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General discussion

File removal...

Dec 16, 2007 4:46AM PST

What are .DS_Store files? I'm trying out a maint. utility that has an option to remove these files, however, i am reluctant to do so until i know what they are for. Powerbook G4, OSX 10.4.11. Thanks in advance for input.

Discussion is locked

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.DS_Store Files
Dec 16, 2007 8:04AM PST

These files are created by the Finder but are invisible by default.
These files are used to save the positions of icons, the size of the window, the window's background and many more view options.

You can delete them if they are annoying you by their presence. They will be replaced as soon as you open a window.

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Out of curiosity,
Dec 16, 2007 10:20PM PST

is there any benefit to periodically deleting them? The utility i am trying is for maint. scripts, cache cleaning, etc. If there is no maint. reason for deleting them i will leave well enough alone. Thank you for the help

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Not really a pressing need to delete them
Dec 17, 2007 12:50AM PST

As I mentioned, they just get created the next time you open that folder. However, for folders that you rarely open, you would save a miniscule amount of HD space by deleting them.

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Removing .DS_Store from a windows based machine
Feb 4, 2008 2:26AM PST

I have a .DS_Store file on my server, don't know how it got there, but how do I remove it from the server. Everytime I hit "delete" windows does not recognize it as a valid file. Probably since it starts with a period. Any Ideas?