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Technical News & Discussion => Windows News & Discussion => Topic started by: Lona on Apr 04, 2009, 18:18:14

Title: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 04, 2009, 18:18:14
Why are some file names especially in Excel sometimes coloured blue and somtimes coloured black?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:20:37
Encrypted or compressed files, Lona?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 04, 2009, 18:22:22
No, Rik.  These files are ordinary excel files.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:27:45
Mmm. Encrypted go green, compressed blue. Are they files you created or ones sent to you, if the latter, the sender has compressed them.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 04, 2009, 18:36:14
My hubby does accounts for a small firm and saves each file to a folder.  What's bugging him is some save as black and some as blue.  He wouldn't know how to compress a file.

I have checked his files and wondered if it something to do with size but they are all basically 91kb
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:37:50
Well, they definitely go blue on my machine if I compress them. Right-click on a blue file, select properties and have a look at what the advanced button reveals.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Steve on Apr 04, 2009, 18:40:34
I wonder if the file extension is different?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:40:59
Such as, Steve?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 04, 2009, 18:44:27
Quote from: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:37:50
Well, they definitely go blue on my machine if I compress them. Right-click on a blue file, select properties and have a look at what the advanced button reveals.

You are spot on Rik.  He says to tell you he didn't know he was that clever.  I got him to check the black files, advanced and they are not compressed but the blue ones were.  He doesn't manually compress them so I guess excel does it to save space.

(http://www.portablegaming.de/images/smilies/thx.gif)
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 04, 2009, 18:45:01
NP. I had to check myself. :)
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Sebby on Apr 04, 2009, 19:51:33
Afaik, Windows does it to some files automatically, but you only see them if you have it set that way. To stop Windows showing them:

My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View, then untick "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color".
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 10:18:47
You can still remember then, Seb? ;D

Any idea when it chooses to compress, eg low disk space?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Sebby on Apr 05, 2009, 11:19:11
I would have thought the things I know from Windows are drilled into my brain. :P

As far as I can remember, it's something the user has to do - in the file or folder properties, you can choose to compress to save space.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 11:21:48
That's what I thought, and it's my experience, so I'm not sure how Lona's husband ended up with compressed files.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Sebby on Apr 05, 2009, 11:22:47
Does disk cleanup or some utility like that give you the option to compress old files?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 11:26:04
No idea, tbh, Seb.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 05, 2009, 13:19:02
I've been looking through his pc and there are lots of files that are blue.


The only thing I can think of is, sometimes outlook express will throw up a message asking to compress files to save space.  Perhaps windows compresses other files at the same time.

Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 15:35:31
It's possible, Lona, how much free space is there on the disk?
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 05, 2009, 16:30:29
Quote from: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 15:35:31
It's possible, Lona, how much free space is there on the disk?

95gig on C drive and 93gig on the D drive so plenty room
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 16:35:50
I really can't explain it, then. I have no compressed files on my machines unless I've chosen to do so manually.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Lona on Apr 05, 2009, 16:37:09
It could be Ccleaner which might be set to compress old files, I must have a look.
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Simon on Apr 05, 2009, 16:48:17
I keep reading this thread title as FLIES in my machine!  ;D
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 05, 2009, 16:54:52
Wait a couple of months. ;D
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Steve on Apr 05, 2009, 18:08:15
Quote from: Simon on Apr 05, 2009, 16:48:17
I keep reading this thread title as FLIES in my machine!  ;D

Blueflies or Blackflies :blush: Easy to compress if you can swat them
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Dopamine on Apr 06, 2009, 17:54:10
Is Windows' Disk Cleanup ever run on the machine with the compressed files, and if so is the "Compress old files" box ticked? That may explain why some are compressed.

(http://youwho.www.idnet.com/disk-cleanup-xp.jpg)
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Rik on Apr 06, 2009, 17:54:36
Good thought.  :thumb:
Title: Re: Files in My Computer
Post by: Sebby on Apr 06, 2009, 19:16:23
That's what I was picturing. :)