Windows Explorer

Alternative verb forms

You can use the double-asterisk wildcard to search for alternative forms of verbs in a document. For example, the query:

returns all documents with the word 'ran' or the word 'run.'

6.4 Ranking the Order of Search Results

If you're doing a search likely to return many results, you'll want the most relevant searches to appear at the top of the results, and the least relevant to appear at the bottom. You can determine the relative importance of each term in your search and have the results weighted by that importance, by using the weight tag. Note that it does not get a closing tag:

The value parameter ranges between and .

If you are searching for the three terms, 'fire,' 'ice,' and 'slush,' and you want to weight 'fire' most heavily, 'ice' second most heavily, and 'slush' least heavily, you can use this syntax (on a single line) in your query:

6.5 Editing the Indexing Service's 'Noise' Filter

You can force the Indexing Service to ignore more words when you search, or you can have it ignore fewer words, simply by editing a text file. In a text file called noise.eng, usually found in C:WindowsSystem32, you can find the list of words that the Indexing Service ignores. (The extension .eng is for English. Noise filters from other languages can be found as well-for example, noise.deu for German, noise.fra for French, and so on.)

The noise.eng file contains common articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, various forms of common verbs, and similar words. Open it in Notepad or another text editor, add words that you want it to ignore, and delete files that you don't want it to ignore. Then save the file, and the Indexing Service will follow your new rules.

Hack 26 Hiding Folders and Files with the Encrypting File System

Protect all the information on your PC from prying eyes, using XP Professional's built-in encryption scheme.

If you have Windows XP Pro, you can use the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt your files so that no one else can read them.

EFS lets you encrypt only the files and folders of your choice; you can encrypt a single file or folder, or all of your files and folders. Encrypted files and folders show up in Windows Explorer as green, so you can tell at a glance which have been encrypted. You can work with encrypted files and folders transparently. In other words, after you encrypt them, you open them and close them as you normally would any other file. They're decrypted on the fly as you open them, and then decrypted as you close them. You're the only person who can read or use the files. Encryption is tied to your account name, so even other accounts on the same computer won't be able to read or use them, unless you specifically grant access to certain accounts.

EFS does have a few minor limitations you should be aware of:

EFS works only on NTFS volumes. If you have a FAT or FAT32 volume, you'll have to convert it to NTFS if you want to use EFS [Hack #31].

EFS won't work on compressed files. [Hack #31]. You'll have to decompress them if you want to encrypt them. Similarly, if you want to compress an encrypted file, you'll have to decrypt it.

EFS can't compress files in the C:Windows folder or any files marked with the System attribute.

When you work with encrypted files and folders, they seem to behave like any other files on your hard disk. In fact, though, their behavior is somewhat different, and you may notice files you thought were encrypted suddenly become decrypted for no apparent reason. So, before you turn on encryption, you should understand the common actions you can take with encrypted files and folders, and what the results will be. Table 3-5 lists what you need to know.

7.1 Encrypting Files and Folders

To encrypt a file or folder, right-click on the folder or file and choose Properties General Advanced. The Advanced Attributes dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-12.

Figure 3-12. Encrypting files or folders using the Advanced Attributes dialog box

Check the box next to 'Encrypt contents to secure data.' Note that you can't check both this box and the 'Compress contents to save disk space' box. You can either compress the item or encrypt it, but not both.

Click OK and then OK again. If you're encrypting a folder, the Confirm Attributes Changes dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-1 You have a choice of encrypting the folder only, or encrypting the folder plus all subfolders and all the files in the folder and subfolders. If you encrypt the folder only, none of the files currently in the folder will be encrypted, but any new files you create, move, or copy into the folder will be encrypted.

Figure 3-1 Encrypting the folder only, or all the subfolders and files as well

If you're encrypting a file in an unencrypted folder, the Encryption Warning box will appear, as shown in Figure 3-14. You have the choice of encrypting the file only, or the file and the parent folder. As a general rule, you should encrypt the folder as well as the file, because if you encrypt only the file, you may accidentally decrypt it without realizing it. Some applications save copies of your files and delete the original; in those instances, the files become decrypted simply by editing them. If you encrypt the folder as well, all files added to the folder are encrypted, so the saved file is automatically encrypted. Click OK after you make your choice.

Figure 3-14. Encrypting the parent folder as well as the file

Note that you won't be able to encrypt every file on your system. Files that have the System attribute, as well as files located in C:Windows and its subfolders can't be encrypted.

7.2 Decrypting Files and Folders

You decrypt files and folders in the same way that you encrypted them. Right-click on the file or folder, choose Properties >Advanced, clear the check from the box next to 'Encrypt contents to secure data,' and click OK and then OK again.

7.3 Letting Others Use Your Encrypted Files

When you encrypt files, you can still share them with others and let them use them as if they were not encrypted-what XP calls 'transparently.' You'll be able to share them this way only with others users on the same computer or with others on your network. You designate who can use the files and who can't. To allow specified people to use your encrypted files, right-click on an unencrypted file and choose Properties >General >Advanced. The Advanced Attributes dialog box appears. Click Details. The Encryption Details dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-15. It lists all the users who are allowed to use the file transparently. Click Add.

Figure 3-15. The Encryption Details dialog box

The Select User dialog box appears. Choose the user you want to be able to use your encrypted files, and click OK. Only users who have Encrypting File System certificates on the computer will show up on this list. The easiest way for someone to create a certificate is to encrypt any file; that automatically creates a certificate.

7.4 Encrypting and Decrypting from the Command Line

If you prefer the command line to a graphical interface, you can encrypt and decrypt using the cipher.exe command-line tool. To find out the current state of encryption of the directory you're in, type cipher without parameters at a command prompt. cipher tells you the state of the directory. For individual files, it lists a U next to files that are not encrypted, and an E next to those that are encrypted.

When used with parameters, cipher can encrypt and decrypt files and folders, show encryption information, create new encryption keys, and generate a recovery agent key and certificate.

To encrypt or decrypt a folder or file, use the complete path, filename (if you're acting on a file), and any appropriate switches, as outlined in Table 3-6. The /E switch encrypts folders or files, and the /D switch decrypts them. To perform the task on multiple folders or files, separate them with single spaces. For example, to encrypt the Secret and Topsecret folders, issue this command:

Note that you can use wildcards with the cipher command. Using the command line instead of the graphical interface is particularly useful for performing bulk or batch operations-for example, simultaneously encrypting or decrypting multiple folders or files, or types of files within folders. Let's say, for example, you want to encrypt every .doc file in the Secret and Topsecret folders, but not touch any other files in those folders. You issue this command:

Table 3-6 lists the most useful command-line switches for cipher. For more help, type cipher /? at the command line.

Hack 27 Forcing Windows Explorer Into True Usefulness

A grab bag of ways to make better use of Explorer.

There are plenty of small ways you can hack Explorer to make your computing life more productive-for example, by hacking the right-click shortcut menu. Try out these hacks and see.

8.1 Add Shortcut Menu Items to Specific File Types

When you right-click on a file in Explorer, you get a shortcut menu that includes a list of programs with which you can open the file. But the programs that you want to open those files might not always be on the shortcut menu. It's easy to add new programs to that list. Let's say that you want to add a shortcut menu item that allows .gif files to be opened with the freeware graphics viewer IrfanView [Hack #86]. From Windows Explorer, choose Tools >Folder Options >File Types. In the Registered File Types list, select the file type for which you want to add a new shortcut menu item. In our example, we'll choose a GIF file. After this hack, any time you click on a file of this type, you'll get a new choice to open the file with.

Once you've chosen your file type, choose Advanced >New. You'll see the New Action dialog box shown in Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16. Adding a new program to the shortcut menu

In the Action box, type the text you want to appear on the shortcut menu-for example, Open with IrfanView. In the 'Application used to perform action' box, enter the executable program you want to open the file with, including the full path. Surround it by quotation marks. Then leave a space and type in ' '. The ' ' is a placeholder; it will be used as a substitute for the name of the file on which you right-click. In our instance, the entire string looks like this:

Click OK. The change will take place immediately, and the new command will appear on the shortcut menu for the specified file type.

8.2 Add Global Shortcut Menu Items to All File Types

The previous section of this hack showed how to add shortcut menu items on a file-type-by-file-type basis. In other words, it will only be available on the shortcut menu for the one specific file type you specify. But you can also add that shortcut menu item to every type of file, by using a Registry hack. This is useful when you have a program that can open a wide variety of file types, and you don't want to have to go add a shortcut menu item for every one of those file types. I use the IrfanView graphics viewer for many different types of graphics, so I want it to show up on all those types. Although it will also show up on file types that I won't use it with, such as Word files, it's still worth putting it on the menu globally because of all the time I save by not having to add shortcut menu items over and over again for each file type.

Run the Registry Editor [Hack #68] and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*. Create a new subkey called Shell if it doesn't yet exist. The Shell subkey can control parts of the user interface. Create a new subkey under Shell and name it what your new command will be-for example, OpenWithIrfanView. For the default value of the new subkey, type in the text you want to appear on the shortcut menu-for example, Open with IrfanView. Create a new subkey named Command under the subkey that you just created. This subkey will contain the command string that you want to be executed to open the file. For the default value of the Command subkey, enter the command string you want to be executed when the shortcut menu item is chosen-for example:

Exit the Registry. The new shortcut menu item should be available immediately, though you may need to reboot in order for it to take effect.

8.3 Edit File Association Actions

You can use Windows Explorer to change how XP handles file types; for example, you can choose the default action when the file type is double-clicked upon, the application associated with the file type, the icon for the file type, and whether the extension should be displayed or hidden in Windows Explorer. To perform most of these actions, choose Tools >Folder Options >File Types, choose the file type for which you want to customize an action, then click Advanced. You'll see the screen shown in Figure 3-17.

Figure 3-17. Editing file associations and their actions

From the Edit File Type dialog box, you can change the icon, edit the action to be taken on the file, and choose whether to display the file type in Windows Explorer. The dialog box is fairly self-explanatory. For example, click Change Icon to change the icon; to edit any action, highlight it and click Edit. If you want to change the application associated with the file, choose Tools >Folder Options >File Types, choose the file type whose association you want to change, click Change, and then choose the application you want to be associated with the file type in the same way as shown in Figure 3-16.

8.4 Remove Context Menu Items from Explorer

Explorer's menus can get messy at times. But you can use a Registry hack to clean it up a bit by removing two items from the Tools menu: Map Network Drive and Disconnect Network Drive. Run the Registry Editor and go to:

Create the DWORD entry NoNetConnectDisconnect. Give it a value of . Exit the Registry. You might have to reboot in order for the setting to take effect and the items to disappear from the menu. To place the items back on the Explorer menu, edit the value to , or delete the entry.

8.5 Organize the All Programs Menu with Explorer

If you're using the default Windows XP Start Menu view and you're not happy with the way your All Programs menu is organized, you can use Windows Explorer to modify it. The All Programs menu is nothing more than a collection of shortcuts found in two folders: the C:Documents and Settings<Your Account>Start Menu folder (where <Your Account> is your account name), and the C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart Menu folder. Items that you want to appear at the very top of the All Programs menu should be put in one of the /Start Menu folders (depending upon whether you want the item to appear only on your All Programs menu, or on all users' All Programs menu.) Items that you want to appear on the lower part of the All Programs menu should be put into the Start MenuPrograms folder, again, depending on whether you want the item to appear only on your All Programs menu, or on all users' All Programs menu.

Hack 28 Customize Folder Icons and Balloon Text

Make it easier to recognize specific folders and remember their contents, by giving them their own pictures and identifying text.

All folders are not created equal; some are more important than others. Folders I use for writing books and articles, or for storing digital music, for example, are more vital to me than folders that hold tax records from eight years ago.

So I like to give myself visual clues when browsing my computer about what each folder holds and how important it is to me. I have so many folders on my hard disk that I can't always immediately recall the purposes of some of them, so for some I also create balloon text that describes the purpose of the folder when I hover my mouse over the folder.

To force a folder to display a specific icon and to have it display balloon text when you hover your mouse over it, create a Desktop.ini file in that folder. That file contains instructions on which icon to use and balloon text to display.

Before creating the file, choose the icon you want to use for the folder. Icons end in an .ico extension. You can also use .bmp bitmap files as icons. Make sure to note the name of the icon or bitmap, including its full path. If you want, create your own icon [Hack #19].

Not all icons are in .ico files, however. Many are part of entire icon libraries in .dll files. For example, you'll find hundreds of icons in the shell32.dll file found in C:WINDOWSSystem32 folder. Each icon in a .dll file is assigned an index number, starting with . To use icons in .dll files, you'll need to know the index number for the specific icon. You won't be able to find out the index number by examining the file manually; instead, you'll need third-party software. Resource Tuner (https://www.heaventools.com) lets you examine the resources of any file and, among other things, will let you browse through the file's icons and show you their index numbers. It's shareware and free to try, but it costs $34.95 if you keep using it.

Figure 3-18 shows Resource Tuner, looking inside Shell32.dll and listing the index number for an icon.

Figure 3-18. Using Resource Tuner to find the index number of an icon

For my Music folder, I'm going to use a .bmp file of cover art of the mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli.

Now it's time to create the Desktop.ini file. Using a text editor like Notepad, create it in the folder you want to customize. I'm going to customize my C:Music folder, so that's where I create it. Here's what my file looks like:

The heading, [.ShellClassInfo], is required, so make sure to put that at the top of the file. The IconFile= entry should point to the file you want to use as an icon-and again, it can be an .ico file, a .bmp file, or an icon found in an icon collection, such as in a .dll file. Make sure to include the file's full path. The IconIndex= entry should point to the index number of the icon if the file is in an icon collection. If it's not in an icon collection, use the number . The InfoTip= entry should point to the text you want displayed as balloon text.

After you create the Desktop.ini file, you need to define the folder you want to customize as a system folder, in order for it to be able to display the icon and balloon text. At the command prompt, issue the command attrib +s foldername, where foldername is the name of the folder you're customizing.

You're now done; the icon and balloon text should display. Figure 3-19 shows what mine looks like.

Figure 3-19. My Music folder with an icon and balloon text

Hack 29 A Power User's Hidden Weapon: Improve the Context Menu

The context menu is an often underused tool. But with these four additions and edits to the menu, it'll turn into a powerhouse that you'll use every day.

Windows Explorer's right-click context menu is one of the most basic of all XP tools; it provides many shortcuts for whenever you want to take action on a file or a folder. But the right-click menu is missing several basic options, such as choosing a specific folder to which you want to move or copy the file you've highlighted, rather than just cutting or copying the file. And when you install new applications, they have a nasty habit of adding their own options that you'll rarely use in the right-click menu.

The end result: a right-click context menu cluttered with options and lacking several basic useful ones. But you can extend the power of the menu with these four hacks.

10.1 Add 'Copy To Folder' and 'Move To Folder' Context Menu Options

I spend a lot of time copying and moving files between folders. More often than not, when I click on a file in Explorer, I want to copy or move it to another folder. That means I spend a good deal of time dragging files around or copying and pasting them.

But with a Registry hack, you can save yourself time: you can add Copy To Folder and Move To Folder options to the right-click context menu. When you choose one of the options from the menu, you browse to any place on your hard disk to copy or move the file to, and then send the file there. To add the option, run the Registry Editor [Hack #68] and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAllFilesystemObjectsshellexContextMenuHandlers. shellex tells you it's a shell extension key that lets you customize the user shell or the interface. Create a new key called Copy To. Set the value to . Create another new key called Move To. Set the value to . Exit the Registry. The changes should take effect immediately. The Copy To Folder and Move To Folder options will appear. When you right-click on a file and choose one of the options, you'll be able to move or copy the file using a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 3-20.

Figure 3-20. Specifying a destination using the Copy To Folder option

10.2 Add and Remove Destinations for the 'Send To' Option

The right-click context menu does have one useful option, Send To, which allows you to send the file to any one of a list of programs or locations-for example, to a drive, program, or folder.

It would be nice to edit that list, adding new locations and programs and taking away existing ones that you never use. How locations and programs show up on the menu appears to be somewhat of a mystery, but, in fact, it's easy to hack. Go to C:Documents and Settings<User Name>SendTo, where <User Name> is your user name. The folder will be filled with shortcuts to all the locations you find on your Send To context menu. To remove an item from the Send To menu, delete the shortcut from the folder. To add an item to the menu, add a shortcut to the folder by highlighting the folder, choosing File New Shortcut, and following the instructions for creating a shortcut. The new setting will take effect immediately; you don't have to exit Windows Explorer for it to go into effect.

10.3 Open the Command Prompt from the Right-Click Menu

I began computing in the days of DOS, and I still can't give up the command prompt. When it comes to doing down-and-dirty tasks like mass deleting or renaming of files, nothing beats it. I find myself frequently switching back and forth between Windows Explorer and the command prompt.

Often, when using Windows Explorer, I want to open the command prompt at the folder that's my current location. That takes too many steps: opening a command prompt and then navigating to my current folder. However, there's a quicker way: add an option to the right-click context menu that will open a command prompt at your current folder. For example, if you were to right-click on the C:My Stuff folder, you could then choose to open a command prompt at C:My Stuff.

To add the option, run the Registry Editor [Hack #68], then go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell. Create a new key called Command Prompt. For the default value, enter whatever text you want to appear when you right-click on a folder-for example, Open Command Prompt. Create a new key beneath the Command Prompt key called Command. Set the default value to Cmd.exe /k pushd %L. That value will launch Cmd.exe, which is the XP command prompt. The /k switch puts the prompt into interactive mode. That is, it lets you issue commands from the command prompt; the command prompt isn't being used to issue only a single command and then exit. The pushd command stores the name of the current directory, and %L uses that name to start the command prompt at it. Exit the Registry. The new menu option will show up immediately. Note that it won't appear when you right-click on a file; it shows up only when you right-click on a folder.

10.4 Clean Up the 'Open With' Option

When you right-click on a file, one of the menu options is Open With, which provides a list of programs for you to open the file with. This list changes according to the type of file you're clicking. Depending on the file type, the lists can get long, because programs frequently add themselves to this list when you install them. Making things worse, there are times when the listed programs aren't applicable. For example, do you really want to open a .bmp bitmap graphics file with Microsoft Word? I think not.

You can clean up the Open With list by using a Registry hack. Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFileExts. Look for the file extension whose Open With list you want to edit and find its OpenWithList subkey-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFileExts.bmpOpenWithList, for example. The subkey will have an alphabetical list of String values. Open each value and examine the value data. It will be the name of one of the programs on the Open With list (Winword.exe, for example). Delete any entry you don't want to appear. Don't delete the value data; delete the String value listing. In other words, if the value data for the a String value is Winword.exe, delete the entire string rather than just the value data. Exit the Registry.

Hack 30 Take Your Work on the Go with Offline Files and the Briefcase

Two ways that road warriors can more easily take files with them when they leave home or the office-and synchronize files back to their desktop PCs when they return.

If you use a laptop on a corporate LAN, you might sometimes store files on the network and forget to bring them home or with you on the road. This frequently happens to people who, like me, are absent-minded on occasion (or more than one occasion-after all, I once left my car keys in the refrigerator).

If you have XP Professional, you can use its Offline Files feature to automatically synchronize folders from the LAN to your notebook so that whenever you leave the office the latest version of your files will be available. To enable the use of offline files, choose My Computer >Tools >Folder Options >Offline Files tab (shown in Figure 3-21), and select the checkbox next to Enable Offline Files.

Figure 3-21. Enabling offline files

As you can see, there are a number of options on this tab for using offline files. Here's what you need to know about each to take best advantage of offline file synchronization:

Synchronize all offline files before logging off

Make sure to choose this option. When you do, the most recent copies of files will automatically be copied to your laptop. If you don't choose this option, you'll get only a partial synchronization, which means that you won't have the latest version of all your files. Also, keep in mind that you have to log off or turn off your PC in order for this option to work. If you only physically disconnect your PC from the network, the files won't be copied.

Synchronize all offline files when logging on

If you choose this option, as soon as you connect back to the network, your files will be synchronized from your laptop back to the LAN. That means you won't be able to use them locally, and you'll have to use them on the LAN. If you don't choose this option, you'll be able to continue using your files locally and can then manually synchronize any folders you want to the LAN.

Display a reminder every

If you've disconnected from the network, this option will automatically flash a balloon message at you, telling you at an interval of your choosing that you've been disconnected. More than anything, this is an annoying option and is useful only if you frequently disconnect from your LAN accidentally.

Create an Offline Files shortcut on the desktop

If you choose this option, XP creates a desktop shortcut to the Offline Files folder it creates when you enable the use of offline files.

Encrypt offline files to secure data

If you're concerned about the security of your files, choose this option. As the name implies, it will encrypt your offline files.

Amount of disk space to use for temporary offline files

When you use offline files, Windows caches files from the LAN onto your hard disk temporarily. This option lets you determine the exact amount of disk space to allocate to those temporary offline files.

After you've set up your laptop to use Offline Files, you next have to choose the specific folders on the server that you want to make available to you offline. Open Windows Explorer, right-click on the network folder, and choose Make Available Offline. If there are subfolders in the folder, you'll be asked whether you want to make those subfolders available as well.

After you do this, when you log off the network, the server copies to your laptop all the folders you've marked. They'll be available to you in the same way as any other folders are, via your applications, Windows Explorer, in My Computer, or My Network Places. Work with them on your laptop, and then, when you next connect to the network, they'll be synchronized to the network folders, depending on the options you've chosen.

11.1 On-Demand and Scheduled Synchronizations

If you'd like, rather than synchronize when you log off the network, you can synchronize manually on demand, or you can set up a schedule for automated synchronization. To synchronize on demand manually, in Windows Explorer choose Tools >Synchronize. From the dialog box that appears, select the items in the Logon/Logoff tab that you want to synchronize, and click Synchronize. To set up times to synchronize, use the On Idle and Scheduled tabs.

11.2 Use the Briefcase for Mobile File Transfers

Offline Files works only if you have XP Professional and if you have a local area network to which both your laptop and desktop connect. But if you need to synchronize files between two computers not on a network-even if you don't have XP Professional-there is still a way to way to synchronize files between computers: use the Briefcase. It's not as easy to use as Offline Files, but it still does the trick. It synchronizes files between your two machines by using removable media such as a CD or Zip drive.

To use the Briefcase to transfer files from a laptop to a desktop computer, first format the media you're going to use if it needs to be formatted. With the removable media in the drive, open Windows Explorer, click on the media's disk folder, and choose File >New >Briefcase. If you're going to be using more than one Briefcase at a time, rename the Briefcase with a descriptive name. The Briefcase is a folder, like any other folder on your computer. Open it, and then click Finish to close the dialog box that appears.

Copy into the Briefcase the files you're going to want to transfer to your laptop and keep synchronized between the two computers. You can copy files from different folders. If you've going to add files to the Briefcase over time, or if you expect the files in the Briefcase to grow, make sure to leave enough extra room on the disk. Eject the media from your desktop. (If you get an error message when trying to eject a CD, close Windows Explorer and then eject it.) Place the media in your laptop, and move or copy the Briefcase folder to the laptop's hard disk. Remember to move or copy the entire folder, not the individual files in the folder. Work on the files as you would normally. Add or delete files as well. When it's time to transfer the files back to your PC, copy the Briefcase from your laptop to removable media, and put the removable media in your desktop. Open the Briefcase folder.

To synchronize all the files back to your desktop, choose Briefcase >Update All and, from the Update Briefcase dialog box (shown in Figure 3-22), click Update. To synchronize individual files, select them, choose Briefcase Update Selection, and click Update.

Figure 3-22. Synchronizing all the files in a Briefcase back to a desktop PC

11.3 A Closer Look at the Briefcase

It's a good idea to examine the files in your Briefcase before you synchronize, so that you know the status of each. As you can see in Figure 3-23, you'll see whether each file has been updated and therefore needs to be updated on your current machine, or whether it was unchanged. The Briefcase folder also shows you the file's original location on the computer, as well as other details such as file size.

Figure 3-2 The Briefcase folder

Right-click on any file in the Briefcase, and choose Properties >Update Status; you'll get updated information about each file. You can also perform the following tasks:

Update

This button updates the file. Only this file, and no others, will update.

Split from Original

This button breaks the link between the Briefcase file and the file in the hard disk. You won't be able to do automatic updates. The file in the hard disk will be listed as an Orphan in the status field in the Explorer view. You can still copy the file, even though the automatic link no longer works.

Find Original

This button opens the folder on your computer that holds the original file.

11.4 See Also

Backer (https://www.leanware.com/english/leanware.html) is a combination backup/synchronization program that lets you synchronize your laptop data with a desktop PC or server. It also lets you synchronize with a server while you're traveling, transfer files between PCs, and archive old versions of files. It's shareware and free to download, but if you decide to keep using it you're supposed to pay $24.

Hack 31 Get More Hard Disk Space by Using NTFS Compression

The quickest and easiest way to give your system more room is to use XP's built-in compression scheme for NTFS disks. Here's how to use it-and how to convert your existing disk to NTFS if it doesn't already use it.

If you need more hard disk space, don't buy another hard disk right away. First, consider using NTFS (NT File System) compression, which can give significantly more hard disk space by compressing all the files on your PC. NTFS's on-the-fly compression capabilities can shrink the size of individual files and folders, or entire drives. When you use it, the files or folders will be compressed when they're on your hard disk to save space, but they will be decompressed automatically when you use them, and then compressed again when stored on your hard disk. This means that, unlike with a compression program such as WinZip (https://www.winzip.com), you don't have to deal with decompressing as well as compressing files. You can also easily turn compression on and off.

Note that NTFS compression isn't available with a FAT32 filesystem, so if you have a FAT32 system you'll first have to convert to NTFS, as explained later in this hack. If you're not sure which filesystem your volume uses, right-click on your volume in Explorer, choose Properties General, and look for the information next to File System.

How much disk space can you save by using NTFS compression? That depends largely on the kinds of files you have on your system. Bit-mapped graphic files are very compressible, so you'll save quite a bit of hard disk space if you have many of them. Document files, such as Word files, are also reasonably compressible, while certain kinds of files, such as PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files, are barely compressible at all.

In tests on my own PC, I found that bit-mapped .tif graphic files were compressed by more than 80 percent-a folder full of them shrunk from 295 MB to 57 MB. Word files shrunk by 66 percent-a folder full of them shrunk from 131 KB to 44 KB. PDF files, by way of contrast, hardly compressed at all-a group of them shrunk by just over 6 percent, from 5.59 MB to 5.27 MB.

When you use compression, you may notice a slight drop in system performance. There may be a slight lag when opening or closing files, depending on the speed of your system, because the files have to be decompressed in order for you to open them and compressed when you save them. With newer systems, though, you probably won't notice a lag. On my now-aging 1.8 GHz desktop, for example, I don't see a difference between working with files that have been compressed and working with files that haven't been compressed.

You can use NTFS compression on individual files, folders, and entire disks. To use NTFS compression on a file or folder, right-click on the file or folder in Windows Explorer and choose Properties >General >Advanced. You'll see the screen shown in Figure 3-24.

Figure 3-24. Enabling compression on files and folders to save hard disk space

Check the box next to 'Compress contents to save disk space,' click OK, and click OK again when the Properties dialog box appears.

If you want to compress an entire drive, right-click on it in Windows Explorer, and choose Properties General >'Compress drive to save disk space.' You'll be asked for confirmation, and then every folder and file on the drive will be compressed, one after another. Depending on the size of the drive, the procedure can take several hours. You can continue to use XP while the compression takes place. During that time, however, you may be prompted to close a file you're working on, so that XP can compress it.

By default, XP visually differentiates between compressed files and decompressed files; compressed files are shown in blue. If for some reason your compressed files aren't blue, and you want them to be, from Windows Explorer, choose Tools >Folder Options >View, scroll down, and select the checkbox next to 'Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.'

12.1 How Compressing Folders Affects Underlying Files

When you compress files in a folder, they are all, obviously, compressed. But things can get confusing when you mix compressed folders and decompressed folders on a hard disk, or when you have compressed files in decompressed folders and vice versa. What happens, for example, when you move a decompressed file into a compressed folder, or move a compressed file from a compressed folder into a decompressed folder? The possibilities can set your head spinning. Here are the rules that apply when you're mixing compressed and decompressed files and folders:

Files copied into a compressed folder are automatically compressed.

New files created in a compressed folder are automatically compressed.

Files moved into a compressed folder from a separate NTFS volume are automatically compressed.

Files moved into a compressed folder from the same NTFS volume retain their compression settings. So, if the file was compressed, it will remain compressed. If the file was not compressed, it will not be compressed.

If you move a file from a compressed folder to a decompressed folder in the same NTFS volume, the file will remain compressed.

If you move a file from a compressed folder to a decompressed folder on a different NTFS volume, the file will no longer be compressed.

Files copied or moved from a compressed folder on an NTFS volume to a FAT32 volume are decompressed.

Files attached to emails are decompressed.

12.2 Checking How Much Disk Space NTFS Compression Saves

When you compress a file or folder, it doesn't appear that you're actually saving any disk space; when you view a file listing in Windows Explorer, the size of the compressed files will remain the same as they were before compression. In fact, though, the files have been compressed and space has been saved. Explorer reports on only the decompressed file size, not the compressed file size. To see the compressed size of a file or folder, Right-click on it in Windows Explorer and choose Properties >General. You'll see two listings of the file size, one titled 'Size' and the other titled 'Size on disk'. The 'Size on disk' listing reports on the compressed size of the file, while the 'Size' listing reports on the decompressed size, as shown in Figure 3-25.

Figure 3-25. Viewing the true size of a compressed file

12.3 When to Use ZIP Files and When to Use NTFS Compression

Another way to gain extra space on your hard disk is to use XP's built-in ZIP capabilities. ZIP is an industry standard for file compression, and it compresses files much more effectively than NTFS does. In tests, I found that ZIP compression shrunk graphics files twice as effectively as NTFS compression-the resulting ZIP files were half the size of the NTFS-compressed files.

But that doesn't mean you should use ZIP compression all the time; there are times when using NTFS compression is a better bet. When files are ZIPped, for example, they can't be opened in their application by double-clicking on them. You first have to open the ZIP archive, and then double-click on the file. As a general rule, ZIPped files are not as convenient to use and handle as NTFS-compressed files. The exception is that ZIP lets you archive a group of files into a single folder, which you can then send to others via email or on disk.

What does this mean? On a day-to-day basis, NTFS compression is a better bet for files you frequently use. However, there are a number of reasons that to use ZIP files instead:

When you need to send a large file or files to someone via email. You can zip all the files into a single archive, and send that along.

For storing files that you rarely use. You can create ZIP archives to store the files, and then delete the originals.

For gaining the maximum amount of disk space. If hard disk space is at a premium, you'll save much more with ZIP files.

When you want to compress and also encrypt files. You can't encrypt files that have NTFS compression; you can encrypt files that have been ZIPped.

If you decide to use ZIP files, consider getting a copy of WinZip (https://www.winzip.com). It's easier to use than XP's built-in ZIP compression and offers many more features, including several levels of compression, built-in links to email, and much more.

12.4 Convert Your Hard Disk to NTFS

To use XP compression or encryption, you have to use NTFS. But if you instead have a previous filesystem, such as FAT32, you're not left out-you can convert it to NTFS. To convert a volume to NTFS, use XP's convert utility. To convert a volume to NTFS, at a command prompt, type:

where d: is the volume you want to convert.

You can also use a number of parameters along with the utility:

/v

This runs the utility in verbose mode, which provides information about the volume being converted.

/nosecurity

This sets the security privileges on the converted disk so that its files and folders can be used by anyone.

/x

Use this parameter if you're on a network and want to make sure that another user cannot disrupt the conversion process by trying to access the drive while you're converting it. This parameter dismounts the drive from the network.

12.5 Hacking the Hack

If you convert to NTFS, here's a Registry hack for increasing its performance. Whenever you view a directory on an NTFS volume, the filesystem updates the date and time stamp to show the last time the directory has been accessed. If you have a very large NTFS volume, this continual updating process can slow system performance. You can use the Registry to disable automatic updating. Run the Registry Editor [Hack #68] and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentContolSetControlFilesystem. Look for NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate. If it's not present, create it as a DWORD. Set the value to .

Hack 32 Put a Command-Line Prompt on Your Desktop

Command-line junkies always want the command prompt within easy reach. Here's how to put a command prompt directly on your desktop, so it's there whenever you need it.

If you use the command line regularly-for example, to launch Windows Explorer with shortcuts [Hack #22]-you'd like the command line within easy reach. In fact, you'd like it right on your desktop. XP has no built-in way to do that for you.

But there's a great free program called MCL (https://www.mlin.net/MCL.shtml) that runs as a small command line you can put anywhere on your desktop, as shown in Figure 3-26.

Figure 3-26. Putting the command line right on your desktop with MCL

Use it as you would use the normal command line, including any normal switches that you use to launch programs.

But MCL does more than just let you enter commands. It includes a number of other goodies that the XP command prompt doesn't, including these:

It keeps a history of your last 100 commands, so you can easily reenter or edit any commands you've already typed.

It includes an AutoComplete function that finishes your commands for you.

It lets you launch URLs directly from the command line. If you type a URL, your default browser will open to that URL.

It can be minimized to the System Notification area.

It can be launched with a hot key. The default is Ctrl-Alt-M.

The program has a few eccentricities you'll have to keep in mind when using it. When executing a DOS command, you have to use the prefix. For example, to copy a file from C:Favorite Files to C:Summer, you'd use this command:

To open to a specific directory in Windows Explorer, precede the command with a $. So to open to C:Program Files, you'd issue the command $C:Program Files.

Command-line fans will also want to get a copy of 4NT (https://www.jpsoft.com). Run it instead of the normal command prompt and get countless new features, such as a command-line editor for modifying and reexecuting previous commands; the ability to copy, delete, and rename groups of files and directories with a single command; a built-in file viewer; the ability to select or include files by a variety of criteria, including date, time, and size; the ability to append descriptions (up to 511 characters) to files; and an exceedingly powerful batch language. It's shareware and free to try, but if you continue to use it, you're expected to pay $69.95.

11 See Also

The free Command Prompt Explorer Bar (https://www.codeproject.com/csharp/CommandBar.asp) lets you open a command-line toolbar from directly within Windows Explorer. It combines the command line with Windows Explorer navigation, so not only can you use the command line, but you can also navigate through your PC using Explorer.