Working with the Filesystem, Drives, Data, and Search - File Properties (Page 4 of 4 ) View and change the properties of files. To open Right-click a file -> Properties Click a file -> Organize -> Properties Description The File Properties window has four tabs: General This tab (Figure 4-1) displays basic information about the file, including its location, type, size, and size on disk; the date it was created, modified, and last accessed; and its attributes. You can change the program that opens it by clicking the Change button, and you can change the file attributes by selecting Read-only or Hidden. The Advanced button lets you compress and/or encrypt the file, add or take away the file from the index for searching, and add or take away the Archive bit (for use in backups). Why are there two listings for file size--one for size, and one for size on disk? There are two cases where the file size and size on disk are different:
- The cluster size of your NTFS filesystem dictates the size of the chunks that are set aside for files. On an NTFS filesystem with 4 KB clusters, a 1 KB file would use up 4 KB of disk space, and a 5 KB file would use up 8 KB.
If a file has been compressed, the size listing shows its uncompressed size, and the size on disk shows its actual size on your hard disk.  Figure 4-1. The General tab, which shows you basic information about the file
Security This tab (Figure 4-2) shows you who has access to read and modify the file and its attributes, and lets you change those permissions. Click each group and username and you'll be shown the rights that person or group has to the file-- whether they can read the file, modify the file, and so on. You can modify the permissions for each person or group, add new groups or people and set their permissions, and delete people or groups, which means they would have no access to the file. The various file permission options and their meanings are quite complex, and beyond the scope of this book. However, if you want more details about the available options, go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308419/en-us.
Figure 4-2. The Security tab, which lets you see what rights different people and groups have to the file--and lets you alter them
Details This tab (Figure 4-3) displays the metatags associated with the file, as well as a wide variety of other information, including the basic file information shown in the General tab. It also has a great deal of program-specific information. For example, a Word document will display what template was used to create the file, the number of pages in the file, the word count, the character count, the line count, the paragraph count, the total length of time during which the file has been edited, and so on. You can also remove metatags and properties from the file by clicking the Remove Properties and Personal Information link. The details for each file type are quite different from one another. Graphics files, for example, include resolution, bit depth, width and height, and other similar information, as well as a quality rating that users can apply to the file.
Figure 4-3. The Details tab, which displays metatags and other useful information about the file
Previous Versions This tab (Figure 4-4) lets you view, save, or restore a previous version of a file, if such a version is available. Two types of previous versions may be available: those from a backup and those from what Windows Vista calls shadow copies.A shadow copy is a copy of a file made when Windows creates a restore point. (See "System Protection and System Restore," in Chapter 11, for details.) Different files and types of folders have differing options for how you handle previous versions, but in general, you'll be able to open and save the previous version of a file to a different location, or restore it over the existing files. 
Figure 4-4. The Previous Versions tab, which lets you restore previous versions of the file
Microsoft Office files may have another tab in addition to the standard four: Custom This tab (Figure 4-5) displays custom information about Microsoft Office files. You can add new values, and modify and delete existing values.
Notes - To restore a previous version of a file without using the File Properties screen, right-click the file in Windows Explorer and select "Restore previous versions." You'll receive a warning before you overwrite the existing folder with the previous one.
- Some file types may have other tabs in addition to the ones mentioned here, depending on whether the program that created it created those additional tabs.
- Music files include a great deal of detailed information, including the artist, album, year of release, genre, bit rate, and so on.
Figure 4-5. The Custom tab, which is for Microsoft Office files
See also "Folder Properties," discussed next, "System Protection and System Restore," in Chapter 11, and "Sharing Resources and Files," in Chapter 7 Please check back next week for the continuation of this article. | DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
|  This article is excerpted from chapter four of the book Windows Vista in a Nutshell, written by Preston Gralla (O'Reilly, 2006; ISBN: 0596527071). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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