Files coloured blue in Explorer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alain Dekker
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Alain Dekker

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I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list of

files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like "Size"

when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some black.

Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer. This is

true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).



I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

they all look similar. Any ideas?



Thanks,

Alain
 
"Alain Dekker" wrote in message

news:#Vxie7TtKHA.4220@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list of

> files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like

> "Size" when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some

> black. Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer.

> This is true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).

>

> I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

> they all look similar. Any ideas?

>

> Thanks,

> Alain

>



The blue files have been compressed.
 
Alain Dekker wrote:

> I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the

> list of files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and

> attributes like "Size" when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue

> in Explorer, some black. Usually all files are coloured black when I

> view them in Explorer. This is true in all the possible view styles

> (Thumbnail, List, etc).

> I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files,

> but they all look similar. Any ideas?

>

> Thanks,

> Alain

=================================

As Gordon stated...

"The blue files have been compressed".



If you right click one of the blue files and go to...

Properties / General tab / Advanced button...

you will find a checkmark in the

"Compress contents to save disk space" box.



--



J. Inzer MS-MVP

Digital Media Experience



Notice

This is not tech support

I am a volunteer



Solutions that work for

me may not work for you



Proceed at your own risk
 
Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View, Show encrypted or

compressed NTFS files in color. Toggle to suite preference.



Alain Dekker wrote:



> I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list of

> files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like "Size"

> when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some black.

> Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer. This is

> true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).

>

> I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

> they all look similar. Any ideas?

>

> Thanks,

> Alain

>

>
 
On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:48:13 -0000, "Alain Dekker"

wrote:



>I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list of

>files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like "Size"

>when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some black.

>Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer. This is

>true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).

>

>I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

>they all look similar. Any ideas?

>

>Thanks,

>Alain

>



Blue = zipped ; black = non-zipped .
 
Don't you really mean 'compressed'?

"Jim" wrote in message

news:8ddao51g4eu4jfcnml89jdlu3jtkle5f3f@4ax.com...

> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:48:13 -0000, "Alain Dekker"

> wrote:

>

>>I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list of

>>files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like

>>"Size"

>>when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some black.

>>Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer. This is

>>true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).

>>

>>I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

>>they all look similar. Any ideas?

>>

>>Thanks,

>>Alain

>>

>

> Blue = zipped ; black = non-zipped .
 
IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .



A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily zipped

as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of XP,

with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.



HTH,



Twayne









"Unknown" wrote in message

news:uKYFijWtKHA.4428@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> Don't you really mean 'compressed'?

> "Jim" wrote in message

> news:8ddao51g4eu4jfcnml89jdlu3jtkle5f3f@4ax.com...

>> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:48:13 -0000, "Alain Dekker"

>> wrote:

>>

>>>I've got a folder containing a bunch of ZIP files. When I view the list

>>>of

>>>files in Windows Explorer, the name of the file (and attributes like

>>>"Size"

>>>when viewed in Details view) are coloured blue in Explorer, some black.

>>>Usually all files are coloured black when I view them in Explorer. This

>>>is

>>>true in all the possible view styles (Thumbnail, List, etc).

>>>

>>>I've tried working out why by looking at the properties of the files, but

>>>they all look similar. Any ideas?

>>>

>>>Thanks,

>>>Alain

>>>

>>

>> Blue = zipped ; black = non-zipped .

>

>
 
"Twayne" wrote:



>IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>

>A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily zipped

>as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of XP,

>with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.



I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

doesn't take as long to do or to undo.



WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

it's a totally different thing.



--

Tim Slattery

Slattery_T@bls.gov

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
Well said Tim. That was my belief also.

"Tim Slattery" wrote in message

news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

> "Twayne" wrote:

>

>>IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>

>>A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily

>>zipped

>>as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of XP,

>>with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>

> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>

> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

> it's a totally different thing.

>

> --

> Tim Slattery

> Slattery_T@bls.gov

> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?



"Tim Slattery" wrote in message

news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

> "Twayne" wrote:

>

>>IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>

>>A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily

>>zipped

>>as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of XP,

>>with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>

> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>

> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

> it's a totally different thing.

>

> --

> Tim Slattery

> Slattery_T@bls.gov

> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
"joe" wrote:



>Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?



You can tell it to compress or not compress files or directories

(Right-click|Properties|General|Advanced...). And I believe it will

automatically compress files and folders that are infrequently

accessed.



--

Tim Slattery

Slattery_T@bls.gov

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
Yes if you run disk cleanup (see below)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_Cleanup



joe wrote:



> Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?

>

> "Tim Slattery" wrote in message

> news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

>

>>"Twayne" wrote:

>>

>>

>>>IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>

>>>A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily

>>>zipped

>>>as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of XP,

>>>with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>>

>>I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>>compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>>that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>>doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>

>>WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>>it's a totally different thing.

>>

>>--

>>Tim Slattery

>>Slattery_T@bls.gov

>>http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

>

>

>
 
Thanks Bob and Tim. I was not aware of this and both of those situations

apply to me.

i.e. There are files which are infrequently accessed and I use 'disk

cleanup' all the time.

You learn something new every day :-)





"Bob I" wrote in message

news:uj1GrOitKHA.4220@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Yes if you run disk cleanup (see below)

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_Cleanup

>

> joe wrote:

>

>> Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?

>>

>> "Tim Slattery" wrote in message

>> news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

>>

>>>"Twayne" wrote:

>>>

>>>

>>>>IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>>

>>>>A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not necessarily

>>>>zipped

>>>>as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case of

>>>>XP,

>>>>with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>>>

>>>I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>>>compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>>>that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>>>doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>>

>>>WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>>>it's a totally different thing.

>>>

>>>--

>>>Tim Slattery

>>>Slattery_T@bls.gov

>>>http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

>>

>>

>>

>
 
In news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com,

Tim Slattery typed:

> "Twayne" wrote:

>

>> IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>

>> A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not

>> necessarily zipped as there are other methods for compressing file

>> sizes. In the case of XP, with it compresses, it creates a zipped

>> file.

>

> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>

> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

> it's a totally different thing.



If you check, you'll find the blue is zipped/compressed files and green is

encrypted files. You can set/adjust these from the Properties menu for each

file you right click Properties and choose Advanced for.

Try it and see; You'll find that: Blue *IS* zip compression for XP NTFS

drives. Compress or encrypt a file and see what color it changes to. The

color indicator can also be turned off so they all display in black is so

desired.



In the future, please be more sure of your responses before becoming

emphatic.



HTH,



Twayne









--

--

Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered

through personal experience does not become a

part of the moral tissue.
 
In news:uWtdfYYtKHA.3656@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl,

Unknown typed:

> Well said Tim. That was my belief also.



You're in error with your belief. It's easy enough to check out; try it.



HTH,



Twayne







> "Tim Slattery" wrote in message

> news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

>> "Twayne" wrote:

>>

>>> IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>

>>> A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not

>>> necessarily zipped

>>> as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case

>>> of XP, with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>>

>> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>

>> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>> it's a totally different thing.

>>

>> --

>> Tim Slattery

>> Slattery_T@bls.gov

>> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
Select a filename in win explorer;

right click it and choose Properties.

Click Advanced in the File Attributes area.

Notice you can set archive bit, compress the file, or encrypt the file

from there.

Click to Compress the file and OK/close your way out.

You might have to close/open explorer once in order to update so you can

see the change, but the filename will have turned to blue text as long as

you haven't turned off the colored display in Options. If instead you

encrypted a file, the filename would have turned green.

Caveat: You can't encrypt a file that has been compressed. I don't know

why but that's the rule.

Also, XP-compressed files are only compressed while on the disk; they are

uncompressed as they are read from the drive, before they get to memory.

With encryption, the only account that can view the files there of course

are the account that created the encryption.



HTH,



Twayne











In news:ukrYJWetKHA.3904@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl,

joe typed:

> Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances ?

>

> "Tim Slattery" wrote in message

> news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

>> "Twayne" wrote:

>>

>>> IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>

>>> A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not

>>> necessarily zipped

>>> as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case

>>> of XP, with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>>

>> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>

>> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>> it's a totally different thing.

>>

>> --

>> Tim Slattery

>> Slattery_T@bls.gov

>> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
 
In news:3k0do5ps9qsr9g649jcvnri92ln7d9up2m@4ax.com,

Tim Slattery typed:

> "joe" wrote:

>

>> Does the OS do this automatically and if so under what circumstances

>> ?

>

> You can tell it to compress or not compress files or directories

> (Right-click|Properties|General|Advanced...). And I believe it will

> automatically compress files and folders that are infrequently

> accessed.



No, you can only compress the files/folders in that limb of the tree that

way. To get infrequently used files compressed, use the Options settings so

it applies to all folders on the drive.



HTH,



Twayne









--

--

Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered

through personal experience does not become a

part of the moral tissue.
 
Take a blue colored .ini file. It isn't unzipped. It is opened by Notepad.

Try it.

"Twayne" wrote in message

news:Ox4G4gltKHA.4636@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> In news:uWtdfYYtKHA.3656@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl,

> Unknown typed:

>> Well said Tim. That was my belief also.

>

> You're in error with your belief. It's easy enough to check out; try it.

>

> HTH,

>

> Twayne

>

>

>

>> "Tim Slattery" wrote in message

>> news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com...

>>> "Twayne" wrote:

>>>

>>>> IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>>

>>>> A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not

>>>> necessarily zipped

>>>> as there are other methods for compressing file sizes. In the case

>>>> of XP, with it compresses, it creates a zipped file.

>>>

>>> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>>> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>>> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>>> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>>

>>> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>>> it's a totally different thing.

>>>

>>> --

>>> Tim Slattery

>>> Slattery_T@bls.gov

>>> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

>

>
 
I selected a file. The attribute compress is NOT checked. Yet the file name

is in blue.

I still think you are mistaken. It is not zipped but is compressed.

"Twayne" wrote in message

news:OVZuTgltKHA.5940@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> In news:6eoao5h110aceg6vu58t7iv4uioro6m9m4@4ax.com,

> Tim Slattery typed:

>> "Twayne" wrote:

>>

>>> IN XP's case, zip = compressed = zipped ... .

>>>

>>> A zipped file is compressed, but a compressed file is not

>>> necessarily zipped as there are other methods for compressing file

>>> sizes. In the case of XP, with it compresses, it creates a zipped

>>> file.

>>

>> I don't think so. A file whose name is shown in blue has been

>> compressed by the OS. This is *not* zip compression, it's something

>> that the Windows OS does. It's not as drastic as zip, therefore

>> doesn't take as long to do or to undo.

>>

>> WinXP also has built-in support for zipping and unzipping files but

>> it's a totally different thing.

>

> If you check, you'll find the blue is zipped/compressed files and green is

> encrypted files. You can set/adjust these from the Properties menu for

> each file you right click Properties and choose Advanced for.

> Try it and see; You'll find that: Blue *IS* zip compression for XP NTFS

> drives. Compress or encrypt a file and see what color it changes to. The

> color indicator can also be turned off so they all display in black is so

> desired.

>

> In the future, please be more sure of your responses before becoming

> emphatic.

>

> HTH,

>

> Twayne

>

>

>

>

> --

> --

> Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered

> through personal experience does not become a

> part of the moral tissue.
 
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