Thumbs.db

Hello Friends,

                        We many of them have a worry about the File called Thumbs.db which was a hidden File and created automatically, which increase the file size. Is it a Virus or any Worm or It will affect the System Files. Let us see what is Thumbs.db.

Ø      The default behavior for many folders in Windows XP is to display thumbnail images  or Filmstrip View of the files in the folder.

Ø      This is primarily true of folders created from digital cameras or filed under the My Videos and My Pictures folders.

Ø      Thumbs.db is Microsoft's way of caching thumbnail images of any image or movie file in a folder.

Ø       The idea behind creating a thumbnail cache is to improve the speed of displaying thumbnails the next time you open the folder by caching a set of thumbnails for the image and video files in the folder.

Ø      Deleting the Thumbs.db file simply deletes that cache, which is regenerated the next time you view the folder contents. It is possible to configure Windows to never cache thumbnails.

One of the biggest annoyances to the Thumbs.db file is the way it changes folder settings. You can specifically set all folders in Windows to open in Detail view, for instance. If any folder contains a  Thumbs.db file, that folder reverts to the thumbnail view, ignoring your preferences.

To stop your computer from generating and regenerating future Thumbs.db files, do the following:

If you’re on the desktop…

1. Click Start
2. Double-click Control Panel
3. Double-click Folder Options

Or, if you have My Computer open and are browsing any folder in your system…

1. Click Tools (next to File, Edit, View at the top of the screen)
2. Click Folder Options

After performing either of those two operations, the “Folder Options” window will open up.

1. Click on the View tab
2. Check off the circle next to Do not cache thumbnails
3. Click the Ok button

Once you click the Ok button, your computer will cease to generate Thumbs.db files. Be forewarned though, if you browse a folder that contains a large quantity of image files (or extremely large image files), it will take a long time for that folder to load even if you have previously browsed it because the thumbnail images will not have been cached in Thumbs.db.

Folder Options

You can also change this setting in the Registry:

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
3. Double-click the DisableThumbnailCache value, or go to Edit -> New -> DWORD value to create a new value by that name.
4. Enter 1 for its value.
5. Click Ok and close the Registry Editor when you're done; you'll have to log off and then log back on for this to take effect.

 Conclusion.

Ø      Thumbs.db is not a harmful file,

Ø      It is System Generated File.

Ø      We can delete or Cease to generate the thumbs.db file.