Windows IT Pro Tip: Showing All Files and Folders in Windows Server 2008 / R2

In its default setting Windows Explorer in Windows Server 2008 R2 does not show all of the files and directories. System files are hidden, as well as file extensions, even for the administrator, which can make it difficult to troubleshoot system problems. You can change Windows Explorer’s view options by pressing ALT when the Windows Explorer is open. This will display the Windows Explorer menu bar. From there you can select Tools > Folder Options and make changes to the view settings. You can see the folder view options in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Folder View Options