Shortcuts, Static or Dynamic?

[MJ]

Recently I have been SURPRISED that shortcuts to applications and files seem
to have become "dynamic" in the sense that if you rename the target file the
shortcut picks up the new name. In the past, shortcuts were static, and if
you changed the name of the target you needed to revist the short cuts.

The problem is that we are moving many of our files/applications from an
older server to a new server location and renaming the old files it show that
they have been copied to the new location. With static shortcut targets,
renaming the files "BROKE" the link and will cause the user to think, but
with the shortcuts picking up the name change the link is not broken and
risks are: (1) a user might be pointed at wrong location until the old server
is retired; (2) loss of crucial data; and (3) possible corruption of existing
data by going to the wrong place.

Is there a way to "break" the links with the old shortcuts until they have
been replaced with new ones?

Thanks for your insight.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 9/9/2008 8:54 AM, and on a whim, MJ pounded out on
the keyboard:

Recently I have been SURPRISED that shortcuts to applications and files seem
to have become "dynamic" in the sense that if you rename the target file the
shortcut picks up the new name. In the past, shortcuts were static, and if
you changed the name of the target you needed to revist the short cuts.

The problem is that we are moving many of our files/applications from an
older server to a new server location and renaming the old files it show that
they have been copied to the new location. With static shortcut targets,
renaming the files "BROKE" the link and will cause the user to think, but
with the shortcuts picking up the name change the link is not broken and
risks are: (1) a user might be pointed at wrong location until the old server
is retired; (2) loss of crucial data; and (3) possible corruption of existing
data by going to the wrong place.

Is there a way to "break" the links with the old shortcuts until they have
been replaced with new ones?

Thanks for your insight.

I've never seen a shortcut update itself, unless the Search dialog comes
up that looks for the missing target. I certainly can't see how Windows
would find the new server name and path to the apps and change it
appropriately. Are you sure you don't have some utility doing this?

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[Bob I]

The date and time was 9/9/2008 8:54 AM, and on a whim, MJ pounded out on
the keyboard:


I've never seen a shortcut update itself, unless the Search dialog comes
up that looks for the missing target. I certainly can't see how Windows
would find the new server name and path to the apps and change it
appropriately. Are you sure you don't have some utility doing this?

This happens in our Active Directory domain.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was 9/9/2008 11:38 AM, and on a whim, Bob I pounded
out on the keyboard:

This happens in our Active Directory domain.

I admin AD domains and don't experience it. Is there a specific GP that
has to be enabled, because it doesn't happen on those systems.

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

 

[Bob I]

The date and time was 9/9/2008 11:38 AM, and on a whim, Bob I pounded
out on the keyboard:


I admin AD domains and don't experience it. Is there a specific GP that
has to be enabled, because it doesn't happen on those systems.

Sorry, I can't say. I just observe it happening on the workstations
running XP.

 

[slanskye]

Sorry, I can't say. I just observe it happening on the workstations
running XP.

I don't have the answer, but if it makes you feel any better, the same
thing is happening on several of our servers where I work.

I make weekly, sometimes daily, updates to an Access front-end. I
rename the old code but don't delete it, then copy the new version to
the server.

On two machines, the shortcuts automatically change to continue to
point to the original, renamed code rather than to my new, updated
code.

So you aren't crazy - it's happening here too. They are both Windows
2003 servers, not XP boxes either.

 

[Bob I]

I don't have the answer, but if it makes you feel any better, the same
thing is happening on several of our servers where I work.

I make weekly, sometimes daily, updates to an Access front-end. I
rename the old code but don't delete it, then copy the new version to
the server.

On two machines, the shortcuts automatically change to continue to
point to the original, renamed code rather than to my new, updated
code.

So you aren't crazy - it's happening here too. They are both Windows
2003 servers, not XP boxes either.

My workaround for that is to COPY out the old code to a new name(instead
of renaming) and then COPY the new code over the old file. Then the
shortcuts don't change.

 

[Etal]

Recently I have been SURPRISED that shortcuts to applications and files seem
to have become "dynamic" in the sense that if you rename the target file the
shortcut picks up the new name. In the past, shortcuts were static, and if
you changed the name of the target you needed to revist the short cuts.

The problem is that we are moving many of our files/applications from an
older server to a new server location and renaming the old files it show that
they have been copied to the new location. With static shortcut targets,
renaming the files "BROKE" the link and will cause the user to think, but
with the shortcuts picking up the name change the link is not broken and
risks are: (1) a user might be pointed at wrong location until the old server
is retired; (2) loss of crucial data; and (3) possible corruption of existing
data by going to the wrong place.

Is there a way to "break" the links with the old shortcuts until they have
been replaced with new ones?

Thanks for your insight.

There is something at work in WinXP that searches for a
replacement path for shortcuts if the original path is not
available. No one has come up with a way to turn that off in this
tread.
If you don't find out how to do it, one workaround is to
search for [*.lnk]-files in affected areas, moved or to be moved,
and make all found shortcuts (temporarily) read-only.