Time ago I landed on an article talking about hidden folders in Windows XP. But it seemed to me that the content was speaking not of hidden objects. Rather it was talking of another interesting strangeness of the Microsoft head system.
If you give special names to folders, they are treated by explorer as special. An user that does not know about console and is scared by renaming strange files that could be system files (because they are special —Microsoft terror at work: the user knows it because of messages and alerts that sometimes Windows scatters) can be fooled hiding objects inside these special folder.
Another idea about the concept of being hidden for people at Microsoft: it exists the hidden property, and the superhidden property, i.e. a file (object) can be hidden or superhidden. Remember it.
The special folders' names consist of a name, followed by a dot followed by those special long long numbers, like CLSIDs, enclosed between {}. Try it yourself: create a folder and name it, e.g.
My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
See it? Now for explorer your folder is not a folder anymore. Rather,
it is a special object, doubleclicking will open (in this case) My Computer
.
You can do it from a command line too. We have the
explorer ::{CLSID} syntax, but explorer folder.{CLSID}
works, provided that folder.{CLSID} exists.
Not all the CLSID values seem to make sense; sometimes all you obtain is
just a different icon for the folder (and trying to doubleclick it
results in no action). If the CLSID is something like Wordpad Document
,
the Wordpad will be called and will try to open the folder
,
gaining a denied access to the object (that is a folder, not a file that can
be opened!)
If we try with files, we obtain nothing: the trick works only with folders. The original batch is by Gh0stSheLL. I've took a list of CLSID (for collection purposes) via a gawk script.
network and internet connections = {7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
a media clip = {00022601-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
a video clip = {00022602-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
MIDI Sequence = {00022603-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
taskbar and start menu properties = {0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}
scheduled tasks icon = {148BD52A-A2AB-11CE-B11F-00AA00530503}
windows search = {1f4de370-d627-11d1-ba4f-00a0c91eedba}
network places = {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
my computer = {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
control panel = {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
printers and faxes = {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
an html document = {25336920-03F9-11CF-8FD0-00AA00686F13}
search icon = {2559a1f0-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
help and support icon = {2559a1f1-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
a lock icon = {2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
run icon = {2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
opens your browser = {2559a1f4-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
opens outlook = {2559a1f5-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
properties icon = {2559a1f7-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
network setup wizard = {2728520d-1ec8-4c68-a551-316b684c4ea7}
MHTML document = {3050F3D9-98B5-11CF-BB82-00AA00BDCE0B}
html application = {3050f4d8-98B5-11CF-BB82-00AA00BDCE0B}
unknown filetype = {30D02401-6A81-11d0-8274-00C04FD5AE38}
wireless network setup wizard = {3c5c43a3-9ce9-4a9b-9699-2ac0cf6cc4bf}
my documents = {450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
XMl document = {48123bc4-99d9-11d1-a6b3-00c04fd91555}
recycle bin full = {5ef4af3a-f726-11d0-b8a2-00c04fc309a4}
FTP = {63da6ec0-2e98-11cf-8d82-444553540000}
empty recycle bin = {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
installation cd icon = {67cf8cbd-e5c0-44f7-9de5-e1d599d626d8}
looks like its where browser plugins are kept = {692F0339-CBAA-47e6-B5B5-3B84DB604E87}
folder options = {6DFD7C5C-2451-11d3-A299-00C04F8EF6AF}
network and internet connections = {7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
clipboard icon = {72ADFD4B-2C39-11D0-9903-00A0C91BC942}
system restore icon = {7325c922-bb81-47b0-8b2f-a5f8605e242f}
wordpad document = {73FDDC80-AEA9-101A-98A7-00AA00374959}
unknown folder type = {750fdf0f-2a26-11d1-a3ea-080036587f03}
user accounts = {7A9D77BD-5403-11d2-8785-2E0420524153}
scheduled tasks = {7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
internet explorer installation like activex icon = {8369AB20-56C9-11D0-94E8-00AA0059CE02}
briefcase = {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
IE = {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}
zip folder = {888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}
internet explorer installations like activex = {88C6C381-2E85-11D0-94DE-444553540000}
unknown folder icon = {8E6E6079-0CB7-11d2-8F10-0000F87ABD16}
network and internet connections = {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
lock icon = {9B0EFD60-F7B0-11D0-BAEF-00C04FC308C9}
restore icon = {9DB7A13C-F208-4981-8353-73CC61AE2783}
mail icon = {9E56BE60-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}
desktop icon = {9E56BE61-C50F-11CF-9A2C-00A0C90A90CE}
search icon = {A9B48EAC-3ED8-11d2-8216-00C04FB687DA}
unknown filetype = {ADB9F5A4-E73E-49b8-99B6-2FA317EF9DBC}
unknown folder type = {AFDB1F70-2A4C-11d2-9039-00C04F8EEB3E}
favorites = {B005E690-678D-11d1-B758-00A0C90564FE}
unknown file type = {B12AE898-D056-4378-A844-6D393FE37956}
another damn icon = {B50F5260-0C21-11D2-AB56-00A0C9082678}
unknown file types = {B7BBD408-F09C-4aa8-B65E-A00B8FE0F0B9}
unknown file types = {B96D2802-4B41-4bc7-A6A4-55C5A12268CA}
unknown file types = {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
unknown file types = {c79d1575-b8c6-4862-a284-788836518b97}
webfolders = {BDEADF00-C265-11d0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}
fonts folder = {D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524152}
admin settings = {D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
bitmap image = {D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652}
add network place wizard = {D4480A50-BA28-11d1-8E75-00C04FA31A86}
scheduled tasks = {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
opens up search = {e17d4fc0-5564-11d1-83f2-00a0c90dc849}
scanners and cameras = {E211B736-43FD-11D1-9EFB-0000F8757FCD}
zip folder = {E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}
policy package = {ecabaebd-7f19-11d2-978E-0000f8757e2a}
my docments = {ECF03A32-103D-11d2-854D-006008059367}
unknown file type = {EFA24E61-B078-11d0-89E4-00C04FC9E26E}
unknown file type = {EFA24E63-B078-11d0-89E4-00C04FC9E26E}
another damn icon = {EFA24E62-B078-11d0-89E4-00C04FC9E26E}
another unknown folder type = {effc2928-37b1-11d2-a3c1-00c04fb1782a}
XML document = {f5078f28-c551-11d3-89b9-0000f81fe221}
an unknown folder type = {F5175861-2688-11d0-9C5E-00AA00A45957}
scanner and cameras = {FB0C9C8A-6C50-11D1-9F1D-0000F8757FCD}
internet explorer = {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
scheduled tasks = {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
Anyway if you dig your registry you can find tons of this holy shit. For what I can understand, CLSIDs are also used as references, so they can appear as data of a key. As far as I know, there exists also aliases (I find some e.g. inside .lnk and/or (can't remember!) lnkfile, just do a search)