Files coloured blue in Explorer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alain Dekker
  • Start date Start date
Thanks Bob and Tim. I was not aware of this and both of those situations
apply to me.
i.e.  There are files which are infrequently accessed and I use 'disk
cleanup' all the time.
You learn something new every day :-)
Click to expand...

As you accumulate files, you may learn to dislike disk cleanup as it
takes longer and longer to complete. I think it is old fashioned and
from the days when disk space was really expensive. Here is a popular
tweak to speed up disk cleanup:

When you run Disk Cleanup, it calculates how much space you could save
on your HDD if you choose to compress
"old" files. If you have a million files XP thinks might need
compressing, it could take a long time to
figure that out and your system could appear to stop responding.
Sometimes users interpret this as a problem
with their system, but Windows is doing what you tell it to do.

It also may really be hung for some reason and even Microsoft tells
you how to stop this check for file compression in a knowledgebase
article (maybe they don't like it either).

If you have no interest in compressing old files, you can have Disk
Cleanup skip that calculation entirely.

You'll be cleaning up your system in no time when that check for files
that might need compressing is removed.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812248
 
First Twayne's got to acknowledge and overcome his registry cleaner
(oil-change) mentality. You know, like it's needed ... like an oil change
is - to improve the car's performance. ROFL!
 
In
Unknown said:
Take a blue colored .ini file. It isn't unzipped. It is opened by
Notepad. Try it.
Click to expand...

Did. It's exactly as I said it would be. If you don't see it, then y ou have
the defaulted ON feature turned OFF.

HTH,

Twayne
 
In
Gordon said:
No, not zipped, just compressed. If the file was zipped it would have
the "zipped" icon.
Click to expand...

No. It's called a "legacy" format of pkware's zip programs. The icon can be
anything MS or you want it to be.
 
joe said:
Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?
Click to expand...


By design, WinXP automatically compresses files that do not get used
frequently, and, if you've left the default settings intact, displays
those files in blue. If you wish to change this behavior, in Windows
Explorer, click Tools > Folder Options > View > Advanced settings: Show
encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
Twayne said:
In

No. It's called a "legacy" format of pkware's zip programs.
Click to expand...

No it isn't, the files are not zipped. NTFS compression is not the same
thing as zip.

John
 
I believe that is precisely why he has so many HD's.
He needs them so he can find at least one to use as restore media.
He runs registry cleaners so often he doesn't know which backup is good.
Didn't he say he had five HD's?
 
    By design, WinXP automatically compresses files that do not get used
frequently, and, if you've left the default settings intact, displays
those files in blue.  If you wish to change this behavior, in Windows
Explorer, click Tools > Folder Options > View > Advanced settings: Show
encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
Click to expand...

I would be curious to know how Windows decides what files I do not use
frequently. To do that, it would seem that it would have to know
something about every file on my system and somehow know when the last
time I used it. How does that work? Does it check all my files/
drives?

I'm not saying it does't, I just would like know how it determines
that and no.. - I have not checked every file on my system for blue
either

I have never seen a blue file on my system that I did not compress
myself for testing and this same XP has been installed for almost 5
years. Maybe it is somehow broken.
 
Suggestion: Do a disk cleanup with the option 'compress old files' checked.
It will then compress old files that you yourself did not personally do.
Widows keeps tract of many facts of files. How do you think (when doing a
backup)
only those files that changed are backed up after the initial backup is
done.? .
By design, WinXP automatically compresses files that do not get used
frequently, and, if you've left the default settings intact, displays
those files in blue. If you wish to change this behavior, in Windows
Explorer, click Tools > Folder Options > View > Advanced settings: Show
encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
Click to expand...

I would be curious to know how Windows decides what files I do not use
frequently. To do that, it would seem that it would have to know
something about every file on my system and somehow know when the last
time I used it. How does that work? Does it check all my files/
drives?

I'm not saying it does't, I just would like know how it determines
that and no.. - I have not checked every file on my system for blue
either

I have never seen a blue file on my system that I did not compress
myself for testing and this same XP has been installed for almost 5
years. Maybe it is somehow broken.
 
Jose said:
I would be curious to know how Windows decides what files I do not use
frequently. To do that, it would seem that it would have to know
something about every file on my system and somehow know when the last
time I used it. How does that work? Does it check all my files/
drives?
Click to expand...


If you were to open Windows Exlporer, right-click on any file and then
select "Properties," you'd see, on the General tab, the dates when the
file was Created, Modified, and/or last Accessed. While I don't know
the specific technical details, nor the specific length of time a file
must remain unused, I believe that the Last Accessed date is used.

I'm not saying it does't, I just would like know how it determines
that and no.. - I have not checked every file on my system for blue
either

I have never seen a blue file on my system that I did not compress
myself for testing and this same XP has been installed for almost 5
years. Maybe it is somehow broken.
Click to expand...


Or perhaps you turned off the default behavior? That would be easy
enough to check: Windows > Explorer, click Tools > Folder Options >
View > Advanced settings: Show > encrypted or compressed NTFS files in
color.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
What nerve making a comment such as that! You're ALWAYS emphatic but not
sure. (although you THINK you are)
 
Unknown said:
What nerve making a comment such as that! You're ALWAYS emphatic but not
sure. (although you THINK you are)
Click to expand...

No, he's sure, but he's often misinformed about some issues.

LOL. What a joke, this coming from you!
 
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