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Windows Quirks

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As I mentioned in my blog, if you open Notepad type the string ‘this app can break’, save it, and double click to reopen it, you get a set of boxes.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5254-6257-0.html?forumID=99&threadID=176853&messageID=2037897&id=2252949

Know of any other Windows quirks or bugs like that? Let’s see how many we can find.

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better check your system that does not

In reply to Windows Quirks

hapen on mine, I have Win XP 64 bit, my son’s Win XP Pro, or a Win 2K box we have.

I have found a problem in Word that once I get a file over 1.5 MB and is has been amended hundreds of time it does not always save the latest variation when closing down. And when you turn off all the ‘backup’ and ‘save’ options it stillc reates those odd little temp files filling up the bloody system.

desktop folder named con

In reply to Windows Quirks

Create a new folder on your windows desktop. Try calling it con.

You also can’t have prn.

In reply to desktop folder named con

I assume it’s because they were reserved in DOS days for printer and console redirection.

desktop folder named con

In reply to desktop folder named con

The same is true for any DOS device name (lpt1, com1, prn…)

Relics of MSDOS device names

In reply to desktop folder named con

Apparently windows won’t let you create a folder (or even a document) with any name that was a reserved device name from the MSDOS days. Con was the device name for the console, prn for the printer, aux for auxiliary device. And of course you can’t create items called com1, com2, etc. I’m sure there are others i’m forgeting about.

Kind od makes you weepy eyed for the old days doesn’t it? 🙂

You CAN create a “con” directory (and other reserved) from a command prompt

In reply to desktop folder named con

From a command prompt, if you use the \\?\ access method, you can create files or directories named con, prn, lpt1, com1, etc.

Good ol’ DOS. If you know how to use the command prompt, it often has a lot more power than the Windows GUI.

Other invalid names too.

In reply to desktop folder named con

In addition to “con” (short for DOS Console) you cannot name a folder “nul” (short for Null), nor can you name it “prn” (abbreviation for printer). I assume there are some other reserved DOS names, but I don’t remember them.
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I should have read the other posts first, most were there.

on my system it’s not boxes, it’s …

In reply to Windows Quirks

JAPANESE!!! Yes, I get Japanese characters in Notepad when I follow the directions given.

Does anyone else get something different than ‘boxes’??

Dave A.

I get slashes

In reply to on my system it’s not boxes, it’s …

I don’t get Japanese, but I get these |||||||

squares

In reply to I get slashes

my notepad returns little squares. The reference to folders labelled prn and con are not really relevant since this is a purposeful behaviour trait of windows to preserve backward compatibility.

???

In reply to I get slashes

I don’t get anything when I create a notepad item and open it as per instructions.

No boxes for me….

In reply to on my system it’s not boxes, it’s …

I do not get boxes I get Japanese characters too.

Japanese means something

In reply to No boxes for me….

This japanese characters actually mean something. if you type in wordpad “bush hid the facts” and save it, wordpad reply’s in japanese “this is true”. I don’t know any of the other reply’s, but i suggest you put the japanese in some transloter and go have a laugh 🙂

Hot air

In reply to Japanese means something

Instead, try ‘gore hot air blows’. The japanese translator gives ‘ksotare’. I’m the translator. Good attempt joy-boy. You might improve your English first before moving on to Japanese.

Windows jerks

In reply to on my system it’s not boxes, it’s …

Jajaja.. its unbelievable… I teach to my students.. and they are amazing…. here in Peru have XP Proffesional and windows 2000…

It’s not Japanese…not really!

In reply to on my system it’s not boxes, it’s …

Just tried it. I have the Japanese language pack installed on my machine…

It’s not Japanese – at least not intelligible Japanese! (yes, I’m one of those weird people who reads/writes Japanese).

Regardless, it’s an encoding bug (which is why I didn’t get boxes…those language packs)

Cool! I’ll pass this to my work mates! The .LOG one is pretty funny too!

Encoding bug

In reply to Windows Quirks

Try the same string but when saving, use Unicode as Encoding type. You won’t have the problem.
Once the the file is opened, save it changing the encoding to ANSI, and the problem is there again.

easter egg

In reply to Windows Quirks

I believe this is most an esater egg than a bug 😀

strange if Easter egg

In reply to easter egg

Try (without quotes)
“this app can break pan”
I can’t believe this was intentional as I made it up experimentaly. Some changes to the original work and other don’t. Is there a rule?

Just one more

In reply to easter egg

this pan can creak

桴獩愠灰挠湡戠敲歡

In reply to Windows Quirks

桴獩愠灰挠湡戠敲歡

This one is well known

In reply to Windows Quirks

Those of you who get squares in in notepad, do this. Select the squares and “cut” (Ctrl-X) and paste into Word. You will then see the Japanese text. Also paste it into Google to see a wealth of discussion.
As an earlier poster said, we have here a Unicode decoding error.

A different one: “.LOG”

In reply to Windows Quirks

I found this in another web site:

Open a blank document in Notepad, type “.LOG” (without the quotes) and save.

Then open the newly saved file (you don’t need to close Notepad). Enjoy.

You can also press F5, instead of saving and re-opening, for approximately the same effect.

More on Notepad quirk

In reply to Windows Quirks

Some more of the one-liners that show as boxes (or Japanese). They are not as easy to think up working ones as you might think.

this brake pad can creak
this brake pad can croak
this brake pad can break
thus you can break the brake
this creek can croak
this brake cap can break
this creek brake you can break
this creek brake can creak
this brake you can creak
this creek can croak
this brake pad can break the pan cap
thus you can cap the pan
this can pad can break the pan
thus you can break the pan
this pan can cap the creek
this brake pad can cap the creek
this app you can break
thus croak the app
this creek brake can break

[Author]

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