Monday, November 06, 2006

Windows File System : Archive Bit

Recently I got a a mail clearly asking information regarding Archive Bit that is available on FAT32, NTFS and its implications from Developer's perspective. So here is an article that will try to throw some light on this topic.

According to PCMAG : A file classification that indicates whether the file has been updated since the last backup. A bit is set in the file directory to indicate the archive status. When a file is created or saved, the bit is turned on. When it is backed up, the bit is turned off.
and technically its a file attribute controlled by the high-order bit of the t3 byte (FCB + 11) in a directory element. This attribute is set if the file has been archived.
Here is a VBScript code sample that shows how to access File Attributes.

http://sallisawok.org/caspdoc/html/vbscript_file_object_attributes_property.htm