I'm working on an application that needs to identify invalid Explorer shortcuts, and I ran into a real stumper: If you look at the external properties of a particular lnk file (in this case to an executable) in Explorer, everything is exactly correct. If you press "Open file location", it finds and shows the correct file.
But if you examine the internal contents of the lnk file itself, it points to an invalid location! My program calls the correct library function to obtain the target of a shortcut file, and it returns that same invalid location. The executable file is located in C:\Program Files, but the internal link points to C:\Program Files (x86)
What the heck is going on? I know how to fix it, simply create a new shortcut. But that's not the point: First, I want to know if this is a known bug in Windows 7 (64-bit), and Second, I need to know when the internal and external shortcut targets differ, so that I can recognize this nasty problem in the future.
Little help?
But if you examine the internal contents of the lnk file itself, it points to an invalid location! My program calls the correct library function to obtain the target of a shortcut file, and it returns that same invalid location. The executable file is located in C:\Program Files, but the internal link points to C:\Program Files (x86)
What the heck is going on? I know how to fix it, simply create a new shortcut. But that's not the point: First, I want to know if this is a known bug in Windows 7 (64-bit), and Second, I need to know when the internal and external shortcut targets differ, so that I can recognize this nasty problem in the future.
Little help?
My Computer
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
- Home-built
- OS
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- CPU
- Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon Quad-Core 4.0 GHz
- Motherboard
- ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 Gen 2
- Memory
- 16GB G.SKILL TridentX 2666 (PC3 21300) RAM
- Graphics Card(s)
- EVGA nVidia GTX-750
- Sound Card
- LogiLink USB 2.0 7.1 Channel Sound Box
- Monitor(s) Displays
- DELL U2713HM, ViewSonic 22, HDTV
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- System is on 2x RAID 0 Samsung 850 PRO 256GB SATA-III SSD
System has several other SATA III disks as well
- PSU
- Corsair RM750x
- Case
- CoolerMaster Storm Scout 2
- Cooling
- CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
- Keyboard
- Apple Slim, Bluetooth slim
- Mouse
- Logitech Trackball Marble & Logitech Wireless Trackball
- Internet Speed
- 100 Gbps
- Antivirus
- Avira AntiVirus Pro
- Browser
- Waterfox, Opera, Basilisk
