{"id":151542,"date":"2021-01-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/windows-10-still-wont-let-you-use-these-file-names-reserved-in-1974\/"},"modified":"2021-01-10T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T08:00:00","slug":"windows-10-still-wont-let-you-use-these-file-names-reserved-in-1974","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/windows-10-still-wont-let-you-use-these-file-names-reserved-in-1974\/","title":{"rendered":"#Windows 10 Still Won\u2019t Let You Use These File Names Reserved in 1974"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f682df3419\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f682df3419\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/windows-10-still-wont-let-you-use-these-file-names-reserved-in-1974\/#File_Names_You_Cant_Use\" >File Names You Can\u2019t Use<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/windows-10-still-wont-let-you-use-these-file-names-reserved-in-1974\/#What_Happened_in_1974_and_Why_Should_We_Care\" >What Happened in 1974, and Why Should We Care?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Windows 10 Still Won\u2019t Let You Use These File Names Reserved in 1974&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-394257\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ximg_5be1e992dc1a7.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.LpTpeEJK0l.png\" alt=\"\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Windows \u201creserves\u201d certain file names and doesn\u2019t let you use them anywhere. Forget calling a file \u201ccon.txt\u201d or \u201caux.mp3\u201d. This is all because of a choice made in 1974 and Microsoft\u2019s thirst for eternal backward compatibility.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"File_Names_You_Cant_Use\"><\/span>File Names You Can\u2019t Use<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-394256\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/img_5be1e9313727b.png\" alt=\"\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Microsoft provides an official list of reserved file names, and here they are:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Note that you can\u2019t use these file names with any file extension. So you can\u2019t name a file \u201ccon.txt\u201d, \u201ccon.jpg\u201d, \u201cor \u201ccon.doc\u201d. And Windows isn\u2019t case sensitive, so it doesn\u2019t matter whether it\u2019s CON, con, or CoN\u2014Windows won\u2019t let you use that name.<\/p>\n<p>You can try it yourself. Try saving a file as \u201ccon.txt\u201d or \u201clpt6.txt\u201d in Notepad. Or try renaming any file to one of these names in File Explorer. Windows just won\u2019t let you do it.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Windows also restricts file names in other ways. You can\u2019t use various special characters like the following in names, either.\u00a0Consult Microsoft\u2019s official\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/desktop\/fileio\/naming-a-file\">documentation<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Happened_in_1974_and_Why_Should_We_Care\"><\/span>What Happened in 1974, and Why Should We Care?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It is 2018 and this error message is a mistake from 1974.<br \/>This limitation, which is still found in the very latest Windows 10, dates back to BEFORE STAR WARS. This bug is as old as Watergate. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pPbkZiE57t\">pic.twitter.com\/pPbkZiE57t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 foone (@Foone) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Foone\/status\/1058676834940776450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 3, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Foone\/status\/1058676834940776450\">@Foone<\/a> recently explained on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, this issue dates back to 1974. In UNIX, \u201ceverything is a file.\u201d (The same is true in UNIX-like\u00a0operating systems like Linux today.) Hardware devices were represented at special paths like \/dev\/lp0 for the first printer and \/dev\/tty for the console.<\/p>\n<p>In 1974, this same concept was added to the CP\/M operating system. Unfortunately, CP\/M was designed for computers with very little memory and no hard drives. It used multiple disks and no directories, so those special files representing devices effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared everywhere, on every disk.<\/p>\n<p>So, when you were saving a text file, you could tell your text editor to \u201csave\u201d it to the printer device, which would print it. But text editors and other programs like adding file extensions like \u201c.txt\u201d, so CP\/M just ignored the file extension for these device files. In other words, if a text editor tries saving a file to the name of the printer device followed by \u201c.txt\u201d, CP\/M just assumed it was referring to the printer device and ignored the file extension. Now the feature worked properly in every application\u2014great!<\/p>\n<p>Sure, it\u2019s a dirty hack, but who cares? Well, CP\/M caught on. Eventually, PC-DOS came along, and it kept that useful CP\/M feature. PC-DOS 2.0 added directories back in 1983, but Microsoft chose to have these device files appear in all directories for compatibility with existing DOS software rather than place them in a special device folder.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Windows 95 came along, and it was built on top of DOS. Windows NT wasn\u2019t based on top of DOS, but it did want to be backward compatible with Windows 95 applications. Windows 10 is still based on Windows NT, and it works the same way. The same applies on Windows 7, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s over forty years later and we still can\u2019t name files \u201ccon.txt\u201d or \u201caux.mp3\u201d because Windows wants to stay compatible with ancient programs that might be using this feature. It\u2019s a good example of how intensely Microsoft is committed to backwards compatibility.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"admonishment_update\"><p><strong>Update:<\/strong> We\u2019ve been told that CP\/M originally required a trailing colon\u2014in other words, rather than \u201cCON\u201d, you had to type \u201cCON:\u201d. Apparently, the problem may have really started in 1981 with the release of MS-DOS and PC-DOS, which removed the colon requirement. In DOS, you could use \u201cCON\u201d instead of \u201cCON:\u201d. So perhaps DOS is more to blame for this than CP\/M is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Forget calling a file \u201ccon.txt\u201d or \u201caux.mp3\u201d. This is all because of a choice made in 1974 and Microsoft\u2019s thirst for eternal backward compatibility. File Names You Can\u2019t Use Microsoft&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/thumbcache\/2\/200\/e6a1944b19bbb2793eaecf11b5d8676a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/img_5be1e992dc1a7.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}