Column in folder to show "in use" or "file open"

[wal]

Is their a folder column attribute that reflects whether a file is
open or in use, or perhaps gives the name of the user who has the file
open now? Thanks.

 

[glee]

Is their a folder column attribute that reflects whether a file is
open or in use, or perhaps gives the name of the user who has the file
open now? Thanks.

Not in Windows Explorer, no. It's not a feature that's built into
Windows XP anywhere, that I know of.

 

[Char Jackson]

Not in Windows Explorer, no. It's not a feature that's built into
Windows XP anywhere, that I know of.

You can see some of that information by right clicking on Computer and
selecting Manage, then expanding the Shared Folders tree and looking
in Sessions and Open Files.

I sometimes use that to see who has files open on my media server.

 

[glee]

You can see some of that information by right clicking on Computer and
selecting Manage, then expanding the Shared Folders tree and looking
in Sessions and Open Files.

I sometimes use that to see who has files open on my media server.

Really? I just opened a number of files on my computer, and that shows
nothing.

 

[Char Jackson]

Really? I just opened a number of files on my computer, and that shows
nothing.

Oops, my mistake, I thought you guys were talking about network
shares. If you're talking about local files, then no, I don't know of
an easy way to get that information.

In a local context, it's obvious that Windows knows which files are
open and which process is responsible, and by extension who owns that
process, but I don't know of a utility that extracts that information
and makes it available.

 

[glee]

Oops, my mistake, I thought you guys were talking about network
shares. If you're talking about local files, then no, I don't know of
an easy way to get that information.

I had a feeling that's what you were talking about, when you mentioned
your media server.

 

[Paul]

Is their a folder column attribute that reflects whether a file is
open or in use, or perhaps gives the name of the user who has the file
open now? Thanks.

Open files can be determine by Processor Explorer or by Handle.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/sysinternals

(See descriptive text for "Handle" for hints)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896655

"For example, if you wanted to know which process (if any) has

c:\windows\system32

open, you could type:

handle windows\system
"

The toughest part of using "handle" at times, is figuring out
the name of the thing you're looking for. Like, if you want
to know if a virtual serial port is open or not.

With Process Explorer, I think you can click a process, and
view all the files it has open, in the lower pane. It's another
way to get the "handle" capability.

*******

Originally, a "handle" referred to a doubly dereferenced pointer type.
It allows one level of pointer indirection to be changed, without
the code being aware. And was used in the MacOS as far as I can
remember. There may have been some interlock, to prevent a
handle update from colliding with a dereference attempt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handle_(computing)

But the above Sysinternals article, refers to open files as if
they used the handle software technique. And I don't know if it's
the same as the way the MacOS worked or not. Otherwise, it would be
hard to figure out why the word "handle" is being used for this, at all...

Paul

 

[Nil]

Oops, my mistake, I thought you guys were talking about network
shares. If you're talking about local files, then no, I don't know
of an easy way to get that information.

In a local context, it's obvious that Windows knows which files
are open and which process is responsible, and by extension who
owns that process, but I don't know of a utility that extracts
that information and makes it available.

Process Explorer and Process Monitor by Microsoft Sysinternals will
tell you that.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals

 

[glee]

Process Explorer and Process Monitor by Microsoft Sysinternals will
tell you that.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals

System Information for Windows (SIW) also shows Open Files as one of its
options, with a column in its list of them that shows who or what has
the file open.
http://www.gtopala.com/

There are a few 3rd party programs that will give such info.... but
there is nothing built into Windows that gives that level of info.