By default, hidden files do not appear in the file list or search results in Windows 7. However, they can be displayed along with regular data with the appropriate system settings.
Why is this needed?
If you are worried about accidentally not changing or moving some data, you can follow the simple instruction “How to hide a folder on your computer”. Follow these simple steps to hide the necessary data from the field of view in Windows 7. The time required for this operation usually does not exceed 5 minutes.
How it's done?
Let's talk about how to hide the folder quickly. You can enter her name in the search field after clicking "Start". It will appear in a new window, and you can start working with it.
However, the most common way is to manually select a folder on the computer and right-click on it, and then select “Properties”. After that, you need to set the “Hidden” attribute in the folder’s characteristics by checking the corresponding line.
Click on the "Start" button in Windows 7, and then select "Control Panel." Find the menu item “Folder Options” (you can find it in the “View” tab). Additional settings contain information about the location of hidden files and folders and their categories. If everything is displayed correctly, you should be able to see these menu items at the bottom without scrolling down. You should also notice two options that suggest showing or not showing hidden folders and files.
Select "Do not show hidden files, folders and drives" by checking the box next to the corresponding line. Click the “OK” button at the bottom of the “Folder Options” window. On this instruction "How to hide a folder in Windows" can be considered complete. Now the data with the “covered” attribute will not be displayed for any type of load.
How to check the settings?
You can be sure to correctly follow the instructions explaining how to hide the folder. To do this in Windows 7, you need to go to drive C. If you do not see a folder called ProgramData, then hidden data does not really appear. Remember that this data does not disappear from your computer and is by no means deleted, it simply becomes invisible to the user.
How to open them?
As a rule, hidden files usually have such parameters for a reason. Often they contain very important information, which is extremely undesirable to change or delete. But what if you need to open them for any reason? Sometimes this is due to the fact that various problems arise in the operation of Windows, and to resolve them, you need to make changes to these files.
You already know how to hide the folder. The reverse action is performed similarly. To display this data, you must check the box “Show hidden files and folders”, and thereby make changes to the settings of the “Control Panel”. Regardless of the version of Windows, these steps will be almost the same.
In addition to system and program data, any information can be hidden on a computer, and similarly opened for personal use. This does not have any impact on the operation of the operating system, and at the same time allows you to make your information inaccessible to outsiders.