Users who have recently started their acquaintance with Windows 7 experience problems when working with an unusual interface. Those who switched to the Seven with XP or from even earlier versions of the operating system suffer especially from this. And the thing is that the developers wanted to simplify the interface as much as possible, but, as often happens, on the contrary made it even more confusing.
So, for example, for many users it is generally not clear how to find hidden files in Windows 7. And all would be fine, but sometimes it really needs to be done to solve certain problems. This article is devoted to exactly how to view hidden files and folders in Windows 7, and even in several different ways.
Why turn on the display of hidden files?
Microsoft employees tried to make sure that users could not harm the Windows 7 operating system with their careless actions. To this end, they “masked” all the especially important files necessary for the OS to work. The solution is quite logical, if not for one “but” ... Quite often, malicious programs also hide their files, making it difficult to detect them.
If such a misfortune befell your computer, then you need to start acting as quickly as possible. First of all, you need to make hidden files visible in Windows 7 and only after that proceed with the search for malware. About how to do this, just discussed below.
Enabling Visibility Through My Computer
The easiest way is to enable the display of the hidden files you need in Windows 7 through My Computer. This is done like this:
- Go to your desktop and double-click on the “My Computer” icon.
- Pay attention to the “Arrange” button located in the upper left part of the window that opens (immediately below the address bar). You need to click on it.
- A drop-down list will appear. Find the line "Folder Options" in it and click on it.
- A separate window will open. In it you need to go to the "View" section, drag the slider to the very bottom and activate the "Show hidden files" item.
- Now you just have to click “Apply”.
After these simple steps, all files on your computer that were previously hidden will become visible.
Using the Control Panel
This method is slightly similar to the previous one, but it does not use “My Computer”, but “Control Panel”. So, to view hidden files in Windows 7, do the following:
- Click "Start" and then open the "Control Panel".
- Go to the "Design" section.
- Now pay attention to the "Folder Options" category. Here you need to click on the line “Show hidden files”. The "View" menu opens, which was also discussed in the previous method.
- Here, again, you need to lower the slider to the very bottom and put a mark on the option "Show ...".
Then you just have to confirm the changes and close all unnecessary windows.
Registry Change
This method is not recommended for beginners, as it involves working with the registry. It consists in the following:
- Press the key combination “Win + R”, and then write regedit.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER and then to Software.
- Next, go to the Microsoft - Windows directory.
- After this, follow in CurrentVersion - Explorer - Advanced.
- In the right editor window, find the Hidden file. Click on it and select "Change." In the line "Value" write the number "1".
- Agree to make changes and close the editor.
Now all hidden files in Windows 7 will begin to appear on your computer.
Notes
Well, and finally, a few tips:
- Never delete hidden files if you are not completely sure what you are doing. Otherwise, you risk disrupting the operating system.
- If you wish, you can turn off the display of all hidden files on your computer by opening the “View” tab and ticking the “Do not show ...” option.
- Any file can be hidden by going to its properties and turning on the parameter of the same name.
Also do not forget that hiding files and folders is not protected from intruders. It would be wiser to use password archives to store important information.