What Are Attributes?

The attributes of a file or folder appear at the bottom of the General tab of the Properties dialog box. For files and folders stored on NTFS partitions, click the Advanced button to see additional attributes.

The attributes of a file or folder include these settings, which can be selected or deselected for each file or folder:

• Read-only You can read and even edit this file or folder, but when you try to save your changes, Windows reminds you that this is a read-only file and asks you to save your new version as a different file. If you try to delete a read-only file or folder, Windows reminds you that it's read-only, but deletes it if you insist.

• Hidden A file or folder with this attribute doesn't usually appear in Explorer windows, but can be made visible if you want to see it (see "What Are Hidden Files and Folders?" later in the chapter).

• Archive This setting may mean the file or folder has been changed since the last time it was backed up, depending on which backup program you use. Windows Vista comes with Microsoft Backup (see Chapter 10). To see this attribute on an NTFS (NT File System) partition, click the Advanced button to see the Advanced Attributes dialog box, where it appears as the File Is Ready For Archiving attribute (see "What Is a File System?" in Chapter 34).

• Indexed This setting determines whether the file will be included in the Windows Indexing Service index, which is used when searching for files. You can set this attribute on for files stored in an NTFS partition.

• Compressed A file or folder with this attribute is compressed to save space. Compression is available only for files or folders stored on NTFS partitions. Compressed files and folders cannot be encrypted. This type of compression is different from the compressed folders described in the next section.

• Encrypted A file or folder with this attribute is encrypted (encoded) so that only the user who created the file or folder can open it later (see "Can Windows Vista Keep Files Private?" in Chapter 6). The encryption attribute is only visible (and settable) for files and folders on NTFS partitions.