Windows Thumbs DB
When the user uses the Thumbnails or Filmstrip views from the Windows folder viewing options, a small thumbnail version of the pictures will be created and stored in a single file. This file is located in the same directory as the pictures in Windows XP and named Thumbs.db. The Thumbs.db file has a thumbnail version of the existing and also deleted pictures. Thumbs.db is a hidden file, and usually the user ignores it:
Figure 5: Files viewing options
If the user has deleted the pictures but hasn't delete the Thumbs.db file, it will be possible to recover the thumbnail version of the pictures deleted from that directory, which provide a good clue about the pictures' contents. Besides the thumbnail version of the picture, Thumbs.db contains the file name and the date and time of the last modification.
This Thumbs.db file is very important in cases related to pictures, such as child pornography cases.
Starting from Windows 7, the process of handling thumbnails files changed. All...
