Often times when people hook their camera to their PC to either send or move their pictures to their computer, only the pictures show in the listing. To just see the file names, you may click the box at the top to choose to show the file names.

However, sometimes you can either get the pictures (thumbnails) or the file names, but not both together, or you get both and only want the picture. These directions work for seeing the file names with the pictures whether connected to the camera or on a disk drive.

The following will work in Windows XP. To fix this, just change the switch that causes the files to show both the name and the pictures to a different type form of showing, which can be details, or listing. Click the button at the top of the file listing (get there by going to “computer” and then to the folder where the files are on the correct drive) which looks like two little boxes and lines beside it. Hovering over it says “change your view.” Choose in the drop down selection. Now you only see names of the files (and other information if chose details).

Hold the shift button down while you choose the same button and choose thumbnails. Now you will see the small picture and the name of the files. Doing this when you see file names will remove them.

In Windows Vista, right click in an unused area of the folder showing and choose to hide (or unhide by unchecking) file names.

In Windows 7 click on view in the menu and you will have an option to hide file names (or by unchecking unhide names).

Send your questions to Dwight Watt at dwight@dwightwatt.com. He teaches at a technical college in northwest Georgia and does consulting work for businesses and individuals. His website is dwightwatt.com.