In news:OYPTNWCZHHA.1400@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl,
FK <name@company.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I can`t access any item in my Documents and Settings folder
> that is a
> short cut (vs an actual folder).
> I just get this message thats says:
>
> C:\Documents and Settings is not accessible.
> Access is denied.
>
> Likewise in my C:\Users\My-Name folder I cannot access
> anything that
> is portrayed as a short cut.
>
> Any help appreciated.
>
> Frank
They're not shortcuts, they're junction points. Here's an
article that does a pretty good job of explaining exactly what
you're seeing.
Windows Vista Junction Points
http://windowsconnected.com/blogs/jo...on-Points.aspx
Here's the explanation from the book "Windows Vista Inside and
Out".
**************************************************************************************
How Windows Vista Maintains Compatibility with Windows XP
Most applications that write to profile locations get those
locations from the operating system as needed, rather than
writing to absolute addresses. (Among other things, this
allows applications to handle relocated folders.) A Windows XP
program that’s well behaved will have no trouble accommodating
the changed names and locations of profile folders in Windows
Vista. On the other hand, a program that looks for Documents
and Settings (the root of profile folders in Windows XP) as an
absolute address could have a problem—were it not for the
junctions (reparse points) that Windows Vista uses to redirect
Windows XP folder names to the appropriate Windows Vista names.
You can see how these junctions are set up by running a Command
Prompt session and typing dir %userprofile%\ /ad.
The reparse points in this directory list are identified by the
label <JUNCTION>. The third column in the display lists the
Windows XP folder name (SendTo, for example) followed, in
brackets, by the redirect address
(F:\Users\Craig\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\
Windows\SendTo). If you display the same folder (%UserProfile%)
in Windows Explorer, with hidden and system files visible, the
junctions will look like shortcuts and won’t include any
information about their targets. If you try to open one of
these items, you’ll be rebuffed. That’s because in all of these
junctions, the Everyone group has a Deny access control entry
preventing users from listing folder contents. This Deny ACE
may seem drastic, but it’s Windows Vista’s way of telling you
to keep your hands off the compatibility infrastructure.
***************************************************************************************
Translated, leave them alone.
Note: To open a command prompt window, Start -> All Programs ->
Accessories -> Command Prompt. Or enter command in the Search
box. Command Prompt should show up in the results. Then enter
dir %userprofile%\ /ad at the prompt to see a graphical display
of what both the web site and the book are explaining.
Good luck
Nepatsfan