How to disable Link Tracking for Windows NT4/Windows 98

A. Steinmetz astmail at yahoo.com
Fri Jun 11 10:02:04 GMT 1999


Hi,
hopefully this is the right list for this information but there were
mailings regarding this problem a while ago in this list.

Problem: Shortcuts do contain UNC paths (\\machine\service\...) which is
especially bad when you use Samba as PDC and do load balancing across
several samba servers or if you move your Samba shares (new netbios name).

Symptom: Assume that you mapped n: as \\machine1\myshare. You then create
a shortcut to n:\myproject.doc. When you log in the next time and either
the samba server has moved or load balancing connects you to another
system n: will be mapped to \\machine2\myshare. If you then double-click
the shortcut to n:\myproject.doc Windows will try to connect to
\\machine1\myshare to access myproject.doc. This behaviour effectively
prevents any load balancing and server redundancy. Moving the server of
just altering the netbios name of the server makes all those shortcuts
unusable, too.

Solution: Microsoft describes the Solution for Windows NT4 (see below).
There is no Information for Windows 9x. The only solution for those
systems posted to this list regards scut.exe which isn't a real option as
this has to be executed for every shortcut created. There is, however, the
same registry key available in Windows 98 (maybe Windows 95 too, but
untested) as in Windows NT4 that disables the link tracking behaviour as
described above. Thus you can use one of the two methods given below to
disable link tracking.


For Windows NT see http://suport.microsoft.com/ and search for:

Q158682 - Shortcuts Created Under Windows NT 4.0 Resolve to UNC Paths 


For Windows 98 (maybe Windows 95, too, but untested) there are two methods
(basically the same as described in Q158682 for NT4):

Method 1: Create a *.reg file with the following contents and have it
executed during domain logon:
----cut here----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo"=dword:00000001
----cut here----

Method 2: Use Config.Pol - this requires modification of windows.adm (it
seems to be named admin.adm on Win98 CDs):

Add the following to the *.adm file:

In "CATEGORY !!Shell" just before the line "END CATEGORY    ; Shell" (:

----cut here----
    CATEGORY !!Restrictions
       KEYNAME Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
                        POLICY !!DisableLinkTracking
                        VALUENAME "LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo"
                        END POLICY
    END CATEGORY

----cut here----

At the end of section "[strings]" add the following lines (you may
translate the quoted contents to your preferred language):

----cut here----
Restrictions="Restrictions"
DisableLinkTracking="Disable Link Tracking"
----cut here----

The you will be able to use the policy editor (poledit.exe) to create a
policy that disables link tracking for Windows 9x (Default User -> Windows
95 Shell -> Restrictions -> Disable Link Tracking).

Hopefully this information is of use for everybody using Samba as PDC. I
tested this with two Windows 98 systems. Please don't blame me if it
doesn't work for your system as this feature isn't documented for Windows
9x by Microsoft.
===
Cheers -
A. Steinmetz

---------------------------------------------
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There is no intelligent life down in Redmond.

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