Image timestamps on Windows 7 - Microsoft is our friend, right?

[jj2007]

Some users of Microsoft Windows^TM have really weird problems:
Rotating an image in Windows Picture Viewer updates time stamp on file

In Windows XP, when you rotated an image 90 degrees left or right with the Windows Photo Viewer, it maintained the time stamp on the file.  In Windows 7, the Photo Viewer updates the time stamp.  When I then bring the image (as part of a group of images) into Photoshop Elements, the images are now out of order when sorted on the time stamp.

Is there any way to have the Win7 Photo Viewer revert to the behavior of the Viewer under Windows XP?

Here is Microsoft great answer:

Windows 7 is designed in such a way that as you rotate the picture, it will save it and puts the modified time stamp

It's by design, stupid!!

For the old and backward fellows who just moved from XP to Win7 (like me), and need to rotate pics without "updating" their creation dates, attached a little app - use at your own risk:
- drag one image file over the exe (or, better, a link to the exe)
- confirm that you want to store the current timestamps
- do your rotating stuff
- then drag the ?_images.tsd file over PicTimeStamps.exe
- confirm that you want to restore the old timestamps.

Executable and source attached (requires MasmBasic of today, 14 November).

[sinsi]

I reckon in this case XP is wrong - the file is being modified, hence the date modified should change.

[Magnum]

I use paint for rotating pictures. I will see what it and Photo Viewer does.

You have my curiosity peaked. :-)

[Gunther]

Jochen,

you should give GIMP a try. There's a Windows port, too.

Gunther

[Magnum]

It,s interesting to see that a very few do NOT have the common co
urtesy to respond to kindly asked questions. :-)

[jj2007]

Here is a viewer that keeps the timestamps.

[anunitu]

I use irfanview,but never have checked if the file date changes.

Checked,and it does not change the file date(I am on win7 64 BTW)

[jj2007]

it does not change the file date(I am on win7 64 BTW)

It's a bit tricky, actually:

- My favourite file commander (FreeCommander) shows the last modification date, and that one does change when you rotate it with the Windows image viewer.

- Windows Explorer (which I hate ...) shows the creation date, even if the photo was rotated. But don't expect the same behaviour for other types of documents! Probably, they got flooded with requests from angry users who couldn't find their photos any more, and chose the "workaround" to treat photos specially. It's Microsoft... Redmond trying to find workarounds around Windows 8)

[hutch--]

Do you know why I still use the NT4 File Manager. Had to add a patch for win6 and win10 but it still works fine. Interestingly enough the Explorer in Win 10 is nowhere as purile as the last few earlier versions.

[TWell]

Explorer++ is nice too 32/64-bit.
https://explorerplusplus.com/