Can't see files in Windows Explorer - can in search

  • Thread starter Thread starter Laurel
  • Start date Start date
L

Laurel

If I use Agent Ransack to search for all files on C named *.edb, I see a
bunch of contacts.edb in these locations

c:\Documents and Settings\<my identity>\local settings\application
data\microsoft\windows live contacts\(a number of different folders with hex
names)

But if I hopen those hex folders via explorer, it looks like they're empty.
In Tools\Folder Options\View I do have "show hidden files and folders"
checked. Is there yet another layer of hiddenness?
 
Laurel said:
If I use Agent Ransack to search for all files on C named *.edb, I see a
bunch of contacts.edb in these locations

c:\Documents and Settings\<my identity>\local settings\application
data\microsoft\windows live contacts\(a number of different folders with hex
names)

But if I hopen those hex folders via explorer, it looks like they're empty.
In Tools\Folder Options\View I do have "show hidden files and folders"
checked. Is there yet another layer of hiddenness?

In the "More advanced options" enable "Search system folders" & "Search
subfolders"

John
 
John said:
In the "More advanced options" enable "Search system folders" & "Search
subfolders"

Sorry, I misread your post. In the Tools\Folder Options\View remove the
check mark on "Hide protected operating system files"

John
 
In John John - MVP typed on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:27:29 -0300:
Sorry, I misread your post. In the Tools\Folder Options\View remove
the check mark on "Hide protected operating system files"

There are some files that won't show up no matter what if I recall
correctly. I can't think of an examples of this offhand, except I
believe you can see more fonts under a third party file manager than
what Explorer will show you. I am going by my old fuzzy memory.
 
Referred to as "Super Hidden", to show requires a Registry change.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"SuperHidden" = 1
 
The "Hide protected operating system files" in the Folder Option toggles
this value between 0 and 1.

John

R. McCarty said:
Referred to as "Super Hidden", to show requires a Registry change.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"SuperHidden" = 1

BillW50 said:
In John John - MVP typed on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:27:29 -0300:
There are some files that won't show up no matter what if I recall
correctly. I can't think of an examples of this offhand, except I believe
you can see more fonts under a third party file manager than what Explorer
will show you. I am going by my old fuzzy memory.
 
In undisclosed typed on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:59:30 +0100:
Use the following command in biterscripting (
http://www.biterscripting.com ) .



Code:
--------------------
lf -rng "*" "C:/somefolder"
--------------------


It will show you every file in and under C:/somefolder (including
subfolders). It will also show hidden, etc. files. If the file is
accessible to the disk driver, it will show it. Will work the exact
same way in all windows. -r means recursive, -n means show name only,
-g means go around errors.

Patrick

Windows Explorer is somehow crippled. You can select show all everywhere
and it still wont show everything. But third party file managers will
show all. I like the freeware A43 since it is very small and doesn't
modify Windows and can be ran from anywhere, even on a flash drive and
it is very portable.

Try looking at \Windows\Fonts

Try with Explorer. Then try with A43. See hundreds of more files? See
what I mean?
 
BillW50 said:
In undisclosed typed on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:59:30 +0100:

Windows Explorer is somehow crippled. You can select show all everywhere
and it still wont show everything. But third party file managers will
show all. I like the freeware A43 since it is very small and doesn't
modify Windows and can be ran from anywhere, even on a flash drive and
it is very portable.

Try looking at \Windows\Fonts

Try with Explorer. Then try with A43. See hundreds of more files? See
what I mean?

Hi Bill,

Actually Fonts is a special system folder, with its own special kind of
sneakiness. In the Fonts folder, when I click View, click Hide Variations
(Bold, Italic, etc.) the Status Bar below says: "174 font(s) (plus 115
hidden)". Even with Folder Options set to show hidden and super hidden files
like protected system files, Marlett.ttf is still hidden. In Command Prompt
you can see it with "attrib Marlett.ttf" (with attribute H,) or "dir
Marlett.ttf /a". You can also see Marlett in Character Map. And it shows up
in the Notepad, Format, Fonts list, as well as here in Outlook Express.
Marlett has the special symbols for dialog boxes, like the 3 slash marks in
the bottom right corner of windows, and the triangles when you click a
column header in details view. (And triangles on scroll bar buttons? :)

FWIW. --Richard
 
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