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Welcome to Vista Forums we are your forum to discuss Windows Vista x64 and x86 systems. Whether you need help or just want to post an idea you have on Vista, this is the forum for you.
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| Guest | Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL Please try this yourself: rename a DLL to a different extension (such as ..asdf). Watch the Version tab disappear under the file's Properties. If you switch the extension back, suddenly Vista recognizes the version specification. Why is Vista ignoring file versions for custom file extensions?? We deal extensively with clients using older version of our files, so we need to be able to easily see the versions. However, since upgrading from XP to Vista, the file version (accessed by going to the file's Properties and selecting the Version tab) is no longer shown. There isn't even a version tab anymore! If you try adding a "File Version" column in Details view, it also doesn't show up. The only way to get the file version to show up is to change the file's extension to DLL. Then suddenly the version tab appears, and the DLL also shows its version in Details view. With XP, we never had this problem. If a file had a version specified, it was shown. Try it yourself in Vista! Rename a .DLL file to .ASDF and try to find the file's version. Now try it in XP and see how simple it is. This happens even under Administrator login. |
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| Guest | Re: Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL "anon0918" <anon0918@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:09A6C87D-E828-4451-8B3A-A4D083E95A2B@microsoft.com... > Please try this yourself: rename a DLL to a different extension (such as > .asdf). Watch the Version tab disappear under the file's Properties. If > you > switch the extension back, suddenly Vista recognizes the version > specification. Why is Vista ignoring file versions for custom file > extensions?? > > We deal extensively with clients using older version of our files, so we > need to be able to easily see the versions. > > However, since upgrading from XP to Vista, the file version (accessed by > going to the file's Properties and selecting the Version tab) is no longer > shown. There isn't even a version tab anymore! If you try adding a "File > Version" column in Details view, it also doesn't show up. > > The only way to get the file version to show up is to change the file's > extension to DLL. Then suddenly the version tab appears, and the DLL also > shows its version in Details view. > > With XP, we never had this problem. If a file had a version specified, it > was shown. > > Try it yourself in Vista! Rename a .DLL file to .ASDF and try to find the > file's version. Now try it in XP and see how simple it is. > > This happens even under Administrator login. You might actually find a solution about how to deal with this in the MSDN newsgroups as they are usually well populated with app developers: http://msdn.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.aspx -- Michael Solomon Backup is a PC user's best friend DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/ |
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| Guest | Re: Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL On Wed, 8 Aug 2007 09:52:02 -0700, anon0918 >Please try this yourself: rename a DLL to a different extension (such as >.asdf). Watch the Version tab disappear under the file's Properties. If you >switch the extension back, suddenly Vista recognizes the version >specification. Why is Vista ignoring file versions for custom file >extensions?? Because arbitrary file extensions are not supposed to have version tabs (or more specifically, the same structure as code files, which define such tabs). This, IMO, is a Good Thing. The extension is what you see, and what you use to assess the potential behavior of a file. In essence, you assess the risk of a file according to its type, as shown by the extension. A file that mis-represents its type by using the wrong extension should IMO be considered highly suspect. Code is the most dangerous of file types. Even when not run as code, the processing of type-specific material (such as displaying a version tab) exposes internal surfaces of the OS that could contain exoploitable defects. >We deal extensively with clients using older version of our files, so we >need to be able to easily see the versions. Then I would keep the appropriate extensions, and break the name of the file (e.g. Blah.dll -> Blah3409.dll rather than Blah.dll -> Blah.xyz). As implied in the example, you could append the build number to the name and this save yourself a rt-click ;-) Note that when you rename a file in this way, the registry can track the change, if that file is referenced from there. More to the point; note that invalidating the extension doesd not always break the ability of the code to run, when referenced via a self-corrected registry setting. For example, if you rename WScript.exe to WScript.ex! from within Win98, not only may you see WScript.ex! as the new action command line for .WSH, .VBS, .JS etc. files, but these files will still "open" just fine, even though .EX! is not a correct executable extension. >With XP, we never had this problem. If a file had a version specified, it >was shown. Looks like XP was taking greater risks than Vista, in this case. I approve of the change ;-) >-- Risk Management is the clue that asks: "Why do I keep open buckets of petrol next to all the ashtrays in the lounge, when I don't even have a car?" >----------------------- ------ ---- --- -- - - - - |
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Similar Threads | ||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL | anon0918 | Vista performance & maintenance | 2 | 08-12-2007 11:56 AM |
| Re: Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL | cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user) | Vista General | 0 | 08-12-2007 11:56 AM |
| Vista won't show file version | anon0918 | Vista General | 8 | 08-10-2007 06:04 PM |
| Re: Vista won't show file version | anon0918 | Vista file management | 1 | 08-10-2007 06:04 PM |
| Re: Vista won't show file version unless extension is changed to DLL | Michael Solomon | Vista General | 0 | 08-08-2007 02:04 PM |