Thumbs.db files are caches of the thumbnails of the pictures in a folder. They make it faster to display thumbnails when viewing a folder in thumbnail mode. They are near impossible to delete, often getting in the way when you delete the contents of a folder and cannot delete the folder itself due to the continued presence of these files.
Personally, I loath them. I don't use thumbnails to display what I have in folders, and if I did, I would not mind waiting a few extra seconds for the thumbnails to appear. I do however, often check the properties of folders to see if there are any new files in there. I often have to hunt down folder by folder to find out it is merely these wretched things I see.
Here is how to stop them from being created, and make them deletable:
- Open Windows Explorer
- Press the ALT key to display the pull down menus (below). Pick Tools, then pick Folder Options.
3. Pick the View tab, then check the very first check-box, 'Always show icons, never thumbnails'. Now, pick the Apply to Folders button and OK
This will allow you to delete leftover thumbs.db files. To do a mass elimination of the foul remnants, click on your root drive (C:), enter thumbs.db in the search field of Windows Explorer and erase all ones that show up with that name.
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