Unable to View Macintosh Client Created Directories

• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51

SUMMARY

Directories or files on a Windows NT Server Macintosh volume, may not be accessible by Windows or Windows 95. You may get the error "The folder [directory] does not exist". Windows NT clients will be able to read the files.

Directories or files on a Windows NT Server Macintosh volume, may not be accessible by Windows or Windows 95. The following error message are presented when Windows 95 clients attempt to copy over or open the file:

Error copying file Cannot copy <filename> : Cannot find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct path and filename

Or you may get the error "The folder [directory] does not exist". Windows NT clients will be able to read the files.

MORE INFORMATION

Macintosh computers can use many characters for filenames that are illegal for x86-based clients, such as * / \ < > ? and |. These are also invalid NTFS characters. Such a file cannot be accessed by a Unicode unaware application. When a Macintosh client creates a filename on an SFM volume, it is converted from Macintosh ANSI to Unicode by SFM before being passed to NTFS. Because SFM does the conversion, it can define Unicode values that invalid NTFS characters will map to. It does so by using the Private Use Area range of the Unicode standard.

For example:

If you save a file from a Machintosh to a Windows NT server with the file name "After 5/12/95.", the Windows NT computer shows this file as "After 5|12|95|" and a Windows 95 client shows this file as "After 5_12_95_."

Since Windows and Windows 95 do not support Unicode, Macintosh file names which map to illegal file name characters will result in filenames which cannot be used to open these files.

The only workaround is to rename the files. A shareware Macintosh program called Drop*Rename will allow you to search on illegal PC characters and rename them automatically. It can be found on http://www.best.com/~bns/ChaoticSoftware/.