Robocopy broken?

[Daniel Erkan]

I'd like to use robocopy for some automated file copying.
Everything it is supposed to do, is copy my users folder using /MIR.
However, everytime it goes crazy with the hidden, localized AppData
shortcut folders and goes in a loop, creating infinte of these folders,
creating a structure like /appdata/appdata/appdata/appdata/appdata and
so on.... until it gets kicked by the filesystem.
I could offer a (German) log, if that's a help to anybody.

Any ideas on how to fix that?

Thanks!

 

[Jimmy Brush]

Hello,

It sounds like you may have changed the security on one of the application
compatability junctions, such as the Application Data junction, and removed
the "Deny: Everyone" permission from it.

The solution would be to put the deny permission back on the junction.


--
- JB
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

 

[Daniel Erkan]

Hello,

It sounds like you may have changed the security on one of the
application compatability junctions, such as the Application Data
junction, and removed the "Deny: Everyone" permission from it.

The solution would be to put the deny permission back on the junction.

The security has not been altered. For the sake of testing, I even tried
what would happen, if I even gave it permission, but either way, the
same thing happens.
Now I'm even in the hassle, that I can't even remove the folders it has
created. When I try to remove them, it just says the folder is too long.
I can't delete a single file and I can't even rename them in order to
shorten the length.
Argh.. now I have broken folders as well...

 

[Guest]

Daniel,

I just read this in another thread...hope it helps.

Just because I spent some time figuring this one out:

When copying user accounts to another place in Windows Vista, be sure to
exclute JUNCTIONS. There is a junction in '\Users\...\AppData\Local' named
'Application Data' which points to its parent folder, thus effectively
creating a LOOP.

Robocopy if used without /xj follows this junction and copies its contents
and follows this junction and copies its contents and follows this junction
.....

You effectively get a very long directory tree, which you cannot see if you
also copied permissions, because this folder has security permissions set to
deny folder listing and traversal for everybody.

To remove the mess, you have to
1. remove the "Everybody Deny" security restraint and apply this to all
subfolders
2. rename 15-20 "Application Data" folders to "a", because the names gets
too long for explorer
3. delete the folders

Perhaps someone might find this helpful.

BTW, whoever had this idea to create a junction to the parent folder should
get a big spanking (or no ice cream for the next two years, or whatever they
do at Microsoft for punishing...)

 

[Guest]

a

 

[Daniel Erkan]

Thanks a lot! That solved all my problems!

And you're absolutely right

 

[Michal Kawecki]

The security has not been altered. For the sake of testing, I even
tried what would happen, if I even gave it permission, but either way,
the same thing happens.
Now I'm even in the hassle, that I can't even remove the folders it
has created. When I try to remove them, it just says the folder is too
long. I can't delete a single file and I can't even rename them in
order to shorten the length.
Argh.. now I have broken folders as well...

Try deleting using \\.\ syntax, like in this example:

RD \\.\drive letter:\path\directory name
DEL \\.\drive letter:\path\file name

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315226

Or use any tool where you can turn off use of long file names, like
Total Commander. Or, simply run Delinv
http://www.purgeie.com/delinv/index.htm .