There are very main reasons you would want this. It will make your internal IP address constant, meaning your IP address will never change, and you can always access it by that number. Normally, your computer automatically finds your IP address, using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). The computer is automatically assigned an internal IP address when it loads up. So, depending on how many computers were turned on before hand, your computer may be given a new IP address each time.

This article is more than revealing hidden files. It's to understand the purpose of this feature. Right from the start Microsoft Windows XP (or any other version) hides certain files from displaying in Windows Explorer. Any critical files linked to the OS or to specific software they will apply the hidden attribute so you don't accidentally remove them from your machine and stop the program from working properly. A quick note that might come in handy is that Viruses, spyware, Trojans, and other malware (malicious software) is well known to have hidden attributes applied to them.