Create recursive shortcuts in Windows
We all know what a label is. And what will happen if you make a link to the label itself?
Creating a shortcut to a shortcut causes it to be copied. And what will happen if forcibly creating such a shortcut by the byte?
But, I will tell you not about this, but about how you can create a folder, from the type of which all programs fly out with errors.
Yes, only on view: you won't even have time to click on the folder.
It will be impossible to enter this folder with regular file managers.
But it was not without a label, and I will tell you how to do it and for what you can use it.
When I was at university, there was plenty of time, and I studied Windows in all possible ways.
I rummaged through all the system folders, the entire registry, searched for glitches and found them.
It was a long time ago, but I remembered one interesting “glitch”, which I will discuss in this post.
')
Once I noticed that if you drag and drop any folder into Start => All Programs, then it’s not a shortcut that is created, but a folder.
You can drag it to your desktop and it will look like a folder, but behave like a shortcut.
It puzzled me, and I began to dig deeper.
Found that these folders are created in the "Network Neighborhood" and behave the same way.
I understood that it is impossible to see the "real" insides of a folder using the explorer.
By running the console, I was able to get to the files inside.
There were two files: desktop.ini and target.lnk
If you rename or delete one of the files, Explorer will show the real insides.
In the desktop.ini file I found the following text:
A label referred to the folder that I created at the beginning.
I was interested in it, because I realized that there could be more files inside such a folder, and no one would see them.
At the university, all computers were with limited access, and any student could delete my personal files folder, and I did not have a computer at that time.
And then there was no flash drive. Floppy disks are not reliable, so it was not safe to store your files on university computers.
And I realized that no one would see my files in such a folder, and I can get access to my folder at the direct address inside the shortcut folder.
But this did not give protection to personal files: the folder could still be deleted along with my data.
I fumbled further with an interesting folder, tried to replace the target.lnk file with my own, and watch what happens.
You can change the shortcut icon, and the folder icon in this case also changes.
And then I created a shortcut to the same desktop.ini file, renamed it to target.lnk
I didn’t immediately believe this effect and didn’t understand what was happening: after renaming, the explorer immediately gave an error and restarted.
I climbed back into the created folder, and as soon as I saw it, the explorer departed again.
I began to explore the strange effect and realized that the explorer was trying to get the properties of the folder-shortcut, and they were redirected to the folder itself again. The result is looping.
I tried to enter the folder with different programs: even Total Commander took off when trying to enter it, even if it was delayed. It was possible to enter it only with the help of the console.
And I realized that this folder will store my data well, and none of the students can even click on it to delete it.
Then I will tell you how to make such a folder, unbind the binding to the path, and how to create such a “protected” folder on a flash drive that would “work”, as expected, on all computers.
In order for a label
Now you need to go to your subfolder only at the address and, preferably, not in the conductor (due to saving the previous paths).
For example, in the console, write explorer.exe <folder address>, and the history will not be saved so that no one can figure out the path.
To automate the creation of such a folder, I wrote a script:
It must be saved to a file called mkFolderKiller.vbs, and drag the folder onto it.
The created folder will strictly depend on its original address.
If you rename it, then it will be possible to enter it.
And I found a solution, although not ideal, but which allows you to change the address of the folder.
We need to create an empty folder in a place where the user cannot climb.
For example, deep in the system files (if available).
We assign the System attribute to it, and write the desktop.ini file there, but we do not rush to make a shortcut.
Now, on another disk, where there should be a folder with data, do the same, for example, on D: \.
We take the shortcut of the desktop.ini file from the C: \ drive and put it in a folder that is on the D: \ drive. Only then do we make a shortcut in the C: \ drive folder.
As a result, the folder on the D: \ drive will perform its “function” that we need, even if its address is changed.
There is nothing special to say.
I think many have guessed that you can create a folder in which there will be “protected” folders for all the letters of the alphabet.
And only you can get access to your protected folder, knowing the full address.
Everyone can create this folder for themselves, for fun, for tests or for the sake of primitive protection.
Of course not. There are many other ways more reliable than this.
For an experienced user, it will not be difficult to figure out and get into such a “protected” folder.
But it will puzzle for a while. And ordinary users will not be able to get there at all.
Personally, I conducted all the experiments at the university, on Windows XP and 2000.
And, over time, on Windows Vista, 7 and Windows 8.
Regardless of the capacity of the system, it works on all versions.
Of course not. All she does is looping the process that wants to access her, and this causes it to restart.
You can go to the folder using the console and rename one of the two files or remove the System flag from the folder.
Or rename the root folder to neutralize the loop.
You can download the file by link ShortcutKiller.rar ,
unpack it into the folder C: \ TEMP \ 1234, and restart into it.
The archive has a folder 1 with two files desktop.ini and target.lnk, tied only to this path.
I hope the article was interesting to you, and that I was able to explain everything well.
I found many more different glitches about which it is not written anywhere, maybe I will tell you another time :)
Creating a shortcut to a shortcut causes it to be copied. And what will happen if forcibly creating such a shortcut by the byte?
But, I will tell you not about this, but about how you can create a folder, from the type of which all programs fly out with errors.
Yes, only on view: you won't even have time to click on the folder.
It will be impossible to enter this folder with regular file managers.
But it was not without a label, and I will tell you how to do it and for what you can use it.
Prehistory
When I was at university, there was plenty of time, and I studied Windows in all possible ways.
I rummaged through all the system folders, the entire registry, searched for glitches and found them.
It was a long time ago, but I remembered one interesting “glitch”, which I will discuss in this post.
')
Once I noticed that if you drag and drop any folder into Start => All Programs, then it’s not a shortcut that is created, but a folder.
You can drag it to your desktop and it will look like a folder, but behave like a shortcut.
It puzzled me, and I began to dig deeper.
Found that these folders are created in the "Network Neighborhood" and behave the same way.
I understood that it is impossible to see the "real" insides of a folder using the explorer.
By running the console, I was able to get to the files inside.
There were two files: desktop.ini and target.lnk
If you rename or delete one of the files, Explorer will show the real insides.
In the desktop.ini file I found the following text:
[.ShellClassInfo] CLSID2={0AFACED1-E828-11D1-9187-B532F1E9575D} Flags=2 A label referred to the folder that I created at the beginning.
I was interested in it, because I realized that there could be more files inside such a folder, and no one would see them.
At the university, all computers were with limited access, and any student could delete my personal files folder, and I did not have a computer at that time.
And then there was no flash drive. Floppy disks are not reliable, so it was not safe to store your files on university computers.
And I realized that no one would see my files in such a folder, and I can get access to my folder at the direct address inside the shortcut folder.
But this did not give protection to personal files: the folder could still be deleted along with my data.
I fumbled further with an interesting folder, tried to replace the target.lnk file with my own, and watch what happens.
You can change the shortcut icon, and the folder icon in this case also changes.
And then I created a shortcut to the same desktop.ini file, renamed it to target.lnk
I didn’t immediately believe this effect and didn’t understand what was happening: after renaming, the explorer immediately gave an error and restarted.
I climbed back into the created folder, and as soon as I saw it, the explorer departed again.
I began to explore the strange effect and realized that the explorer was trying to get the properties of the folder-shortcut, and they were redirected to the folder itself again. The result is looping.
I tried to enter the folder with different programs: even Total Commander took off when trying to enter it, even if it was delayed. It was possible to enter it only with the help of the console.
And I realized that this folder will store my data well, and none of the students can even click on it to delete it.
Sequencing
Then I will tell you how to make such a folder, unbind the binding to the path, and how to create such a “protected” folder on a flash drive that would “work”, as expected, on all computers.
In order for a label killer folder to work as expected, there must be the following:
- folder must have System attribute
- The folder must have a desktop.ini file with the correct content.
- the folder must have a target.lnk shortcut that refers to the desktop.ini file in the same folder
When creating such a folder using the explorer, there are pitfalls
- the System attribute for the folder must be set before creating internal files
- you must first write the data to desktop.ini and only after that put it in the folder
- before you put the shortcut target.lnk in the folder, you need to restart into it
Create a "protected" folder that works on all Windows file systems.
- create an empty folder, preferably not on the desktop
- create a subfolder, put your data there and remember the path
- set the original folder attribute System
- create a text file desktop.txt and write data into it as written above
- rename desktop.txt to desktop.ini
- create a shortcut on desktop.ini called target.lnk and the explorer will restart
Now you need to go to your subfolder only at the address and, preferably, not in the conductor (due to saving the previous paths).
For example, in the console, write explorer.exe <folder address>, and the history will not be saved so that no one can figure out the path.
To automate the creation of such a folder, I wrote a script:
Dim arg, WSHShell, fsobj, file, link Set arg = WScript.Arguments Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") Set fsobj = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") If arg.Length = 0 Then WSHShell.Popup " " End If If arg.Length > 0 Then ' fsobj.GetFolder(arg(0)).Attributes = 1 ' desktop.ini Set file = fsobj.OpenTextFile(arg(0) + "\desktop.ini", 2, True) file.Write "[.ShellClassInfo]" + vbCrLf file.Write "CLSID2={0AFACED1-E828-11D1-9187-B532F1E9575D}" + vbCrLf file.Write "Flags=2" + vbCrLf file.Close ' target.lnk desktop.ini Set link = WSHShell.CreateShortcut(arg(0) + "\target.lnk") link.TargetPath = arg(0) + "\desktop.ini" link.Save WSHShell.Popup "- " End If It must be saved to a file called mkFolderKiller.vbs, and drag the folder onto it.
Binding the path to a protected folder
The created folder will strictly depend on its original address.
If you rename it, then it will be possible to enter it.
And I found a solution, although not ideal, but which allows you to change the address of the folder.
We need to create an empty folder in a place where the user cannot climb.
For example, deep in the system files (if available).
We assign the System attribute to it, and write the desktop.ini file there, but we do not rush to make a shortcut.
Now, on another disk, where there should be a folder with data, do the same, for example, on D: \.
We take the shortcut of the desktop.ini file from the C: \ drive and put it in a folder that is on the D: \ drive. Only then do we make a shortcut in the C: \ drive folder.
As a result, the folder on the D: \ drive will perform its “function” that we need, even if its address is changed.
Protecting folders on a flash drive
There is nothing special to say.
I think many have guessed that you can create a folder in which there will be “protected” folders for all the letters of the alphabet.
And only you can get access to your protected folder, knowing the full address.
findings
Everyone can create this folder for themselves, for fun, for tests or for the sake of primitive protection.
Is this a reliable protection?
Of course not. There are many other ways more reliable than this.
For an experienced user, it will not be difficult to figure out and get into such a “protected” folder.
But it will puzzle for a while. And ordinary users will not be able to get there at all.
On which versions of Windows will this folder “work”?
Personally, I conducted all the experiments at the university, on Windows XP and 2000.
And, over time, on Windows Vista, 7 and Windows 8.
Regardless of the capacity of the system, it works on all versions.
Does this folder harm the computer?
Of course not. All she does is looping the process that wants to access her, and this causes it to restart.
How to delete such a killer folder?
You can go to the folder using the console and rename one of the two files or remove the System flag from the folder.
Or rename the root folder to neutralize the loop.
If you can not wait to try
You can download the file by link ShortcutKiller.rar ,
unpack it into the folder C: \ TEMP \ 1234, and restart into it.
The archive has a folder 1 with two files desktop.ini and target.lnk, tied only to this path.
I hope the article was interesting to you, and that I was able to explain everything well.
I found many more different glitches about which it is not written anywhere, maybe I will tell you another time :)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/152747/
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