Microsoft KB Archive/121144

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

Disabling 8.3 Filenames on NTFS
Last reviewed: October 3, 1994

Article ID: Q121144

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
 * Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SUMMARY
Disabling short name generation on an NTFS partition greatly increases directory enumeration performance, especially when individual directories contain many files/directories with non 8.3 filenames.

MORE INFORMATION
To disable short name generation use REGEDT32.

WARNING: Using the Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-

wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of the Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk. In the Registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem change the value of the key:

NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation:REG_DWORD:0 from 0 to 1.

Note: This value controls the short name generation across all NTFS partitions in the system.