There’s a file called Thumbs.db in almost every one of the folders on my computer. What is it and how do I get rid of it?

Thumbs.db is a system file generated automatically by Windows XP when you view the contents of a folder in “Thumbnail” or “Filmstrip” view. Thumbs.db contains a copy of each of the tiny preview images generated for image files in that folder so that they load up quickly the next time you browse that folder. Thumbs.db also stores your settings with regard to thumbnail and filmstrip view.

Despite the fact that Thumbs.db is a hidden system file, it annoys people because it tends to show up in places where it’s not wanted. Many times you’ll try to zip up a folder full of images and e-mail them to a friend or upload them to an FTP site, and Thumbs.db goes along for the ride.

To stop your computer from generating and regenerating future Thumbs.db files, do the following:

If you’re on the desktop…
Click Start
Double-click Control Panel
Double-click Folder Options
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By default, Windows XP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

Right click on the My Computer icon
Select Properties
Click on the Advanced tab
Under Performance, click on the Settings button
To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

There’s a small utility called “SHUTCMD.EXE” included in the Windows NT Resource Kit that can be used to shutdown or restart a local or remote computer.

For example, you can shutdown the local computer by running:
SHUTCMD /L

to shutdown a computer on a network (“SYTEM1″ being the name of the system to be shutdown):
SHUTCMD \\SERVER1 /Y

to shutdown a remote computer connected to the Internet (“127.00.22.12″ being the IP address of the computer you want to shutdown):
SHUTCMD \\127.00.22.12 /Y