Strange unavailable directories on HDD?

[Sledge]

Hi there.


I've got a question:
Maybe you know it already, maybe not but when you try to access the directory
C:\Con\Con

and you are using Win95/98 then your OS will crash. On Win95 it will be faded out with blue screens and on Win98 you'll get one blue screen and then your system will freeze.

What is this folder? I'm interested in this because there might be others with other functionalities.
I believe it works with
C:\Config$\Config$

as well (I'm not trying now cause I need my box right now *g*).

You cannot create these dirs nor do anything else with them except open them and get a system-crash.


You also can access them through LAN on another computer when C: does not have a read-protection. Then the remote-computer will crash without even doing something big.

This is quite strange...



Sledge

[allenb1963]

I don't recall seeing a 'Con' directory when I was running 98....you might want to do a scan for viral/trojan infection....weird. Guess I'll have to get my 98 machine back up and running and have a closer look.

[thesecretfire]

I have 98, and I can confirm that C:\con\con causes a crash. I wonder if it's just some weird thing that DOS does, or if it's some sort of significant part of win98.

[flipflop]

I run Win 98 on a couple of my machines. I have never seen this directory in any I deal with. I suspect this is from some program you have installed. I would suggest that you scan your system for Tojans/Virus as allenb1963 said. I believe you have the CON-CON trojan (see http://vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=98537).

[jehnx]

Guys, he isn't saying you can see the directories. You can type it in manually in an explorer window thingy and it come up and cause BSOD. He's wondering, as I take it, why you can't go to it without your computer crashing. I remember coming across this question a few times before, and it's something relatively stupid and simple but I can't remember the answer to it.

[darkes]

Originally posted here by jehnx
Guys, he isn't saying you can see the directories. You can type it in manually in an explorer window thingy and it come up and cause BSOD. He's wondering, as I take it, why you can't go to it without your computer crashing. I remember coming across this question a few times before, and it's something relatively stupid and simple but I can't remember the answer to it.

I believe this is down to Windows using these as 'reserved words' - Windows gets very confused, because it thinks it is trying to set up some sort of com connection ...

[droby10]

this is the console device...ie try

c:\echo "hello, world" > con

devices are global regardless of working directory so accessing con\con is like trying to open the device on top of itself...just really shotty code in the integration of filesystem driver and device driver.

nul (equivalent of /dev/null)
config$ (as mentioned)
aux (auxiliary device)
prn (printer)

[rcgreen]

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...n/ms00-017.asp

[jethro]

con is a console device, just like nul. That could be the reason. It's like, to see if a folder exists, you type "IF EXIST C:\folder\con ECHO IT EXISTS!".

[Sledge]

Thx for the help, guys!

I'm not that confused now anymore
Already wondered what this dir could be used for...


Sledge