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# Change Directory Command Can Use Colon Parameter from NTFS

Article ID: 106165

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1

This article was previously published under Q106165

## SYMPTOMS

A colon (:) is accepted as a parameter for the change directory (CD) command at the Windows NT command line when the current volume is formatted for NTFS. This results in the current directory becoming the previous directory with a colon appended as if it were a valid subdirectory name. This results in some unpredictable behavior for other command line utilities such as COPY when you attempt to transfer files between the "current" directory and the "parent" directory because these both evaluate to the same physical location.
The following is an illustration of the effect:

       F:\DIR
        Volume in drive F is fffff
        Volume Serial Number is 6C15-9A0F

        Directory of F:\

       10/14/93  01:33p                     5 test.p
       10/14/93  01:33p                     5 test.q
       10/14/93  01:32p                     0 test.s
       08/03/93  08:33a                     5 test.t
                     4 File(s)         15 bytes
                                 19724288 bytes free
       F:\CD :
       F:\:\DIR
        Volume in drive F is fffff
        Volume Serial Number is 6C15-9A0F

        Directory of F:\:

       10/14/93  01:33p                     5 test.p
       10/14/93  01:33p                     5 test.q
       10/14/93  01:32p                     0 test.s
       08/03/93  08:33a                     5 test.t
                     4 File(s)         15 bytes
                                 19724288 bytes free

       F:\:\copy test.p ..
               1 file(s) copied.
       F:\:\

Note that you cannot usually copy a file over itself.

## STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem with Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Additional query words: prodnt

Keywords: kbother KB106165