UNC filenames and xp

[user]

I've just completed installing a new server for our network, and am
hoping to eliminate mounting remote drives as drive letters (for
specific application reasons).

However, I'm finding several things that make it extremely difficult:

-cmd shells do not allow cd-ing to unc filenamed directories
-If a user makes a shortcut to a UNC drive/folder, Windows directory
browsers do not allow selection of the shortcut.

I found a google-link to an MSDN article stating how to make cmd shells
accept UNC, but it doesn't seem to work. I suspect that this article was
written for earlier versions of windows, as it suggests "downloading the
newest shell".

Any hope out there for adding support for UNC to a windows xp cmd shell?

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Without the specific MSDN article you're referencing, we can only guess .............

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/1247/

You can do a DIR, but not a CD or change to the device. You should be able to access files and folders via the command shell, as long as you know, or can extract the specific path.

 

[user]

Without the specific MSDN article you're referencing, we can only guess ............

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/1247/

You can do a DIR, but not a CD or change to the device. You should be able to access files and folders via the command shell, as long as you know, or can extract the specific path.

Yes, that's the basic description of the "fix" I attempted. The lack of
CD is the killer here. Any patches or enhancements to the cmd that would
allow this (IMO ridiculously left out) feature?

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

One possibility:

http://www.mvps.org/ArcaneIncantations/qexec.htm
QExec

I can't vouch for the software, as I've never tried it.

 

[xe77]

You can still refer to specific UNC paths in your scripts.
Simply: the CMD shell won't allow you to CD to a UNC path.
Commands such as DEL and COPY do work with UNC paths.
I'm not sure why you are having problems with your
shortcuts as Shortcuts work fine with UNC paths, although,
if you are on the server and create a shortcut to a
network share on that server the shortcut will point to
the local path and not the UNC path. Create the shortcuts
from another workstation to get around this.