DS File not working?

[ICEBreaker]

Dear OS X users,

I've been having a funny problem. In Windows, there is a .thumbs file under most directories, so that preview/icon pictures can be loaded without needing to read through all the files within the directory.

I understand in OS X, this is the .DS file. However, what's happening now is that whenever I look in folders that are on a network (PC), OS X keeps rebuilding all the photos again, which takes a long time especially in video directories. The .DS file is there, but it doesn't seem to use it.

The folders permission allows OS X full access, including write. That's how the .DS file got written in the first place. It just doesn't seem to want to use it though.

Any ideas? Thanks a lot.

JC

 

[Makosuke]

I'm fairly certain that DS_Store doesn't cache any thumbnail data because it doesn't serve the same purpose as the thumbs file in Windows; it's purpose is to store metadata about the contents of the directory it's in, specifically settings about the current view (icon size and position, view type), and Spotlight comments. The thumbnails generated by Leopard are cached elsewhere (locally on the user's system, I assume), and are re-generated periodically.

You can prevent the creation of .DS_Store on network volumes if you want, but of course that doesn't stop the OS from generating thumbnails. There's probably a hidden setting to turn off thumbnail generation, but I don't know what it is.

 

[ICEBreaker]

Thank you Makosuke for your reply.

I am surprised Leopard does not cache icon previews, especially since cover view is now in fashion. Does this mean anyone opening directories filled with thousands of high resolution photos will have to wait yonks for them to load EACH time?

Or is this just a problem with network folders?

 

[SC68Cal]

Does this mean anyone opening directories filled with thousands of high resolution photos will have to wait yonks for them to load EACH time?

Yep. Isn't it fun?