Solved What are hidden ".~lock" files?

[123aula]

I keep getting hidden files starting with .~lock. on my new Windows 7 computer. They seem copies of documents I've been creating (word files, etc.). What are they and how do I get rid of them? And turning off 'display hidden folders' is not the answer I'm hoping for!

 

[mitchell65]

Hi and welcome to the Forum.
I found this on an MS site

The files you are describing are so-called owner files (sometimes referred to as "lock" files). An owner file is created when you work with a document in Word, and it should be deleted when you save your document and exit Word. Sometimes these files are left behind, for example if Word crashes, and you can delete them manually. See http://www.gmayor.com/what_to_do_when_word_crashes.htm.
For more on temporary files in Word, see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/211632/en-us/.

Stefan Blom, Microsoft Word MVP

Hope that helps.

 

[123aula]

Thanks for your (very quick!) reply. I don't use Word (I use Open Office 3) but it seems to do the same thing as for Word. But yes, that answers my question. Thank you again!

 

[mitchell65]

Thanks for the feedback.