Good day to you, dear readers of my blog. Today we will relax a little, since there will be no lesson, although the article still concerns working in Windows. It’s just that there’s an old legend going around the Internet that because of Bill Gates’s offense, files cannot be given a specific name. So today I’ll tell you about how you can’t name a folder in Windows, no matter what version.
Since ancient times, there has been a legend circulating on the Internet that when Bill Gates was a schoolboy, he was bullied by some of his peers, who gave him the nickname CON and constantly insulted him with this nickname. Con is translated in our language as “Bespectacled, nerdy, nerdy, etc.” And this childhood resentment was so ingrained in the mind of old Bill that when windows came out, he made sure that no one could create a file or folder called CON.
Yes. In Windows, you cannot name a folder or other document named con. Try it yourself. Depending on the version of Windows, you will receive an error or simply the previous name will appear.
True, it’s unlikely that old Billy did all this manipulation in order to take revenge on the children’s offenders. So the legend remains a legend. True, to be honest, when I heard this story, I believed it myself and thought for a very long time that it was true. Have you heard this version yourself? I think many have heard enough. And what do you think, Why can this word not be used as a file and folder name?
In fact, all this catness has been going on since the days of MS-DOS and the early eighties. This name was reserved by the system itself for input and output devices, i.e. keyboards, mice, etc. The word CON itself means an abbreviation for the word Console, i.e. console. In Windows, this name was also reserved by the system, so no file or folder could have this name.
In addition to CON, you will not be able to create files and folders with the names PRN (Printer), COM1, COM2, AUX, NUL (Empty value), LPT1, LPT2, etc. All these names are reserved by our beloved Windows and are not available to the average user.
Workaround for this situation
You can, of course, go a little tricky and still create a file or folder with this name.
- Just use the Cyrillic letters S or O to spell this word. But this is a lie.
- You can create a folder with the name con and without changing it to Cyrillic. To do this, you need to enter the command line in any convenient way, for example, write cmd in the execute line and click OK. On the command line write the following - md\\?\C:\con. Instead of C:\, you can write another drive letter or folder path, for example D:\files\con.
The folder will be created, but you will still not be able to enter it and work with it. You won’t even be able to delete it and it will remain on your computer forever and every day its size will increase and devour your files... It took me somewhere. Of course I'm joking. You can remove it, but only again through the command line. This time you need to write the following in it: rd\\?\C:\con(Where C:\con is the folder path).
Well, don’t do any bullshit at all. You can create a Con folder to work in, but do you need it? Don't think. So you can play around for fun. Better think about protecting your files. Due to various factors that are not always in your control, you can lose all important information (viruses, incorrect operation, accidental deletion, hard drive failure, etc.). In order not to lose something very important, watch this video course. Everything is laid out on the shelves and even an absolute “zero” can figure it out.
Well, in general, the legend about CON is cool. I really liked it, everything is juxtaposed quite interestingly. It’s more interesting to live with such cool myths, so there’s no shame in not knowing the whole truth.
There are several theories about why you cannot create a folder called CON on a Windows system. Let's see what these hypotheses are. So:
Why can't I create a con folder?
The first theory is related to the life story of the main creator of Windows. Bill Gates was not loved by his peers at school, who constantly gave him different nicknames. One of these was the nickname Con. In children's environment, such a nickname had a negative connotation. Con is a nerd. Apparently, Bill Gates studied a lot, which is probably why he succeeded. This nickname caused psychological trauma to Gates, after which he firmly decided that his brainchild, that is, Windows, would not contain a folder called Con, since it greatly offended him. Many are very skeptical about this theory and call it untenable. It's just a story.
In fact, it is known for certain that Bill Gates was not particularly academically successful. There is evidence that he was even expelled. But Bill had a special passionate love for computers, where he completely found himself. Bill Gates became famous thanks to his mother. It was she who entered into a contract with IBM, under an agreement with which Bill Gates was supposed to write a program for the computers of this giant of the new technology market.
There is another theory that explains why the Con folder cannot be created from the point of view of the software specifics of the Windows operating system. The fact is that the Con folder contains the system itself, so you cannot create a similar folder, as confusion may occur, which will lead to damage to the operating system.
Another theory that also adheres to the technical characteristics of the computer. In the DOS file system, by default, the necessary folders are registered, which can only be in one copy. Thus, Con is the console folder, and, for example, PNR is the printer folder. All of these symbols are reserved words, so you cannot create a folder with them. Everything that is entered from the keyboard ends up in the file "copy con text.txt". Accordingly, if you create a folder called Con, a failure may occur, and the entire folder will be copied to this file. This should not happen as it will cause the system to crash. To avoid such conflicts, in fact, reserved words were invented.
Here is a list of names that cannot be created on the Windows operating system, in addition to the Con folder:
- CLOCK$
Another interesting fact is also known. The fact is that in Windows you cannot create a folder whose name will contain a period and some other punctuation marks. This was done, again, in order to protect the system from intra-system software conflicts.
You shouldn't believe all sorts of stories. Always check the information, even if it is not very significant to you.
Why when I try to create a folder or file named con, prn, aux or nul, Windows starts to swear? Why can't I create a con folder???
This is because these names are reserved names for some DOS devices (for example, prn is the name of a printer) and their use may lead the operating system down the wrong trail. And to ensure that these DOS devices can still use these names, these names are reserved. And accordingly, their use may lead to unwanted errors. This is precisely the interpretation behind the ban on creating the con folder and other folders. A simpler explanation that some individuals have come up with is: con(nerd)- the childhood nickname of Bill Geist, who still holds a grudge against this and forbade the use of these names - has no basis in itself.
How to create a folder named con?
But this is all theory. Do you think you can't create a con folder? So know that absolutely everything breaks. And these folders can also be created. To do this, we must deceive the computer by pretending that we are going to create such a folder on a remote computer on our network. And for these purposes, we use console commands such as md(creating a folder), rmdir(delete folder), copy(copying) and the notation accepted in the command line environment:
- \\ - means that this character will be followed by the name of the computer in which we want to run a command.
- ?\ - this designation is a short form of recording the name of the local computer.
And here are the actual commands that we need to create a folder named con:
Md\\?\c:\con
This command creates a folder named con in the root of the local drive C:/. This is achieved because the computer after the \\ signs is waiting for the name of a remote computer that is not covered by the policy of this operating system. As a result, the signs?\ convey the name of the local computer to the command interpreter. As a result, it turns out that the command goes to the local computer, where it is executed. The result is the destruction of the myth that you cannot create a con folder.
Rmdir\\?\c:\con
This command deletes a folder.
Mkdir\\?\c:\aux
The effect of this command is the same as the first command. mkdir and md are almost similar commands, the difference in them is not much greater. And which one, fortunately, I forgot. Therefore, you can use any command.
What actions can you perform with the con folder?
The truth is that this folder is as useful as a crystal sledgehammer. If you have created such a folder or file, you should know its features. What should not exist in the operating system as folders cannot be used as a folder. You will not be able to copy or add anything to it, or open or delete it in the usual way, or even fart in its direction. I'm afraid that even programs like this won't be able to help. This is such a block that seems to be pleasing to the eye, but which you cannot push out of place. So I will say the following. If they tell you that you cannot create a con folder, then they are somewhat right. After all, in essence, we just see an image of a folder, but we cannot make sure that it is really a folder. This means that one must be quite careful in asserting that such a folder can be created. Have fun!
And if you try to give it the name con, nothing will work, and it will remain with the previous name. Here the question immediately arises,?
The fact is that the name con is a Windows reserved word and represents the internal devices of the OS. It is not the only one; these words include:
Try assigning one of the words listed above to the folder. After pressing Enter, you will see a warning that the device name specified is incorrect.
As a result, the renamed directory will remain with the same name, but there are ways to help create a con folder in Windows.
Using the ALT key and the numeric keypad
The essence of the method is that an invisible symbol is added to the name con or another. He is mentioned in the article where . Here we will use an alternative symbol. To create the con folder, do the following:
1. Go to any directory and press CTRL + SHIFT + N, which will create a new folder.
2. Right-click on it and select the “rename” option or select it and press F2.
3. Enter name con, then hold down ALT and enter the number 255. Release ALT and press Enter.
Note: enter numbers from the keys located on the right, otherwise it will not work.
This way you can create a directory with the name of the reserved word.
Create a con folder via the Windows command line
Cmd has always been a powerful tool, but not everyone uses it. To use the method, follow these steps:
2. Type the following syntax in it and press Enter:
md \\.\local drive letter:\con
I will create this directory in the root of drive D, so this construction will take the form:
You can enter any path.
3. If you want to delete the created folder with the name of the reserved word, you will not be able to do this in the usual way. When you try to delete, you will see a warning that this item could not be found.
Here you need it, I entered the command:
You enter the command with your path, click Enter and check that the directory is missing. I think I answered completely Why can't I create a con folder in Windows? in the usual way, but there is an alternative discussed above. Why bother with these auxiliary words, you can simply choose a different folder name.
Strange question, isn't it? However, RuNet users ask it quite often because they don’t know the answer. And besides, why was there a ban on creating a folder called Con? Is there really something top-secret about this and only the people who worked on the Windows operating system know the answer? Not at all, everything is much simpler.
Bill Gates is one of the most famous software developers in the world. Why did he become so famous? Probably, the matter lies in his fortune - during his life he managed to earn more than fifty billion dollars. And yet, it was not only money that made him famous, we are also talking about the Microsoft company he created, which produces various programs for computers. The company became most famous thanks to the Windows operating system, which is used by the majority of owners and. And it is precisely in it that there are many strange and funny at first glance flaws, like the one that this article is devoted to.
But let's return to the main topic. There is a legend that says that once upon a time, when young Gates started going to school, he was different from other kids. So, he could not find a common language with many of them, and he was also an excellent student, as a result of which he was constantly given various nicknames. One of them was the word Con - it translates as “nerd”. It is clear that for Gates there was nothing good about this nickname and he disliked it and, as they say, even hated it. Subsequently, when he began to create the MS-DOS operating system, he remembered his nickname and decided to add the word to the exceptions, as a result of which the user would not be able to create a folder with that name. However, now, after many years, it has become clear that this version is nothing more than someone’s invention. How do we know this? Western sources indicate that the hero of our article actually did not study as well at school as is commonly believed. Moreover, they say that he was even expelled for poor academic performance, which, however, did not prevent him from becoming a billionaire.
But in fact, everything is much simpler. It turns out that even when designing MS-DOS, Bill specified folders in the file system that could be created only once and were used for the needs of the system itself. So, in addition to the CON folder, you cannot enter many other names, for example: PRN, NUL, AUX, LPT0, LPT1, COM1, COM2 and so on.
Interestingly, even after the creation of the Windows OS, programmers for some reason decided not to fix this strange “bug”, so today it can be found on all Windows operating systems, with the exception of the latest ones: Vista, 7 and 8.
Is it possible to cheat the system?
As it turns out, this can be done in several different ways.
- The simplest method is to enter the word CON, where one or two letters will be taken from the Russian layout. The method is “cheating”, but if you need to surprise your friends, you can safely use it.
- Now it's a little more complicated. You need to enter the following text on the command line: C:\>mkdir \\.\C:\CON and the folder will appear on drive C (you can set a different address yourself). However, the difficulty is that the folder cannot be moved or deleted. If you want to get rid of it, enter the following combination of letters in the line: C:\>rmdir\\.\C\CON.
- Finally, the last possible solution to the problem is to change your OS to 7 or 8. In this unusual way you can deceive the system.
At the end of the article, I would like to mention that in Windows OS you can find a lot of all kinds of secrets and “bugs”. However, you need to treat them extremely carefully, because if, say, parameters change, the system may simply stop functioning. We hope it doesn't come to this for you.
