Solved Unable to execute files on subst'd drives

WinAte

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As well as my C: drive, I have a large (2Tb) Z: drive on my PC. I then use the "subst" command (using XSubst as the GUI) to create virtual drives pointing to various directories on Z:. For example, P: actually points to Z:\PHOTOGRAPHS, M: points to Z:\MUSIC and O: points to Z:\DOWNLOAD.

I can do everything to the files in these virtual drives EXCEPT execute them. So I can copy, paste, edit, change permissions, etc, but when I try to "Open" or "Run as Administrator" a .EXE, I get the error message "The specified path does not exist. Check the path and try again."

The above configuration worked fine under Windows 7, but I can't understand why it doesn't work under 8.1, especially as the error message makes no sense.

Any help appreciated!
--
Philip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
Why are you using subst (Xsubst)? Do you change the drive mapping often? I'm trying to see an advantage to doing this and can't come up with one.

Wouldn't it be simpler to partition the 2TB drive permanently? That would get rid of the problem you are having I'm sure.

I did find this via Google: Link Shell Extension

Q: I have created a symbolic link to an .exe and when I double click on it, I get the following error message:
The specified path does not exist. Check the path and try again.


A: Unfortunatley this is a bug in Explorer, and I don't have a clue how to come around this in explorer.
If you start the symlink to an .exe from a command prompt it works fine, and even third party explorers like SpeedCommander can do this, but explorer seems to have a limitation
Does anybody know the registry hack to enable this in explorer.exe? Drop me a line.

I suspect subst drives suffer from the same problem. I can't fid an answer though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Thanks for the response. The reason for using Xsubst is that it allows me to effectively partition my hard drive dynamically, whereas if I did it permanently then I would need to decide how much space to give to each partition.

As I mentioned, it worked fine under Win 7, so it looks as if it's something that Microsoft have broken in 8.1.
--
Philip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
Okay, thought it might be something like that, thanks.

Almost has to be a security change they made in 8. What does the security setting look like for the subst drive (Properties, Security tab)? Maybe do a Take Ownership or use CACLS after setting up the drive to make it work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
OK. I've spent some time trying to get this problem down to its bare essentials, and this is where I am:

PROBLEM:
When using the SUBST command, some executables will not work, giving the error "The specified path does not exist. Check the path, then try again". It is not clear why some executables work and others do not. The error message makes no sense, as the executable file can be renamed, have its permissions changed, etc.

NOTES:
- I have this issue on two separate Win 8.1 machines.
- I did not have the problem under Windows 7
- I can find no difference between the two executables when I look in the "Properties" screen; all permissions, etc are identical
- Both executables are 32-bit
- Neither executable has a digital signature
- Using "Run as administrator" makes no difference

HOW TO SEE THE PROBLEM:
Create a directory (I'll call it C:\TESTDIR) and use the subst command (I have tried using both XSubst and Visual Subst to do this) to create a drive letter pointing to this directory (I'll call it "K:").

Download 2 executables [see below] - call one AAA.exe and the other BBB.exe. Place them both in C:\TESTDIR. Use File Explorer (or a Command Window) to navigate to C:\TESTDIR and try to execute both AAA and BBB. Both should work. Then navigate to K:\. Try to execute both AAA and BBB. AAA will work as before, but BBB gives the error message stated at the beginning.

WHICH EXECUTABLES TO USE?
I wouldn't expect anybody to download any executables that I would upload, but hopefully the following are well respected examples with links to their author's web sites for downloading:

AAA - I have used KeePass-1.26-Setup.exe, available from SourceForge via the link on Downloads - KeePass

BBB - I have used xsubstsetup_2_3_22.exe, available as an installer from GTH Main - Downloads

(Both of these executables are installers, so they can be cancelled on the first screen, where they ask you to choose a language.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
I tried your scenario using Speccy64.exe from Piriform.

Created C:\Testdir
Did a subst Z: C:\Testdir
Ran Z:\speccy64 and it worked
Opened Windows Explorer, navigated to Z: and double clicked on speccy64.exe
It worked as expected.

Next I downloaded KeePass from SourceForge (the installer version). It started correctly from C:\Testdir\KeePass-1.27-Setup.exe and Z:\KeePass-1.27-Setup.exe both.

I am running Windows 8.1 Pro update 1 on a Lenove IdeaCenter 450, booted from a 250GB SSD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Rich

Thank you VERY much for trying this out.

I'm now totally confused, as I have downloaded speccy64.exe and I get the same error message (which you don't) when I try to execute it from the subst'd drive (but not from the "real" drive).

I thought that perhaps it might be down to the version of Windows (I didn't have Pro), but I bought a new laptop yesterday (Dell XPS 13) which came with 8.1 Pro, and even with a vanilla out-of-the-box installation I am still getting the error!

There's obviously SOMETHING different between your setup and mine (on all three of my 8.1 machines), but I am really struggling to think what it could be, especially given that the latest is exactly as it arrived.

The only thing I can possibly think of is that I am only logged on with a local account on all 3 PCs. Are you logged on locally, or with a Microsoft account?

Any other suggestions very welcome, as I am all out of ideas at this stage!
--
Philip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
Lets see:

I do use a local Administrator level account.
I have UAC completely disabled via a registry hack so I don't use any of the Metro/Modern stuff at all.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Snap!

I'm using a local (Admin) account, I have UAC switched off (although just through the interface, not via the registry) and I don't use any Metro, etc, apps.

I try to make Win 8.1 look as much like Win 7 as I can :)

Actually, the wording of the error on the Win 8.1 Pro machine is slighly different - it says "Windows cannot find 'X:\Speccy64.exe' Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again." whereas on my other laptop it had complained about not finding the path. Hmmm.
--
Philip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
If you want to try the registry hack:

Change the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Key: EnableLUA
Value data: 0
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Hi. I'm totally new to Windows 8, but I'm having the exact same problem:
I use lots of portable apps, and I use PowerPro to launch them, and I keep all of that in an encrypted TrueCrypt file container.
So I mount the TrueCrypt volume, and let's say I mount it on X:, then I run
subst B: X:\ (don't forget the \ or it won't work) ;)
And then I can configure tons of things (including PowerPro) just using absolute paths. (Come on! Nobody has a 5 1/4'' floppy anyway!). I also use other substs for similar reasons.
That's been working like that for me for ages in Windows 2000, XP, and 7. Now I'm getting the same problem than WinAte: some programs will launch without a problem from PowerPro, others will give the "The specified path does not exist. Check the path and try again." error.

I found what seems to be an important clue, and a workaround:
the subst command (just subst, with no params, to list the substituted drives) when issued from a normal CMD will show something different than from an admin command prompt. So now, I check it in both command prompts and make sure that both have all my substs, and then everything works.

I believe that that UAC thing is related. Can any of you point me to a good explanation of it (Something more technical than Wikipedia)?

--
Wences
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
Change the following registry key:
Magic! That seems to have done the job - I've tried it on all 3 of my PCs, and I can now run the executables on subst'd drives that I could not run before.

Rich - thank you very much for all your help, and for trying out my problem on your PC.

Like Wences above, I'd love to understand why some executables work while others don't, but at least I can now get on with configuring my new desktop.
--
Philip
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 10586
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8700
    CPU
    i7-4770 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    12Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hanns-G HG281D (dual)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    240Gb M-SATA SSD and 2Tb 7200rpm Hard Drive.
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech trackball
    Internet Speed
    78Mb/s (on a good day!)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
Has to be due to the security "improvements" in Windows 8 :)

I had a similar problem with Object Rexx, a programming language from IBM. Once I got to Windows 8, it would not run correctly until I completely disabled UAC with the registry hack.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
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