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REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Computers, Laptops & Tablets &gt; Microsoft 35 35 people found this article helpful <h1>
The Definition and Function of a &#39;System File&#39;</h1>
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Instructions on revealing hidden system files</h2> By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years&#39; of professional technology experience. He&#39;s been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
%Start The Definition of a System File and What It Does GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Microsoft 35 35 people found this article helpful

The Definition and Function of a 'System File'

Instructions on revealing hidden system files

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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David Cohen 2 minutes ago
lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 6, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Micr...
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Charlotte Lee 1 minutes ago
Files and folders that have this attribute logged on should usually be left alone. Changing, deletin...
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 6, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Microsoft Microsoft Apple Google Tablets Accessories & Hardware A system file is any file with the system attribute turned on. It implies that Windows or some other program sees the item as being crucial to the overall function of the operating system.
lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 6, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Microsoft Microsoft Apple Google Tablets Accessories & Hardware A system file is any file with the system attribute turned on. It implies that Windows or some other program sees the item as being crucial to the overall function of the operating system.
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Henry Schmidt 3 minutes ago
Files and folders that have this attribute logged on should usually be left alone. Changing, deletin...
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Scarlett Brown 8 minutes ago
The most popular system files you might have heard of on a Windows computer include kernel32.dll, ms...
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Files and folders that have this attribute logged on should usually be left alone. Changing, deleting, or moving them could cause instability or complete system failure. For this reason, system files typically also have the read-only attribute and hidden attribute flipped on as well.
Files and folders that have this attribute logged on should usually be left alone. Changing, deleting, or moving them could cause instability or complete system failure. For this reason, system files typically also have the read-only attribute and hidden attribute flipped on as well.
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The most popular system files you might have heard of on a Windows computer include kernel32.dll, msdos.sys, io.sys, pagefile.sys, ntdll.dll, ntdetect.com, hal.dll, and ntldr. <h2> Where Are System Files Stored  </h2> Most Windows computers are configured by default not to display system files in normal file searches or in folder views. This is a good thing—there are very few good reasons to be messing with system files in any way.
The most popular system files you might have heard of on a Windows computer include kernel32.dll, msdos.sys, io.sys, pagefile.sys, ntdll.dll, ntdetect.com, hal.dll, and ntldr.

Where Are System Files Stored

Most Windows computers are configured by default not to display system files in normal file searches or in folder views. This is a good thing—there are very few good reasons to be messing with system files in any way.
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These files exist mainly in the Windows folder but can be found in any other places too, like the Program Files folder. The root folder of the drive Windows is installed to (usually the C drive) has a number of common system files and folders, like hiberfil.sys, swapfile.sys, System Recovery, and System Volume Information.
These files exist mainly in the Windows folder but can be found in any other places too, like the Program Files folder. The root folder of the drive Windows is installed to (usually the C drive) has a number of common system files and folders, like hiberfil.sys, swapfile.sys, System Recovery, and System Volume Information.
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Luna Park 13 minutes ago
System files exist in non-Windows operating systems, too, like on PCs with macOS or Linux.

How ...

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Sofia Garcia 7 minutes ago
Both options are available in the same place, making this process pretty easy. Before continuing, we...
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System files exist in non-Windows operating systems, too, like on PCs with macOS or Linux. <h2> How to Show Hidden System Files in Windows </h2> Two things must be done before you can see system files in Windows: 1) show hidden files and folders; 2) show protected operating system files.
System files exist in non-Windows operating systems, too, like on PCs with macOS or Linux.

How to Show Hidden System Files in Windows

Two things must be done before you can see system files in Windows: 1) show hidden files and folders; 2) show protected operating system files.
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Elijah Patel 12 minutes ago
Both options are available in the same place, making this process pretty easy. Before continuing, we...
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Ethan Thomas 5 minutes ago
We highly recommend reversing these steps once you're finished working. There are several ways t...
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Both options are available in the same place, making this process pretty easy. Before continuing, we reiterate that there is little if any good reason for the average computer user to enable the display of system files. We only include this information because you may be dealing with a problem in Windows that can only be fixed by accessing a particular system file as part of a troubleshooting process.
Both options are available in the same place, making this process pretty easy. Before continuing, we reiterate that there is little if any good reason for the average computer user to enable the display of system files. We only include this information because you may be dealing with a problem in Windows that can only be fixed by accessing a particular system file as part of a troubleshooting process.
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Brandon Kumar 8 minutes ago
We highly recommend reversing these steps once you're finished working. There are several ways t...
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We highly recommend reversing these steps once you&#39;re finished working. There are several ways to show system files in Windows, but the following process works equally well in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, so we'll go with that route for simplicity's sake: Open Command Prompt. Execute control folders.
We highly recommend reversing these steps once you're finished working. There are several ways to show system files in Windows, but the following process works equally well in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, so we'll go with that route for simplicity's sake: Open Command Prompt. Execute control folders.
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Thomas Anderson 17 minutes ago
From the View tab, choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Uncheck Hide protected operating s...
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From the View tab, choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Uncheck Hide protected operating system files, and then confirm the action with Yes.
From the View tab, choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Uncheck Hide protected operating system files, and then confirm the action with Yes.
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Select OK. See How to Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows if you need more help doing that, or are interested in some of the other ways to go about it. You may notice that, after performing the steps above, that system files and folders, as well as anything else with the hidden attribute turned on, will be dimmed when they show up in Windows.
Select OK. See How to Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows if you need more help doing that, or are interested in some of the other ways to go about it. You may notice that, after performing the steps above, that system files and folders, as well as anything else with the hidden attribute turned on, will be dimmed when they show up in Windows.
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Noah Davis 40 minutes ago
This is so that you know they are important files that you shouldn't normally see, and not just ...
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Henry Schmidt 1 minutes ago
The system attribute, like any other file attribute, can be manually set on any file or folder of yo...
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This is so that you know they are important files that you shouldn&#39;t normally see, and not just regular files like documents, music, etc. <h2> More Information on System Files </h2> The system file attribute cannot be toggled on and off as easily as other file attributes like archive files and compressed files can. The attrib command must be used instead.
This is so that you know they are important files that you shouldn't normally see, and not just regular files like documents, music, etc.

More Information on System Files

The system file attribute cannot be toggled on and off as easily as other file attributes like archive files and compressed files can. The attrib command must be used instead.
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The system attribute, like any other file attribute, can be manually set on any file or folder of your choosing. This doesn&#39;t mean, however, that the data suddenly takes on an important role in the overall function of the operating system.
The system attribute, like any other file attribute, can be manually set on any file or folder of your choosing. This doesn't mean, however, that the data suddenly takes on an important role in the overall function of the operating system.
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Ava White 7 minutes ago
In other words, if, for example, you save an image file to your computer and then turn the system at...
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Grace Liu 7 minutes ago
This is true for actual system files from Windows as well as for files that you've manually togg...
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In other words, if, for example, you save an image file to your computer and then turn the system attribute on for that file, your computer won&#39;t crash after you delete this file. It was never an actual system file, at least not in the sense that it was an integral part of the operating system. When deleting system files (which we hope you realize by now you shouldn&#39;t ever do), Windows will require a confirmation that you really do want to remove it.
In other words, if, for example, you save an image file to your computer and then turn the system attribute on for that file, your computer won't crash after you delete this file. It was never an actual system file, at least not in the sense that it was an integral part of the operating system. When deleting system files (which we hope you realize by now you shouldn't ever do), Windows will require a confirmation that you really do want to remove it.
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Isaac Schmidt 11 minutes ago
This is true for actual system files from Windows as well as for files that you've manually togg...
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This is true for actual system files from Windows as well as for files that you&#39;ve manually toggled the system attribute on for. While we're on the topic...you normally cannot delete a system file that is actively being used by Windows.
This is true for actual system files from Windows as well as for files that you've manually toggled the system attribute on for. While we're on the topic...you normally cannot delete a system file that is actively being used by Windows.
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Charlotte Lee 10 minutes ago
This type of file is considered a locked file and won't be able to be changed in any way. Windows wi...
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This type of file is considered a locked file and won't be able to be changed in any way. Windows will often store multiple versions of system files. Some are used as backups, while others may be old, previous versions.
This type of file is considered a locked file and won't be able to be changed in any way. Windows will often store multiple versions of system files. Some are used as backups, while others may be old, previous versions.
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It&#39;s possible for a computer to become infected with a virus that changes the file attribute of your regular data (non-system files) to ones that have the hidden or system attribute toggled on. If this happens, it&#39;s safe to turn off the system or hidden attribute to regain visibility and use the files normally. System File Checker (SFC) is a tool included in Windows that can repair corrupt system files.
It's possible for a computer to become infected with a virus that changes the file attribute of your regular data (non-system files) to ones that have the hidden or system attribute toggled on. If this happens, it's safe to turn off the system or hidden attribute to regain visibility and use the files normally. System File Checker (SFC) is a tool included in Windows that can repair corrupt system files.
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Using this tool to replace a system file that's been damaged, or is missing, will often restore a co...
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Using this tool to replace a system file that's been damaged, or is missing, will often restore a computer back to working order. Was this page helpful?
Using this tool to replace a system file that's been damaged, or is missing, will often restore a computer back to working order. Was this page helpful?
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How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows The 9 Best Free Antivirus Software of 2022 X...
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