Hide or get rid of PPThumb.ptn

I keep finding files called PPThumb.ptn all over my computer. I know that I didn’t put this file here, and I have no idea what it is. I keep trying to get rid of it, but it always returns. Can you tell me where PPThumb.ptn came from and how I can delete it?

PPThumb.ptn is a cache file that is very similar to Thumbs.db, and is automatically generated by a program called PaperPort. Paperport is software used to scan and organize documents, and if you use PaperPort you are probably already aware of it.

PaperPort stores previews of full-size images in PPThumb.ptn. When you look at multiple previews for a set of larger images for the first time in PaperPort, the PaperPort program must first generate all of those small previews. Since PaperPort needs to read each image to generate its preview, this process may take a significant amount of time. Once PaperPort has generated a preview of an image for the first time, it stores that small preview in the PPThumb.ptn file so that it doesn’t have to do all of this work again the next time you look at the same set of images.

We recommend that if you want to continue using PaperPort, you leave your PPThumb.ptn files intact. These are hidden files, so you can hide them from view by telling Windows that you do not want it to display hidden files. To do this, you should…

1. Go to My Computer.
2. Click Tools.
3. Click Options.
4. Click the View tab.
5. Click on Show Hidden Files and Folders.

If you truly must rid your system of PPThumb.ptn files, unistall PaperPort and then delete all of the PPThumb.ptn. To do this with Windows XP…

1. Click Start.
2. Click Search.
3. Click All Files and Folders.
4. In the filename box, enter PPThumb.ptn.
5. Make sure that the Look In: drop-down box is set to your C: drive.
6. Click the Search button and wait for Windows to find all the PPThumb.ptn files.
7. At the top of the window, click Edit.
8. Click Select All.
9. Press the delete key to delete all of the PPThumb.ptn files.

Remeber, if you ever install and use PaperPort again, it will continue to create PPThumb.ptn files.

[tags]ppthumb.ptn,paperport,hidden files[/tags]