Files with hidden streams

[rasputin]

Greetings.

This is my first post on this forum. So what motivated me to join it?

In an article in HowToGeeks.com, (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows- ... ompartment) I just found out about a feature availabe in NTFS files: Streams. Whazzat, you ask?

In notepad, I just created a file named open.txt and typed some nonsense in there. From a command window, I can now enter:
notepad open.txt
and it opens notepad in the familiar featureless window.
Now I go back into the command window and enter:
notepad open.txt:compartment.txt

This creates a new file, compartment.txt, as a stream of open.txt. It does not show up in directory listings and will not go across in copy command. It is like a hidden attachment you cannot know about unless you are especially equipped. Read the article for more info.

I find nothing about such a feature in textpad, nor did it work when I tried to explicitly open open.txt:compartment.txt.

How can notepad have any feature that trumps textpad in any way?

I find this to be a fantastic feature and it might be nice if textpad supported it.

Anyone else find it as interesting?

-- Rasputin Paskudniak

[talleyrand]

"\Program Files\TextPad 5\TextPad.exe" open.txt:compartment.txt

[talleyrand]

Interesting note on the removal of the streamed data. The streams program in the linked article is not required to delete the streamed file, our wonderful text editor can handle it.

File -> Manage Files -> Delete

Command line delete does not allow for the removal of the file

C:\tmp\streams>del open.txt:compartment.txt
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.