NT support long file names (LFNs) even under FAT. The File Allocation Tables are
essentially unchanged; linked lists of 8.3 entries are still the core of the FAT
file system. NT works around the 8.3 limitation by concatenating multiple 8.3 segments into a single long file
name. For each thirteen chars in LFN, NT uses a single directory entry with a
pointer to the next directory entry (for next 13 chars) if needed. When the LFN
is completed, NT generates a short 8.3 compliant file name for use as an MS-DOS
compatible “alias”. To diable LFNs support in NT:
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\
Name:
Win31FileSystem
Type: REG_WORD
Value: 1 Disable Long Filename Support
Value: 0 Enable Long Filename Support
This could cause
severe problems. Its probably one of those admin tweaks that one implements to
save a few processing cycles but spend days working on odd symptoms due to the
change. Not recommended.
