Using Long Filenames with the Run Command

• Microsoft Windows 95
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

If you click Run on the Start menu and then type a command including a long filename with an embedded space in the Run dialog box, one of the following symptoms may occur:

• You receive the following error message:

        Cannot find <filename> (or one of its components). Make sure the
        path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are
        available.
  

• An incorrect folder is opened or the wrong file is run.

CAUSE

Commands containing long filenames with embedded space characters must be enclosed in quotation marks in the Run dialog box.

Note that long filenames that do not contain embedded spaces are processed correctly.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use either of the following methods:

• To use a command including a long filename with an embedded space character in the Run dialog box, you must enclose the entire command in quotation marks. For example, to run the command

        c:\program files\accessories\mspaint.exe
  

  you must type the following line in the Run dialog box (including the quotation marks:

        "c:\program files\accessories\mspaint.exe"
  

• In the Run dialog box, use the 8.3 alias for any folder or filename that contains embedded spaces. For example, instead of typing

        "c:\program files\accessories\mspaint.exe"
  

  in the Run dialog box, you could type:

        c:\progra~1\accessories\mspaint.exe
  

  In this example, "progra~1" is the 8.3 alias for the long filename "program files."

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

When you type a long filename with embedded spaces without quotation marks in the Run dialog box, the filename is truncated at the first space when the command is processed.