Thumbs.db Viewer

Operating system create hidden system files arent visible to the common user. This system file is called a Thumbs.db and is actually a database of the miniature images that exist in the folder from which they were initiated. Thumbs.db files will contain an image of every graphic in the folder if the user viewed them as thumbnails. Each time files are added to the folder, new records and miniature graphics will be created in the Thumbs.db. An interesting aspect of Thumbs.db files is that when a graphic is viewed and an entry made for it in the database, it is maintained indefinitely by the operating system. If the file is deleted, the image will remain unless the Thumbs.db file or the entire folder are deleted. The early versions of Thumbs.db files as they appeared in Windows ME and Windows 2000 contained not only the thumbnail image of the parent file, but also the filename, drive letter, and path to that image. Later versions, Windows XP and Windows 2003, store the image and its filename but not the path. See Table below for variations in these operating systems.