User-Define Path Dropped When User and System Paths Too Large

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

SYMPTOMS

The user-defined path is dropped when logging on if the system and user paths are more than 512 bytes when combined.

CAUSE

The calculation to determine the number of characters in the path was incorrect.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, shorten the user-defined path.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

The maximum length of the combined system and user-defined path variables is 1,023 characters. This does not includes the "path=" portion of either.

The system path is limited to the maximum path length of 1,023 characters. The user-defined path is limited to maximum 511 characters, but is limited to 1,023 minus the system path.

It is possible that the system path can use the total allocated environment space, causing the user-defined path to get truncated or not show up at all.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv NT4SP4Fix kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4 NTSrvWkst
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb