Windows Thumbnail Cache
Vorlage:Unreferenced Thumbnail Cache's are files used by Microsoft Windows operating system's to store Thumbnails for Windows Explorer's thumbnail view. The file speeds up loading of a thumbnail preview of files, by storing them after creation if the user wishes.
Windows stores thumbnails of graphics files in the Thumbnail Cache file, including the following formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIF, PDF, and HTML. Each thumbnail created in a directory is represented in this database file as a small JPEG file, regardless of the file's original format. Each folder with initiated thumbnail views (that is where they have displayed a Thumbnails or Filmstrip view in Windows Explorer) will have a Thumbs.db file.
Purpose
Thumbs.db
Thumbs.db files are stored in each directory that contains pictures or movies on Microsoft Windows NT versions prior to Vista. The file creates locality among images, however, it prevents system wide use of the data.[1]
Thumbcache
Windows XP Media Center Edition also creates ehthumbs.db which holds previews of video files. Starting with Windows Vista, however, thumbnails are stored in a centralized location at %homedrive%\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer as a "thumbcache" consisting of files with the label thumbcache_xxx.db (numbered by size). However, when browsing network shares with write permission, Windows Vista SP1 stores a Thumbs.db file in the remote directory instead of using the (local) central thumbcache.Vorlage:Fact