Re: Alternate data Streams

Thumbs.db?

The thumbs.db file is generated by Windows. It is a database file containing
the small images displayed when you view a folder in Thumbnail View (as
opposed to Tile, Icon, List or Detail View).

A thumbs.db file contains the thumbnails for that particular folder where the thumbs.db is located.

Windows XP uses a compressed database file (Thumbs.db) to increase
performance. Supposedly.

To get rid of Thumbs.db files, open Folder Options...

Open Folder Options...
Start | Run | Type: control folders | Click OK |
View tab | Check: Do not cache thumbnails |
Click Apply | Click OK

Do not cache thumbnails...
[[Disables automatic storage of folder thumbnails in a cache file. When you
store thumbnail images in a cache file, Windows can reuse them instead of
creating new ones every time you open a folder. If you disable this
automatic storage function, folders that contain thumbnails might take
longer to open.]]

If you do not change the Do not cache thumbnails setting, deleting any
thumbs.db will be a waste of time because they will just be recreated again
in folders that are set in Thumbnail View.

If you use Thumbnail views a lot, you may want to UNCheck Do not cache
thumbnails.

To recreate the Thumbs.db file, click the folder whose contents you are
trying to view in Windows Explorer and then click Thumbnails on
the View menu.

Note: To see the Thumbs.db file, you must be able to view hidden files. To
view hidden files, click Folder Options on the View menu in Windows
Explorer, click the View tab, click Show All Files and then click OK.

Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) needs to be UNChecked
also.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:332C5AAF-AA95-4088-9F2F-697640031152@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Hello, Thanks for the further advice. All is now resolved, in each folder
was a hidden .db folder referencing the database software (Fotostation
Pro) thumbnail versions of my images. I think they are generated to
simply speed up the viewing process. Nothing sinister.

Again, thank you for all your help, the problems are resolved and I will
leave you in peace.

Mike

--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

What actually scanned the folder?

HOW TO: Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302347

To display Hidden files and folders...

Start | Settings | Control Panel | Folder Options | View tab
Check:
Display the contents of system folders
and
Show hidden files and folders
UNCheck:
Hide extensions for known file types
and
Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)
Click Apply | Click OK

When you uncheck: Hide protected operating system files,
you will get this message...

Warning
----------
You have chosen to display protected operating system files (files
labeled System and Hidden) in Windows Explorer.These files are required
to start and run Windows. Deleting or editing them can make your
computer inoperable.Are you sure you want to display these files?
----------

Click YES.

[[Hidden files and folders will appear dimmed to indicate they are not
typical items.]]


--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:E972A7C5-A7C9-49CA-9985-9B3CC6132C66@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Fun indeed. Thanks. Your suggestion re copying to CD and back to the HD
worked, and the folder I tested now has no ADS data (visibly) attached
to the file name. It also took a fraction of the time to scan the
folder. However on doing so, it claimed to have scanned 450 files, when
in fact there are only 150 files in the folder, is this something else
I should be worried about?. I am currently looking many thousands of
afected files.

Many Thanks again.
--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Keep having fun, Mike. :-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:31D37451-0D8C-4A53-8A60-73AF2555D657@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Extraordinarily helpfull and usefull response, thank you very much. I
will read everything and take it all on board.
Best Wishes
Mike
--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Hi Mike,

Thank You. Very Helpfull, I will try that. All of my external HDs
are NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied
between them.

To get rid of Alternate Data Streams on any file, move to a non NTFS
media, like a floppy, a CD or a memory stick and then move the file
back to the hard drive.

If I
were to create new external HD's formatted to FAT32, then copy the
files from the NTFS drives, would that remove the ADS?.

Seems awful drastic.

Keep in mind that adding Comments to any file adds ADS.

<quote>
To add a comment to a file

1. Right click a file.
2. Click Properties.
3. On the Summary tab, type your comment in the Comments area.
-or-

On the Summary tab, click Simple, and then type your comment in
the Comments area.

Notes
To display the comments you add to files, double-click the folder
that contains the files you want to view. On the View menu, click
Choose Details, and select the Comment check box, and then click OK.
On the View menu, click Details to see comments for several files at
once, or select a file and click Details in the left pane to view
the comment for the selected file. <quote>
from...
Add a comment to a file
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/windows_add_comment.mspx

Not all Alternate Data Strems are evil. Although with SP2 Microsoft
adds zone info as ADS with the Attachment Manager.

You can use the HijackThis ADS Spy to remove ADS.

Both of these are copied and pasted from HijackThis.

HijackThis ADS Spy
---------------------------
Alternate Data Streams (ADSs) are pieces of info hidden as metadata
on files. They are not visible in Explorer and the size they take up
is not reported by Windows. Recent browser hijackers started hiding
their files inside ADSs, and very few anti-malware scanners detect
this (yet).Use ADS Spy to find and remove these streams.Note: this
app also displays legitimate ADS streams. Do not delete streams if
you are not completely sure they are malicious!
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
HijackThis
---------------------------
Using ADS Spy is very easy: just click 'Scan', wait until the scan
completes, then select the ADS streams you want to remove and click
'Remove selected'. If you are unsure which streams to remove, ask
someone for help. Don't delete streams if you don't know what they
are!The three checkboxes are:Quick Scan: only scans the Windows
folder. So far all known malware that uses ADS to hide itself, hides
in the Windows folder. Unchecking this will make ADS Spy scan the
entire system (i.e. all drives).Ignore safe system info streams:
Windows, Internet Explorer and a few antivirus programs use ADS to
store metadata for certain folders and files. These streams can
safely be ignored, they are harmless.Calculate MD5 checksums of
streams: For antispyware program development or antivirus analysis
only.Note: the default settings of above three checkboxes should be
fine for most people. There's no need to change any of them unless
you are a developer or anti-malware expert.
--------------------------- OK
---------------------------

HijackThis (More for the advanced user)
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html

HijackThis log tutorial
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html

HijackThis Log Tutorial
http://www.aumha.org/a/hjttutor.htm

See 9. How to use ADS Spy
How to use HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers & Spyware
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial42.html
--------

NTFS Alternate (Multiple) Data Streams articles

The first four are short and to the point.

NTFS Data Streams - Windows Alternate Data Stream, NP.EXE
http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/readingroom/ntfsstreams.asp

Windows Alternate Data Streams
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial25.html

Windows NTFS Alternate Data Streams
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1822

NTFS Streams
http://www.alcpress.com/articles/ads.html

-----

Alternate Data Streams Threat or Menace Why Alternate Data Streams
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=413685&rl=1

FAQ Alternate Data Streams in NTFS
http://www.heysoft.de/nt/ntfs-ads.htm

Fork (filesystem)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_data_stream

Hidden NTFS Alternate Data Streams (ADS) Explained - Are You At Risk?
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/web/streams/streams.htm

Hidden Threat Alternate Data Streams
http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Alternate_Data_Streams.html

NTFS Alternate Data Streams » Girl Geekette dotNet
http://www.girlgeekette.net/2005/09/16/ntfs-alternate-data-streams/

NTFS Data Streams
http://www.relsoft.net/datastreams.html

NTFS Streams - Everything you need to know (demos and tests included)
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/index.php?page=archive&id=ntfs-streams

Practical Guide to Alternative Data Streams in NTFS
http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=security/altds

Is there any advantage to the NTFS format over FAT32?, . Finally,
can I reformat the existing NTFS drives to FAT32 (obviously losing
the data in the process?.

You cannot reformat an NTFS drive to FAT32 without some 3rd party
utility.

You can do whatever you like, but NTFS is the way to go, not FAT32.

What Is NTFS?
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/59a9462a-cbdd-45e7-828b-12c6cd9ae4781033.mspx

FAT & NTFS File Systems in Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfs.htm

Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463

NTFS vs. FAT: Which Is Right for You?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/october01.asp

Overview of FAT, HPFS, and NTFS File Systems
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100108

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:F869C836-D6CC-4D0B-83D6-15589BB5F4DF@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Thank You. Very Helpfull, I will try that. All of my external HDs
are NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied
between them. If I were to create new external HD's formatted to
FAT32, then copy the files from the NTFS drives, would that remove
the ADS?.

Is there any advantage to the NTFS format over FAT32?, . Finally,
can I reformat the existing NTFS drives to FAT32 (obviously losing
the data in the process?.

Many Many Thanks
Mike


--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

ADS probably does not slow down your system.

To get rid of Alternate Data Streams on any file, move to a non
NTFS media, like a floppy, a CD or a memory stick and then move
the file back to the hard drive. ADS can only exist on NTFS
formatted drives, moving or copying files strips the files of the
ADS crap.

You get Confirm Stream Loss messages when copying files with ADS to
non-NTFS formatted media...

Confirm Stream Loss
-----------------------
The file 'xxxxxxxxxxxxx.zzz' has extra information
attached to it that might be lost if you continue copying. The
contents of the file will not be affected. Information that might
be lost includes:
Summary Info
Document Summary Info

Do you want to proceed anyway?
-----------------------

Click YES because there is nothing you can do about it.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:790E5795-6EFE-40EE-93C2-150D3DD87F10@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Hello, I am looking for advice on how to locate and remove
Alternate data Streams from jpeg files. They during in my virus
scan, but no

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Alternate data Streams
    ... Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP ... NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied between ... Alternate Data Streams are pieces of info hidden as metadata on ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Alternate data Streams
    ... a hidden .db folder referencing the database software ... and all retain the ADS when files are copied between ... To get rid of Alternate Data Streams on any file, move to a non NTFS ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Alternate data Streams
    ... MS-MVP Windows Shell/User ... NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied between ... Alternate Data Streams are pieces of info hidden as metadata on ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
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