Shadow (duplicate) files beginning with ._

[callumm]

I'm not sure why (OSX compatibility?) my Asustor is creating a duplicate hidden file of 1kb in size with the same filename as all the existing files but prefixed with ._ characters.

How can I turn off this behaviour? I've been deleting these files but I think they're being recreated. Should I stop?

[MikeG.6.5]

These hidden files typically appear when files are opened by some application. The application itself makes these files to handle editing changes. (Think revisions here...) These applications usually clean up behind themselves when they are saving the document or close... (MS Word and the ilk are known for t his type of activity...)

If you know for a fact that there is nothing with an open file, then deleting them is OK... But if you have a file open in an application for editing, you are only hurting yourself in the long run.

[callumm]

I like this theory but the thing is that there is one of these files for EVERY SINGLE file in my filesystem. They appeared at the same time that I copied all my data over to my Asustor unit, in other words, instantaneously. They are also all uniformly 1kb in size, and you wouldn't expect this with temp files. This is an ADM behaviour, not caused by an application like MS Word.

[Kapitein Haak]

Hello Callumm,

Asustor isn't creating the duplicates, apparently Apple seems to perform this "service": see https://www.cnet.com/news/invisible-fil ... nal-disks/ and https://apple.stackexchange.com/questio ... avoid-them.

Maybe you can hide them from view, but his might break your apple which is missing files... ADM is functioning just fine.

Best regards,
Kapitein Haak.

[callumm]

Except I'm running Windows 10 and Apple file service is turned off. Very strange.