.txt and other simpler things.
Bummer!