Seek Out Hidden Files

Boldly open files that Windows never even let you see before.

You know you've stored a particular file on your hard drive, but you can't find it. This might be why: By default, My Computer and Windows Explorer won't display files that have the "hidden" or "system" file attribute switched on. This behavior, which can be darned inconvenient, also passes on to the Start, Find, Files and Folders command.

If you want to be able to browse and search for all the files on your system, from any My Computer or Windows Explorer window, choose View, Folder Options (in early versions of Windows 95, use the command View, Options.) Click the View tab, and under Advanced Settings, select "Show all files." You might also want to uncheck the "Hide file extensions for known file types" option. Click OK. Windows now displays the entire contents of any folder you peruse via My Computer, Windows Explorer, or the Find dialog.

If you're interested in checking out a specific file's attributes, right-click it and select Properties. Its attributes are listed at the bottom of the dialog. You can alter them there, too.

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