Last Access Timestamp - Enable or Disable in Windows

Hello Charlotte, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, you could use this tutorial to enable seeing the "Last Access Time" for folders as well. :)

It should have the actual last access time shown for both. :)

Yep, for when it was last accessed.

Hello,

this is probably a silly question, im not very good with computers

I Clicked on the "Download" button to download the file: Enable_Last_Access_Time.reg
and it now says that the last accessed date of all of my files is today (the time of download) but before downloading this file, the "last accessed dates" where different past dates (i downloaded the file as I was trying to get the "last access dates" of my folders)- i just thought that i would check why this is the case? have the files been accessed by somebody else- maybe online/because of the download?

Kind regards,
Rosie

Hello Rosie, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you are checking the last access via the file's properties page like the example screenshot in the tutorial, then that would be normal since you just accessed the file.

You should be able to do what's in the yellow tip box at the top of the tutorial to view the last access of files without changing them to the current date. :)

Okay that makes sense. Thank you for the information.
I understand that the "last accessed date" of a document on a Hard Drive is the date the file was last accessed. What does an "access" (of a document on my hard drive) include? I have opened up a document and transferred a document on my hard drive to my computer and both of these events have not changed the "last accessed time" of the document on my hard drive.

(I have a windows 7 but my hard drive is a WD My Passport Portable Hard Drive for Mac)

Would you happen to know if there is a way to view the last date that a file was tranferred from this hard drive to another device?

Thank you again :)

Rosie

The "Accessed" (properties) and "Date accessed" (column in Windows Explorer) both show the current date when I copy a file, but not when moved.

The last access date will not change unless their is a change (ex: copy) made to the file, or the file is opened.