By default, when Windows NT / Windows 2000 / Windows XP cannot find the target
file for a shortcut (.lnk), it searches all paths associated with the shortcut.
If the target file is located on an NTFS partition, the system then uses the
target’s file ID to find a path. If the resulting path is not correct, it
conducts a comprehensive search of the target drive in an attempt to find the
file. After this hack, the system does not conduct the final drive search. It
just displays a message explaining that the file is not found. This can speed up
things.
Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Key:
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Name: NoResolveSearch
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1 no search
Value: 0 search
Note: FAT partitions do not have ID
tracking and the search capability.