How To Make Secret Folders On Your Computer

CashLoopholes · 08-26-2007, 03:52 PM

Making Secret Folders

Setting a folder's attributes to +S and +H (Hidden and System) will make it invisible to Windows Explorer and to the normal DOS "dir" command. The files in the folder will also be hidden from any search.

Want to see an example of just one file that Microsoft is hiding this way? Click Start / Search and type in "Desktop.ini" (without the quotes) and let it search just your C: drive. It will probably show 5 matches.

Now open a DOS window and change to the root directory ( cd\ ) (press enter after typing cd\). Then type and enter this command: attrib desktop.ini /s

You will see there are 20 to 25 instances of this file on your system.

So, if you want to make folders secret you can make them super secret by first renaming them with an alt + 255 character(s) in their names, then using the attribute command to set the folder to hidden and system. Even if someone finds the folder they will have a hell of a time trying to figure out what that underscore (or blank space from DOS) actually is.

If you set folder attributes to system and forget there names or if you want to get a list of system folders you won't see them with Windows Explorer but there is a DOS command that will show you those folders only:

dir c:\ /s /ads

What can you do it you find a file or folder that has character(s) in the file name that prevents Windows access? From time to time I have encountered files that were unzipped or accidentially corrupted that contained characters that made it impossible to open, move or delete. When this happens the only thing I have found that will allow me to access or remove it is to use the rename command with wildcards. For example, if you have a folder named "TEST_" and the underscore is an alt + 255 character, you can use the command "Ren T* tt" ...then you have access to the folder.

The rename command is also handy if you want to change the case of all file extensions in a folder. For example if you have hundreds of mp3's and want to put them on a web site you may not want some showing as .Mp3 and others .mp3 and others .MP3. The command: ren *.mp3 *.mp3 will set them all to .mp3. Many web sites won't let you download a file unless you get the case right when you ask for it. This will solve the random cases of the extensions.

anand1 · 04-29-2008, 08:42 PM

Nice tut thanks for having sharing this info with us. I never knew this tips of making secrets folders. does it work in VISTA as well or it works only for XP?

richard64 · 07-22-2008, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anand1
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Nice tut thanks for having sharing this info with us. I never knew this tips of making secrets folders. does it work in VISTA as well or it works only for XP?

Yes.

Actually, these are not really secret. The /s and /h attributes are really just to hide files that users do not need to see, but because there is the attrib tool, and because the dir tool can show "hidden" and "system" files it means that they are not well hidden. The same for desktip.ini, the reason for that file is to give Windows Explorer information about how to show the files in the folder (for example show jpegs as a "filmstrip"). Since you can delete desktop.ini it is not a good way to hide files. also the dir command will show all the files in a folder with desktop.ini.

So don't get a false sense of security here. All the tips shown will only hide files from a novice, to anyone seriously looking for files they are no barrier at all.

Richard

Gwerzal · 07-22-2008, 10:57 AM

Another very good post rich. Thank you very much for the extra info.

ashkar · 11-04-2008, 06:30 AM

nice post i'm for this one

s.m · 11-25-2008, 11:27 PM

Cool so can you hide any type of file lol

Stolen · 11-25-2008, 11:42 PM

Very nice its a hidden file ;D

westy87 · 01-13-2009, 02:28 PM

if you cant deleate a file for some reason and its giving you an error message download this freeware called GiPo@FileUtilities when downloaded and installed you must right click on the offending file and you will have a new option saying gipo@ifleutilities after clicking it it will give you the option to deleate the file upon rebooting you computer.
It dose this by bypassing windows and just deleating it dirctly.

218vi · 04-24-2009, 12:46 PM

thanks willtry this

cancun · 05-21-2009, 09:25 AM

thanks for good tutorial. It's really useful for me. I'll try it