Computer Generates ~

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:46:37 GMT, Alley wrote:

My computer or OS (Win98se), is generating short file names out of
existing files with long file names that have a tilde (~) in the name.
It doesn't generate or duplicate all files this way, just some. Does
anyone know what might be causing this? Thanks.

Note: Not everything with a tilde in it is a "short name" as such.
Several temp files have names that often start with a tilde, and
tildes can be placed anywhere in a short or long file name.

But if you mean 8.3 names of the form XXXXXX~n.XXX, those are the real
names that were always there, under the Long File Name (LFN).

If a file with an LFN is processed by software that does not "know"
LFNs, then the LFNs will be stripped away. Examples include:
- DOS mode
- Winfile.exe (File Manager from Win3.yuk, included in Win9x)
- PK Zip 2.04g, i.e. PKZip.exe and PKUnZip.exe
- Lap Link for DOS, e.g. LL3.exe
- any pre-Win95 file system tools, e.g. defraggers, dir sorters
- any Win3.yuk or DOS progs, e.g. WP51, Word 6 etc.



--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -
I'm baaaack!
--------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:54:58 GMT, Alley wrote:
In article ,

My computer or OS (Win98se), is generating short file names out of
existing files with long file names that have a tilde (~) in the name.
It doesn't generate or duplicate all files this way, just some.

Just to clear something up... the files are being duplicated, not just
renamed, so there are two sets of these files, not just renamed files.

Then I would suspect a file system utility such as a directory sorter
that isn't compatible, or something that's generating new files.

For example, let's say something creates a companion .pif or .lnk file
for the files it touches, and for some reason it uses the underlying
8.3 name for this purpose. Next to "Some Long Name.exe", you'd have
what looks like SOMELO~1.EXE, but may be SOMELO~1.EXE.PIF (.PIF and
..LNK file name extensions are never shown).

I don't know of any malware that does this, FWIW.


------------------------ ---- --- -- - - - -
Forget http://cquirke.blogspot.com and check out a
better one at http://topicdrift.blogspot.com instead!
------------------------ ---- --- -- - - - -