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Explorer++ on an ImDisk drive can't access files in its folder

Wonderer
2022-12-29
2022-12-31
  • Wonderer

    Wonderer - 2022-12-29

    At startup Explorer++ always looks for a config.xml file in the folder it is in (described here). If it finds one then its "Run in portable mode" option is automatically ticked and its settings are saved there instead of the registry. If there's no config file then ticking the portable mode option creates one.

    This works OK when it's in a drive that's a partition of a physical device, or the partition (NTFS) of a virtual disk (MBR) created by attaching a VHD file using Windows' Disk Management panel, but doesn't work when the same VHD file is mounted using ImDisk's MountImg.

    When Explorer++ starts it doesn't use the options given in config.xml and its "Run in portable mode"option is unticked, which suggest that it hasn't found the config file. If I delete or rename the config file it doesn't automatically create a new one when I tick the portable mode box, which it should do. Another symptom is that clicking on Help gives a message saying "No help file was found", presumably because it couldn't find its CHM file either, which is in the same folder. However when it is running Explorer++ does show all the files in its own folder, and both the config and CHM files can be opened from within it.

    If Explorer++ is started from a partition on a physical device, but config.xml is a symbolic link to the config file on an ImDisk mounted drive, then it works OK. So it seems that the config file on the mounted device is OK, but Explorer++ can't find it when it too is on the ImDisk mounted drive.

    The same problems also occur with a virtual disk backed by memory created using the "Mount new virtual disk" panel, and when mounting a .IMG file created previously by saving an image.

    Notepad++ in the same partition doesn't have these problems running in portable mode and can use the settings in its config.xml file. I have only just started using ImDisk I am wondering which other programs will have the same problems as Explorer++. I assumed that ImDisk mounted drives behave in exactly the same way as normal drives when trying to access files. Do they have known limitations that cause these problems, or is this a bug?

    This is using ImDiskTk-x64 (20220826) in Windows 10 Pro.

     
  • v77

    v77 - 2022-12-31

    ImDisk only creates simple volumes that don't involve the disk manager (there is no physical drive behind, not even emulated). This can create incompatibilities with some softwares and API.
    It's not something that can be fixed.

    Now, a bit of sarcasm: I find funny that a software designed to explore and open files has difficulties to open its own files.

    Perhaps you can try to submit the bug to the author of Explorer++? I doubt that changing the way he opens the config file is a big issue...

     
    • Wonderer

      Wonderer - 2022-12-31

      Sorry it's not something that can be fixed. Do you know which parts of the API are affected, so that Explorer++'s developer can try to avoid them?

       

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