How to give Folders a Mouse-Over Description in Windows

The Desktop.ini file is a text file that provides Windows with configuration information. Please note, this tip, while not overly difficult, is of a more advanced level. Before you change any *.ini settings, make sure you copy and paste the original text into an e-mail, or somewhere else so that you can restore the original file in the event of unexpected results.

• Lets now see how you can Give Folders a Mouse-Over Description of your own
  

  When you hover your mouse pointer over a folder icon, you see a pop-up that contains the folder's size and the names of the first few files or folders it contains. There are cases when this information, along with the folder's name, is helpful in identifying the folder's contents; however, there are other times when you have to open the folder to really see what's in it.

  You can add a detailed explanation about the folder's contents to the pop-up by creating a Desktop.ini file, which is a straight text file, and adding a special entry to it.

  1. Create a new Notepad *.txt file and type in the following:
     [.ShellClassInfo]
     InfoTip=Type your detailed description
  2. Save the file as Desktop.ini and copy it into the folder you want to describe
  3. Go to File > Save and close Notepad
  4. Click Start > Run, type in the command line, ATTRIB +S "folder name" (e.g. ATTRIB +S " C:\Documents and Settings\[your userid]\My Documents")
  
  You'll see your detailed pop-up description the next time you mouse over that folder.

  Note: If you don't see a pop-up when you mouse over a folder, you need to enable a couple of settings. Go to Tools > Folder Options and then select the View tab. Then, in the Advanced Settings list, select the check boxes for Display File Size Information In Folder Tips and Show Pop-Up Description For Folder And Desktop Items. Click OK.