Why do files with the .scc extension appear to be "superhidden" in Windows 7?

Question

While moving some files away from Visual SourceSafe 2005 (into git) I discovered a large number of .scc files associated with my project. The bindings had been removed in Visual Studio, but the files remained in place, so I attempted to delete them...

Even though gitextensions could see and identify these files, they could not be seen by Windows Explorer or via the Command Prompt (I did turn on the option to show hidden file extensions).

Eventually, I had to execute the following PowerShell script to remove them all:

gci -Recurse | Where {$_.psIsContainer -eq $true} | foreach ($_) {$strA=$_.fullname+"\vssver2.scc"; del $strA -force}

Is there any way to force Explorer to list .scc files? How is it that they are "superhidden"?

Answer 1

.scc files are typically marked as hidden, read-only and system. System files are by default invisible in Windows Explorer. In Folder Options > View: uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) to make system files visible in Windows Explorer.