Description of .gid Files

 Last reviewed: January 2, 1996
Article ID: Q129326
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

This article describes Windows 95 .gid (global index) files.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95 creates a .gid file in the following circumstances:

  • When you use a Help file that was not created in the Windows 95 Help format, Windows 95 creates a corresponding .gid file if one does not exist.
  • If Windows 95 finds an outdated .gid file, it recreates the file. Note that a .gid file is considered to be outdated if the Help file has been updated but has not been opened by Windows 95 since it was updated.

The process of searching for and creating .gid files occurs when you see the "Setting Up Help" message. A .gid file has the same name as its corresponding Help file (but with a .gid extension) and is stored as a hidden file in the same folder as the corresponding Help file. If the Help file is in a folder to which you do not have write privileges (such as on a CD-ROM or network drive), the .gid file is created in the Windows\Help folder.

Windows 95 stores pointers to all the topics and entry points in a Help file in the corresponding .gid file for the following reasons:

  • This information is not stored in the Help file itself in order to minimize the size of the Help file.
  • Windows 95 uses .gid files as status files (for example, the Help window position is stored in this file).

Note that Windows and Windows for Workgroups version 3.1 and higher can use .gid files if the following conditions are met:
  • You installed Win32s.
  • You installed the 32-bit Help compiler and its associated .dll files.

KBCategory: kbtool kbref
KBSubcategory: wpp95 win95
Additional reference words: 95

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Last reviewed: January 2, 1996
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