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Q145767: Problems Accessing Shared CD-ROM

Article: Q145767
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): 3.1,3.11
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): win95
Last Modified: 10-DEC-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows 95 
- Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11 
- Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you try to view files on or set up programs from a shared CD-ROM drive on
the network, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

- You may receive "File not found" error messages.

- The server or the client may stop responding (hang).

- The server or the client may exit to an MS-DOS prompt.

- You may not be able to view all the files in one or more folders on the
  CD-ROM although you do not receive any error messages.

These symptoms may occur even though the CD-ROM files can be viewed and accessed
correctly from the computer that is sharing the CD-ROM drive.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur if the CD-ROM being shared is not fully ISO 9660
compliant, the computer sharing the CD-ROM drive is using a real-mode Mscdex.exe
device driver with a file version of 2.25 (or earlier), and the Mscdex.exe
device driver is being started with the /S parameter to allow the CD-ROM drive
to be shared on the network.

RESOLUTION
==========

Share the CD-ROM drive from a computer running Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
or Server version 3.5 (or later), or from a computer running Windows 95 using
the 32-bit Compact Disk File System driver (Cdfs.vxd).

MORE INFORMATION
================

The real-mode Mscdex.exe driver is compliant with ISO 9660, which does not allow
for directory entries that span sectors. Therefore, excess bytes at the end of
each directory sector are zero-filled. Mscdex.exe requires at least one of these
zero-byte fillers at the end of each directory sector in order to traverse the
shared CD-ROM directory on a network server.

If a CD-ROM is mastered with disk authoring tools that do not comply completely
with the ISO 9660 specification, a file may be written to the CD- ROM with a
directory entry that is in perfect alignment with a sector boundary on the disk,
not allowing for at least one zero-byte filler at the end of the directory
sector.

The Windows NT Workstation and Server version 3.5 and Windows 95 32-bit compact
disk file systems allow the sharing of non-ISO 9660-compliant CD- ROMS.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : win95 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbWin95search kbWFWSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin310 kbWin311 kbWFW310 kbWFW311
Version           : :3.1,3.11

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