Can’t rename a folder as “con” ?

Asked By jamespaul 200 points N/A Posted on - 06/22/2011

Hi,

I have tried to create a folder, with the name "con" in Windows XP. But I can't create it. When I create the folder and rename it as "con", the folder name just disappears and turns it to default name, "new folder”, after clicking on it. I don’t know what is happening. 

Any experts please answer.

Thanks in advance.

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• Question Category: Windows XP

Best Answer by steve.john

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Answered By steve.john 0 points N/A #129109

Can’t rename a folder as “con” ?

Hi,

In Windows OS versions, a folder can’t be named as “con”. Because, “con” is an OS internal command or reserved keyword. Still, if you want to name the folder as “con”, there are certain steps to be followed to be able to do that.

Even though, you rename the folder as “con”, it cannot be used like a usual folder.

That particular renamed folder would be reserved by the OS; it will not allow you to access or save any files in it.

For your information, not only the word “con”, there are list of keywords that cannot be used as folder names.

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Answered By steve.john 0 points N/A #129110

Can’t rename a folder as “con” ?

The list of names is CON, PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, LPT9, NUL and some more.

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Answered By ybyassine 0 points N/A #129111

Can’t rename a folder as “con” ?

This is not so much awkward. ‘Con’ seems to be a confined word from the previous days of DOS; the meaning is ‘console’. You may require to type 'copy con newfile.txt' if you desire to generate a text file in DOS. This implies of duplicating from the console to newfile.txt.

You may need to type several lines and while ending it with ^Z (DOSish for 'end of file'), you have a complete file named newfile.txt, with the lines that you have written in the console. This can be yet achieved in the console of Windows XP, and you can check what happens if you keep folders of related files have the name ‘con’? What would be meant by 'copy con newfile.txt' then?

Here is a list that contains other DOS devices which cannot be unlocked as folder names:  PRN,CON, AUX, NUL, CLOCK$, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.   But again, you can still rename those since I have practiced it for a lot of times. So you can also change it.                                                                                                                            

mkdir \.d:con

mkdir con

mkdir \?d:con                                                                                                                    

 

All of the above mentioned goes by any name of the device, lpt1, lpt9, con, prn etc.

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• Posted on - 06/25/2011
• Question Category: Windows XP