Emailing changes date created timestamp

P

Petrock

I am having trouble proving when a file was created.
I created the file somethime ago and sent it to its destination. However
this is being questioned and I need to prove this was created before a
certian date.

Now to do this I must send clear to KS. To a professor that was expecting
a creation date of last year. When the professor saves the file (a .doc)
from his email client it of course acts like a copy and show the creation
date as whenever it was saved. (Today)

I understand how this functions. What I'm really looking for is a knowledge
base article explaining how this functions. The person on the other end has
zero computer skills and thinks that I'm making this up.
 
P

Peter Foldes

You can always right click on your file where you saved it originally and select Properties. You will have all the dates there
 
G

Gary Smith

I don't know whether there's a KB article that describes this, but you're
correct -- the creation date of a file is the date that file was first
written to the disk. Thus the creation date can be more recent than the
modification date. You can easily demonstrate this by making a copy of an
older file and comparing the creation and modification dates.

Aside from that, there are a number of utilities available that can set
the creation and modification dates of a file to anything you like.
There's no way to prove when a file was created based on internal
evidence.


Petrock said:
I am having trouble proving when a file was created.
I created the file somethime ago and sent it to its destination. However
this is being questioned and I need to prove this was created before a
certian date.
Click to expand...
Now to do this I must send clear to KS. To a professor that was expecting
a creation date of last year. When the professor saves the file (a .doc)
from his email client it of course acts like a copy and show the creation
date as whenever it was saved. (Today)
Click to expand...
 
P

Petrock

Thanks everyone.
I did end up putting it in a zip file and sending it with an explination and
a request that they speak with their own IS folks if they have questions
about dating.

Thanks fort he help.

If someone finds a refrence i can use as documentation that would still be
helpful. Once this person discovers that file dates are not take to court
solid it will no doubt cause more silly questions.
 
G

Gary Smith

While you're at it, you might send along this link as well. It nicely
demonstrates why dates on files aren't authoritative. You may even find
the utility useful.

"Ninotech Date Edit is a shell extension for Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4,
2000, and XP that enables you to change the date and time (the timestamp)
of your files. You can change the created, modified, and accessed date of
a file by right-clicking it in the Windows Explorer and choosing Edit Date
from the context menu. By selecting multiple files in the Windows Explorer
you are allowed to change the date/time of many files in just one action."

http://home.worldonline.dk/ninotech/freeutil.htm


Petrock said:
Thanks everyone.
I did end up putting it in a zip file and sending it with an explination and
a request that they speak with their own IS folks if they have questions
about dating.
Click to expand...
 
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