Attribute Changer

Although Windows allows you to hide files or set them to "read-only", changing certain attributes, like creation or modification dates is a different story. If you wish to sort your files based on the date on which you create them, instead of the date on which you copy them from one place to another, you can use Attribute Changer to modify this information. The software allows you to modify other information as well and make various behavior configurations to individual files.

Attribute Changer is distributed as a freeware application. It works on Windows XP and all later versions, up to Windows 8 and it can be installed in no time. The application also provides support for both 32 and 64-bit operating systems and its hardware requirements are modest.

Simplicity and comfort are Attribute Changer's main advantages. Once installed, it will add a new option in Windows Explorer's context menu. Instead of launching the application through an executable file, you only need to right click a file, folder or a drive and select the aforementioned option. This will display a tabbed user interface, which is similar to a standard Properties window.

Besides hiding files and folders or setting them to "archive", "compress" or "read only", you can also change the dates on which they were created, modified or accessed. Days, months, years and so on can be updated separately and you can generate random dates as well. Furthermore, the application can report if your files were locked or if they encountered problems.

Modifying file or folder behavior is another possibility. You can tick a few options, on the application's interface, if you wish to load a file's saved settings on startup or save them automatically when you exit. Advanced options can be found on a separate window, on which you can use date and time ranges, set different sizes and more.