- #Windows file details editor archive
- #Windows file details editor software
- #Windows file details editor Pc
- #Windows file details editor windows
#Windows file details editor windows
Not Content Indexed (I) : Windows has a search function which indexes all the files and directories in the drive in order to achieve faster results. It is therefore important to note that you should not rely solely on this setting to ensure critical files are backed up.
#Windows file details editor software
If the backup software uses incremental backups to backup these files, it will rely on the software to set the bit appropriately.
#Windows file details editor archive
Note that certain programs may modify the files without marking the archive attribute. Thus, when the backup software runs the next time, it will be able to identify the modified files by analyzing the archive bits, and backs up those files with the modified bits. Any software that subsequently make changes to the file is expected to set the archive bit. When the backup software archives or backs up the file, it resets the archive bit (tagging it zero or Off).
#Windows file details editor Pc
Some PC backup software (for example SyncBackPro and SyncBackSE) allows incremental backups by the user, which only backs up files that have changed since the previous backup. Archive (A) : This bit is used by software applications that modify files as well as backup software as a “communication link”.Directory (D) : This attribute is tagged to folders or sub-folders to differentiate them from files.System (S) : A file or directory used exclusively by the operating system which should not be altered or deleted.Hidden (H) : A file marked with the hidden attribute will be hidden from view under normal viewing conditions.Note that a Read-Only file will not prevent it from being deleted. This is useful if you want to write protect a file. Read-Only (R) : Read-Only attribute will prevent software programs from saving changes to a file.Below are the descriptions of each attribute: A read-only, hidden directory would have the attribute byte of 00010011, a result of the three attributes added together. A Windows operating system (Win32) stores the file attributes as 32-bit quantity, while the original MS-DOS file attributes only have 8 bits to store file attributes.īelow are the common attributes and the bits that represent them:Ī file may have more than one attribute mapped to it by adding the bits to form the byte attribute. (These are referred to as flagging or setting the attribute). To enable a certain attribute, the system will assign a ‘one’ to the corresponding bit, which represents the ‘On’ state. Listing of the Commonly Used AttributesĪ byte stores the attributes of a file, with each specific attribute assigned to a bit of a byte. They are used by the operating system and software applications to define file system behavior. Attributes can be in files, directories, volumes and certain system objects. They can exist in only one of two states – Set or Cleared like an On or Off state. What are File Attributes and What are They Used For?įile attributes are pieces of information associated with every file and directory that includes additional data about the file itself or its contents.
Knowing a little about File Attributes will help you understand why certain things happen with files, and why certain things can’t happen if an attribute is defined in a certain way.
Or let’s say a text editor program pops up an error message informing you the file is “read-only” when you’re trying to save changes to the file - you might ask yourself: how does the text editor know that the file is read-only? File Attributes tag files with additional information that Windows uses to act on. You might for example have wondered how the Windows operating system differentiates files that are visible from those that are hidden.
This article is all about understanding File Attributes in Windows. We use digital files every day, but it’s relatively rare we need to recognize the attributes of a digital file. Understanding Windows File Attributes Author: Conrad Chung, 2BrightSparks Pte.