A Description of Protected Operating System Files in Windows Millennium Edition

This article describes the Hide protected operating system files option on the View tab in the Folder Options dialog box in Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me).

On a Windows Millennium Edition-based computer, files that have the System and Hidden attributes are not viewable by default, even if the Show hidden files and folders option is enabled on the View tab in the Folder Options dialog box.

To view the protected operating system files in Windows Me, you must perform the following steps:

1. Double-click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Click to clear the Hide protected operating system files check box.
5. When you are prompted to confirm your choice, click Yes.
   
   NOTE: Because protected operating system files have both the System and Hidden attributes, the Show hidden files and folders option must be selected to view these files and folders.
6. Click OK.

NOTE: Even if files and folders are hidden in the graphical user interface (GUI), you can still gain access to them at a command prompt.