StanMac Loc: Tennessee

I have started to see files in my folders of images with the leading characters of ._imagefilename.jpg since Microsoft updated me to Windows 11. Google tells me the ._ indicates an "extended attribute" file. What are the extended attributes they contain? What purpose do they serve? And can I delete them without corrupting the associated image file?

Stan

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Interesting.
On two computers (Win 11 Pro and Win 11 Home) none of my image files have the "._" prefix.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Here is a screen shot of the files on a flash drive that I was going to download to my PC. These files are on a flash drive onto which I have downloaded files from the SD card of my Lumix ZS100. The corresponding image files for the ._ files shown are farther down the list of P* files.

Stan

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Longshadow, please Google "extended attribute files" and then translate for the rest of us. There's a ton of technical talk

From wiki: Extended file attributes are file system features that enable users to associate computer files with metadata not interpreted by the filesystem, whereas regular attributes have a purpose strictly defined by the filesystem (such as permissions or records of creation and modification times).

Stan, are you able to open and read one of them? 4 kb, a line of text?

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

No. When I click on it to open it, my image viewer opens with "It looks like we don't support that file format" I suppose the .jpg extension indicates an image file and the photo viewer tries to read it. I don't know of any other application that would open it, like a text file. I'm a computer user, not a programmer or other technical geek.

Edit: I did try Notepad and got this:

  Mac OS X  2 °  â
 ATTR;šÉÿ â À &  À  com.apple.lastuseddate#PS Ð  com.apple.quarantine CnÖ` ­e
# 0082;60d66e45;Preview;

This resource fork intentionally left blank

  ÿÿ

I have no idea why the references to MAC OS is in there - this flash drive has never been plugged into a MAC. And of course, a Lumix camera is not an Apple product.

Stan

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Can you attach one to a reply and post it here?

Longshadow is a computer techie; I'm hoping he's doing research as we speak

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Here ya go ....

Attached file:
(Download)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

No joy. From the App Store I got the message that the app to open isn't available in my region or country

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

They are not a bother to me other than they show up in my file listing, take up memory, and I don't know what use they are.

Stan

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

The ones in your screenprint are only 4 kb each. Miniscule storage. I wonder if they function similar to the sidecar xmp files, so that when you open that jpg there is additional info (in exif maybe).

You could take a new photo, and if it generates that file, open the photo and look at all the data. Then delete this extra file and see if there's a change. I'd be curious enough to do it, if I could, but I use a Mac.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

The odd thing is, not all the image files have an associated ._ file. I'll try what you suggest, Linda.

Stan

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

I was mistaken - the ._ files I show in the screenshot above are on the SD card from the camera, and not on a separate flash drive, which implies the camera created them. Even more curious is that the ._ file is dated differently (later date) than the image file with the same file name/number.

Stan

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I do love a good mystery! Is the "later date" the date you downloaded those pics to your computer?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I can't download the file or copy-and-paste to a directory.
If it was placed on the memory card, I would imagine that the camera created it?

Notepad (and a good "file" editor) will usually open <any> file, but the funny characters you see in it are the result of it being a particular (unique) data storage format.
Some OTHER <special/unique> program most likely knows how to use the data file. Does LUMIX provide a photo editor?

User ID

Did you rotate images in playback, or mark them as favorites or as protected, or do any other similar minor thing to them ?