Summary: In an effort to avoid confusion, Windows will hide certain files and folders by default. Naturally that often leads to more confusion.
I often use Windows XP search to find a file that is somewhere on my computer. The search query will give the path of the specific file, but then if I go into Windows Explorer and try to find the path myself, I can only find part of the path, and then a dead end. Why is this?
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Windows is trying to be helpful, of course! It's "protecting" you from seeing things that it thinks might confuse you or somehow it thinks just "shouldn't be seen".
Of course in helping to avoid confusion it just confuses more. I know I don't want Windows to "help" me like this, so there are a couple of options I turn off every time I configure a new machine.
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The issue here is what are called "hidden" files. There's a simple setting for each and every file or folder on your system that you can set that says "hide this from everyday view":
By default hidden files are not displayed in Windows Explorer.
That's what I change.
Fire up Windows Explorer, and then:
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Click on the Tools menu
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Click on the Folder Options... menu item
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Click on the View tab
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In the Advanced Settings list, scroll down until you see both Hidden files and folders, and Hide protected operating system files.
You should be looking at something like this:
Make sure that Show hidden files and folders is selected. I also uncheck Hide protected operating system files - for much the same reason: I just don't want Windows hiding files from me.
Now as you navigate to the path that the search results gave you I think you'll find that a few more files and folders are visible along the way.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - How do I find a file on my machine?
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Ask Leo! - Where is Windows Explorer?
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Ask Leo! - How do I get Windows Explorer to display details by default?
Article C3114 - August 12, 2007
Another thing to mention is "hide extensions for known file types". Although it is unchecked in your screenshot, it is checked by default. Leaving this checked can cause confusion, as well as vulnerabilities to "social engineering" spam and viruses.
It can be confusing, for example, to see several files all with the same name. (They have different extensions, but the default is to hide the extension.) Or, to search for "something.doc", and only see "something" in the folder.
As for vulnerabilities, consider an e-mail attachment with "nakedladies.jpg" as the filename that is shown, when in reality the name is "nakedladies.jpg.exe" and contains a virus/trojan/whatever. (The inadvisibility of clicking on attachments from unknown senders in the first place is another thread.)
Posted by: Ken at August 13, 2007 10:39 AMI am familiar with the "switches" shown above to show hidden files, but every time I set the "show hidden files" checkbox, it gets reset immediately, and so I am unable to view these files in order to eliminate a file buried in my "Local Settings" folder, which is causing a virus to attempt to change data in memory. Is there another way to set this parameter so I can fix my system? (Norton has been unable to eliminate the threat so far, even in Safe Mode.)
Posted by: Russ Lucas at February 2, 2008 10:47 AMI have tried the usual stuff and no dice, icluding everything you mentioned in this answer here. I could see them a few days ago and can still see them by doing a global search. If I just search the main directory they are in, Ithe search will not see them. I have to do it at the Drive level for the search to work.
Posted by: Paul at July 3, 2009 9:55 AM