Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

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hlewton
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Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by hlewton »

OK here’s one I’m not even certain if I can explain correctly but sure would like an explanation if at all possible. I know ahead of time this may be very difficult because I only know what I am about to attempt to relay here.

On my laptop I had a lot of what I thought were folders listed under My Network Places in Windows Explorer. I wanted to get rid of most all of them because most were sub-folders of folders on other computers on my network that for some reason showed up when I was setting up shares. I searched the Internet and confirmed that what I had listed in this Explorer’s tree were only shortcuts to those folders and it was safe to delete them.

Knowing I had most of the other computers turned off I felt I had noting to lose by trying to delete those shortcuts. Well each one I clicked on said I didn’t have permission to access them and to contact the network administrator. I kept trying by moving the cursor up and down throughout all the listed shortcuts and trying to hit the delete key all with the same results until I accidentally highlighted Internet Sites on the Window Explorer’s tree. Then all of a sudden all the shortcut I wanted to get rid of were deleted leaving only the one to the other computer that happened to be on at the time remaining, which, by the way, I wanted to keep in the first place.

Two questions here since these apparently were only shortcuts: Any idea why I was originally denied access to delete them? How did I finally manage to delete them because I have no idea?

Thanks
Regards,
hlewton

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DaveA
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Re: Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by DaveA »

Reboot this machine with all of the others powered down and see if they are still there.
If so try and delete them again.
I am so far behind, I think I am First :evilgrin:
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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StuartR
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Re: Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by StuartR »

Dave, I think that they are now all deleted. The request was for help understanding the errors.

hlewton, I think that when you access a network shortcut, Windows looks at the target to see what permissions etc. apply, I guess this would happen even if you were just deleting the shortcut. If the target doesn't exist then it seems reasonable that Windows should generate an error when you try to access it.

As for why you could successfully delete these links later. I'm not sure what "Internet Sites" is, but maybe it did a rescan of the network and removed invalid links when you did that.
StuartR


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hlewton
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Re: Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by hlewton »

Thanks for the replies. Yes the shortcuts are deleted but I'm not sure how I did it.

The "Internet Sites" is a folder that appears in the Windows Explorer's tree and I only know I did not consciously create it. My best guess is it was created from a folder on my desktop where I store a lot of Internet shortcuts. But if that is the case somehow Windows created the folder in Windows Explorer on its own.

OK let me ask a question this way and maybe Dave has already answered it. Assuming the article I read was correct in that those folders were only shortcuts to directories on other machines and that it is safe to delete them how should I have gone about deleting them? Should I have had all the other computers on at the time so the shortcut could have found its target and then deleted the shortcut? Somehow something just doesn't seem right here because that article I read made no mention of having to have all the network computers on to delete those shortcuts. If they were on I probably would not have gotten that error message though, would I?
Regards,
hlewton

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StuartR
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Re: Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by StuartR »

I suspect you would not have received the error message if the network locations had been accessible.
StuartR


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hlewton
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Re: Window Explorer's My Network Places Shortcuts

Post by hlewton »

Thanks I actually believe that to be the case as well.
Regards,
hlewton