[Richard Crowley]

Steve Bonine wrote:
Note from the reference that Marty cited above that in the Microsoft
world, the files are hidden, so you'll have to plea with the file
explorer to show them to you.

Simple click of the mouse. Dunno about any "pleading"?
MY computer knows who is boss around here. (Except
when it starts scanning for viruses and then its time to go
to lunch. :-)

OTOH, dunno why we need to peek inside the file either.
If the newsreader has some problem finding r.a.t on the
OP's NNTP service, no amount of diddling the file will
bring it back.