Want to use special characters in file names

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

I would like to use "reserved" characters when naming some of my
desktop icons.

I mean characters like \ < > :

Is there a way of tweaking the registry to permit these characters
in file or folder names?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

"Jann" <noone@no-where.com> wrote in message
news:954C6BD6CE060D92F1@127.0.0.1...
> I would like to use "reserved" characters when naming some of my
> desktop icons.
>
> I mean characters like \ < > :
>
> Is there a way of tweaking the registry to permit these characters
> in file or folder names?

Errrr...no.

Why do you think they're called
"reserved"?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

"V Green" <vanceg@nowhere.net> wrote:

> "Jann" <noone@no-where.com> wrote in message
> news:954C6BD6CE060D92F1@127.0.0.1...
>> I would like to use "reserved" characters when naming some of
>> my desktop icons.
>>
>> I mean characters like \ < > :
>>
>> Is there a way of tweaking the registry to permit these
>> characters in file or folder names?
>
> Errrr...no.
>
> Why do you think they're called
> "reserved"?


I would think there is no particularly good technical reason to
reserve those characters. XP prevents them being entered but I am
usre they could be used.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

No. Why would there be? Nothing is stopping you from creating files with those names. It's just that windows won't help. They are only illegal to Windows, not NT as such. You can try creating them on a windows 2000 (or earlier) machine using POSIX commands (as opposed to Dos, Win16, OS/2, Win32 commands). While I don't know what POSIX allows (cause I don't care), it is different to Windows/Dos/OS/2.

--
----------------------------------------------------------
'Not happy John! Defending our democracy',
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/29/1088392635123.html

"Jann" <noone@no-where.com> wrote in message news:954C6BD6CE060D92F1@127.0.0.1...
> I would like to use "reserved" characters when naming some of my
> desktop icons.
>
> I mean characters like \ < > :
>
> Is there a way of tweaking the registry to permit these characters
> in file or folder names?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

The NT operating system runs other operating systems. In NT4 there was Windows 32 bit, OS/2, and Posix. OS/2 was dropped in 2000 and Posix dropped in XP. This leaves only the Win32 sub system (Dos and Win 16 are handled by the Win 32 sub system not NT since 2000. In NT4 dos programs actually ran in the OS/2 sub system). Dos, Win16, Win32, and OS/2 all share naming conventions (all originally based on Dos's). Posix is totally unrelated to those 4.

So Posix can create files with windows illegal names. But windows can't use those files. But Posix can.

The reason they are reserved is that they have meaning.
\, /, and : are used to specify what part of a path is what (and in Dos / is a switch rather than path seperator).
?, *, <, and > are used in command prompts to issue special commands. < and > are processed first in a line changing the meaning dramatically.

Can XP create those files, yes but you have to write the program/drivers. Can windows or Dos create those files, no.

All the really advanced features of NTFS are there solely for the posix sub system.


--
----------------------------------------------------------
'Not happy John! Defending our democracy',
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/29/1088392635123.html

"Svend Cr" <nomail@mail.com> wrote in message news:954CABA4DDD43471AE@127.0.0.1...
> "V Green" <vanceg@nowhere.net> wrote:
>
> > "Jann" <noone@no-where.com> wrote in message
> > news:954C6BD6CE060D92F1@127.0.0.1...
> >> I would like to use "reserved" characters when naming some of
> >> my desktop icons.
> >>
> >> I mean characters like \ < > :
> >>
> >> Is there a way of tweaking the registry to permit these
> >> characters in file or folder names?
> >
> > Errrr...no.
> >
> > Why do you think they're called
> > "reserved"?
>
>
> I would think there is no particularly good technical reason to
> reserve those characters. XP prevents them being entered but I am
> usre they could be used.