Program files older than my Windows 10 installation

[Jamesin_x]

So, there's this strange phenomenon that's been baffling me for quite a while now. My current Windows 10 installation is about a month old—I installed it in late December 2017. As you would expect, many folders in Program Files have that date as the "last modified" date. But how in the world can there be folders, such as "Common Files," "Windows Mail," Windows Media Player," etc., which have September 2017 as their creation date? The drive Windows 10 is currently installed on had beed formatted before the installation. I did not reset it, it was a clean install.
How is this possible?

 

[rgd1101]

creation for the windows 10. not creation for your installation

 

[Colif]

Don't look in drivers, some in there are from the late 90's

 

[Jamesin_x]

I'm not really sure what you meant. What do you mean by "creation for the Windows 10"? The "Created" date under General tab of file properties refers to the date on which the file was created on your machine. In those files' properties it says 9/29/2017. In other files' properties it says 12/25/2017 which is the real date on which I installed Windows.

 

[USAFRet]

I'm not really sure what you meant. What do you mean by "creation for the Windows 10"? The "Created" date under General tab of file properties refers to the date on which the file was created on your machine. In those files' properties it says 9/29/2017. In other files' properties it says 12/25/2017 which is the real date on which I installed Windows.

If I write the date of June 1 2015 on a piece of paper, and put it in an envelope.
I give you that envelope today.

The date on that piece of paper does not change to today, simply because I gave it to you today.

The date on those files was when they were initially created. Some of them years old.
Not when you installed it.

 

[Jamesin_x]

Then why are there files with the date of creation being the date on which I installed Windows? Did Microsoft release all those files on the exact same day I installed Windows? What day does the date refer to, then (if not the day the specific file was created on my system)? The day on which it (the file) was created where?
If I copy any file on my system, creation date of the copy will be the day on which the copy was created.
I don't really get it.

 

[USAFRet]

Then why are there files with the date of creation being the date on which I installed Windows? Did Microsoft release all those files on the exact same day I installed Windows? What day does the date refer to, then (if not the day the specific file was created on my system)? The day on which it (the file) was created where?
I don't really get it.

Some of the things were "created" when you installed the OS. Folders.
Some of the files retain their original creation date.

Looking in my current Win 10 Pro system. (clean install of Nov 2016)...some of the 'files' contained within whatever the OS created have a Created and Modified date of July 26, 2012. Long before Win 10 was even a thing.
C|Windows\Symbols\dll\.....

Other things have a Mod date of Sept 29, 2017. The date the Win 10 version 1709 was created, and sent out for updates.

Some of the files in your install are new and/or modified as you install the OS.
Some of them are ancient, and retain that original Created or Modified date.

This is not a problem, and is as designed.

 

[USAFRet]

If I copy any file on my system, creation date of the copy will be the day on which the copy was created.
I don't really get it.

Not necessarily.

These are two files (photos) that were taken on the same day, same time in Nov 2016.
Copied or Moved to a different folder on a different drive:

Notice the different Creation and Modified dates.
The one on the left was Copied to the new drive, the one on the right was Moved to the new drive.

 

[Jamesin_x]

What's the creation date of your "Common Files" folder (C\Program Files\Common Files)? If they retain the original creation date, it should be the same date as mine, right?
What's weird to me is that all program files I've seen have either the creation date 12/25/2017 (installation date) or 9/29/2017 (which could be the date on which I installed my previous Windows system, but I'm not sure). The hours in the creation date are all between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. which may very well be the date of my previous installation.

 

[USAFRet]

What's the creation date of your "Common Files" folder (C\Program Files\Common Files)? If they retain the original creation date, it should be the same date as mine, right?
What's weird to me is that all program files I've seen have either the creation date 12/25/2017 (installation date) or 9/29/2017 (which could be the date on which I installed my previous Windows system, but I'm not sure). The hours in the creation date are all between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. which may very well be the date of my previous installation.

9/29/2017 @ 9:46:33 AM.
Almost certainly the date when the latest Win 10 Fall Creators Update was burned into the ISO for public release.

 

[Jamesin_x]

What's the creation date of your "Common Files" folder (C\Program Files\Common Files)? If they retain the original creation date, it should be the same date as mine, right?
What's weird to me is that all program files I've seen have either the creation date 12/25/2017 (installation date) or 9/29/2017 (which could be the date on which I installed my previous Windows system, but I'm not sure). The hours in the creation date are all between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. which may very well be the date of my previous installation.

9/29/2017 @ 9:46:33 AM.
Almost certainly the date when the latest Win 10 Fall Creators Update was burned into the ISO for public release.

Ah, I see. Cool, thank you very much!