# /.hotfiles.btree



## Edgar1813 (Oct 2, 2008)

Hi,

I run a scan on the machine, a Mac 10.3.9, and everything works fine except it cannot access /.hotfiles.btree. I tried manually and I don't have permission, but that cannot be, I'm the administrator! 
I read here and there about this file, and I wonder whether it could be infected, trojan, etc... Any clue/help? 

Please water it down, I have very little computer experience, I'm a theoretical physicist 

thanks


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Oct 2, 2008)

"Hotfiles" are files under 20MB in size that Mac OS X "optimizes" by moving them around on the hard drive for faster access.

No one, not even an administrator or the root user, should mess around with hotfiles or the hotfiles index, as trying to move or examine them may cause them to become corrupt.  Just let Mac OS X do its thing with hotfiles.

The /.hotfiles.btree is a file that keeps track of where these files are currently on the hard drive and is a catalog that Mac OS X uses for optimizing these files.  It is not a virus, not a trojan, and is actually quite essential to a smooth-running OS X system.

Just subscribe to the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality concerning this index file.


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