Files in My Computer

Lona · Apr 04, 2009, 18:18:14

Why are some file names especially in Excel sometimes coloured blue and somtimes coloured black?

Rik · Apr 04, 2009, 18:20:37

Encrypted or compressed files, Lona?

Lona · Apr 04, 2009, 18:22:22

No, Rik. These files are ordinary excel files.

Rik · 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.

Lona · 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

Rik · 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.

Steve · Apr 04, 2009, 18:40:34

I wonder if the file extension is different?

Rik · Apr 04, 2009, 18:40:59

Such as, Steve?

Lona · 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.

Rik · Apr 04, 2009, 18:45:01

NP. I had to check myself.

Sebby · 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".

Rik · Apr 05, 2009, 10:18:47

You can still remember then, Seb?

Any idea when it chooses to compress, eg low disk space?

Sebby · Apr 05, 2009, 11:19:11

I would have thought the things I know from Windows are drilled into my brain.

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.

Rik · 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.

Sebby · Apr 05, 2009, 11:22:47

Does disk cleanup or some utility like that give you the option to compress old files?

Rik · Apr 05, 2009, 11:26:04

No idea, tbh, Seb.

Lona · 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.

Rik · Apr 05, 2009, 15:35:31

It's possible, Lona, how much free space is there on the disk?

Lona · 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

Rik · 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.

Lona · Apr 05, 2009, 16:37:09

It could be Ccleaner which might be set to compress old files, I must have a look.

Simon · Apr 05, 2009, 16:48:17

I keep reading this thread title as FLIES in my machine!

Rik · Apr 05, 2009, 16:54:52

Wait a couple of months.

Steve · 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!

Blueflies or Blackflies

Easy to compress if you can swat them

Dopamine · 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.