On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 02:19:34 GMT, Bruce Patis
wrote:

There have been many recent threads about memory cards, but I haven't
seen any that mentioned this specific item.

Windows XP and Mac OS-X added files and directories to the memory card
in my camera. I use nether of those two operating systems on any of
my computers, so here is how it happened.

I was using my Oly C-4000 at a friend's house who uses Windows XP.
She wanted copies of the pictures I had just taken, so I removed the
128MB SM card from the camera and placed it in a card reader connected
via USB cable to her computer. She then selected the image files on
the card that she wanted and copied them to the hard drive.
Everything was done with My Computer in XP.

I'm not a Windows expert, but it looked like it was a standard copying
operation. No message appeared other than the usual animated sheet of
paper flying from the card reader to the HD. When that procedure was
finished, I removed the card from the reader and placed it back in the
camera.


It was not the copy operation that added the files. It was viewing
the files on the card/drive as thumbnails that did it.

If you use photoshop CS to view them that won't happen, but it's a
whole lot easier to just leave them as "details", copy everything and
delete the ones not wanted.

Any time you view the files as thumbnails Windows Explorer will create
a thumbnail directory and cache the thumbnails unless it's told not to
do so.

More than likely the Apple system did something similar.
I think I read somewhere that XP

has a "feature" which makes it easier to view, sort, or catalog
images. If so, I'm sure Microsoft copied it from Apple.

Who copied it from Xerox who developed the "windows" look and feel.


I might be considered overly fussy, but I don't want Bill Gates or
Steve Jobs putting "stuff" in my computer or camera, especially
without asking permission.

They did ask although most users don't recognize the choice. When
users understand the operating systems they find out those OSs will
place these files on the drive when the files are viewed as
thumbnails.


Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com