Sorting by date created in Explorer

[Guest]

I need to sort files by date, but the dates that Explorer show are not
actually the dates that a file was modified or created (I have both fields
showing). They are actually the date that the file was last opened.

Is there any way to truly sort by the date that a file was created or
modified?

Thanks.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Date created is the date the file was created on the partition. If you move
that file to a different partition, it gets a new Date Created. Date
Modified should NOT be amended when a file is simply opened, only if the
file has been changed, however minor that change might be. Are you only
referring to a certain type of file, ones that you only use with a certain
application? Possibly, the application is pulling a fast one and changing
the Date Modified whenever the file is closed? Or perhaps the file *is*
changed by the nature of the app?

 

[Guest]

These particular files are powerpoint files. I'm not sure exactly what a
partition is, but the files are never moved, and the dates created and
modified don't indicated that they have been. The files are on a network
drive, if that matters.

I guess powerpoint is doing something to indicate to Explorer that they have
been changed. This has, however, been a problem with word and excel files as
well.

If anyone has any idea how I can sort these by the date they were truly
created, I'd be eternally grateful.

 

[Guest]

I am just testing what I said below about opening a file and having the date
modified and created changed, and it is NOT changing unless I save it. So, I
must have inadvertently saved some files in the past.

However, this does not explain the date created issue. Many of the files
have a created date that is a few months later than the modified date. One
file, for example, was created 4/24/07, and modified 2/13/07.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

As I said, Date Created can be changed by copying or moving the file to a
location other than the partition (disk) it's now on. Or from a CD to the
HD, or from the net, etc. It is quite common for Date Created to be later
than Date Modified. No, I don't know any way to know the "true" date created
except to add it to the files metadata, however that's done in the
respective program. With regard to your mention of a network share (in your
reply to me), I don't *think* that would affect the Date Created
differently.

If you don't get a better answer here, I recommend you ask in an Office
group if the files you're primarily concerned with are Office files. There
is probably metadata in the files themselves that will give you what you
need. Then you can use a macro to sort, perhaps.