Wireshark display increasing trace file

By default, Wireshark updates the packet list while capturing in GUI mode. The following options will change that behaviour:

Edit -> Preferences -> Capture -> Update list of packets in real time
Edit -> Preferences -> Capture -> Automatic scrolling in live capture
Edit -> Preferences -> Capture -> Hide capture info dialog

Please try them to see the difference. You can set these option on the commandline

wireshark -o capture.real_time_update:FALSE -o capture.auto_scroll:TRUE -o capture.show_info:FALSE

TRUE enables the option and FLASE disables the option.

If you capture at the commandline (with tshark), tshark will show the packets as well and if you use option -w (write capture file) it will count the packets and show that counter.

If your Wireshark version does not work like this, I recommend to use the latest released version 1.8.3.

If I misunderstood your question, please add some details.

Regards
Kurt

I think you're saying that some other process is creating the capture file and you want Wireshark to read from that file like it was a live capture; is that correct?

In that case: Wireshark doesn't do that yet. There is a bug request asking for the functionality: bug 5982 but it hasn't been implemented yet.

Also: 1.6.0rc2 is a Release Candidate for 1.6.0. 1.6.0 (the official release) has long since been released and the current 1.6 version is 1.6.11...