Problems Accessing Shared CD-ROM

 Last reviewed: February 8, 1996
Article ID: Q145767
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11
  • Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you try to view files on or set up programs from a shared CD-ROM drive on the network, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • You may receive "File not found" error messages.
  • The server or the client may stop responding (hang).
  • The server or the client may exit to an MS-DOS prompt.
  • You may not be able to view all the files in one or more folders on the CD-ROM although you do not receive any error messages.

These symptoms may occur even though the CD-ROM files can be viewed and accessed correctly from the computer that is sharing the CD-ROM drive.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the CD-ROM being shared is not fully ISO 9660 compliant, the computer sharing the CD-ROM drive is using a real-mode Mscdex.exe device driver with a file version of 2.25 (or earlier), and the Mscdex.exe device driver is being started with the /S parameter to allow the CD-ROM drive to be shared on the network.

RESOLUTION

Share the CD-ROM drive from a computer running Microsoft Windows NT Workstation or Server version 3.5 (or later), or from a computer running Windows 95 using the 32-bit Compact Disk File System driver (Cdfs.vxd).

MORE INFORMATION

The real-mode Mscdex.exe driver is compliant with ISO 9660, which does not allow for directory entries that span sectors. Therefore, excess bytes at the end of each directory sector are zero-filled. Mscdex.exe requires at least one of these zero-byte fillers at the end of each directory sector in order to traverse the shared CD-ROM directory on a network server.

If a CD-ROM is mastered with disk authoring tools that do not comply completely with the ISO 9660 specification, a file may be written to the CD- ROM with a directory entry that is in perfect alignment with a sector boundary on the disk, not allowing for at least one zero-byte filler at the end of the directory sector.

The Windows NT Workstation and Server version 3.5 and Windows 95 32-bit compact disk file systems allow the sharing of non-ISO 9660-compliant CD- ROMS.

KBCategory: kbmm
KBSubcategory: win95
Additional reference words: 95

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Last reviewed: February 8, 1996
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