This is going to sound nuts: 2 simultaneous versions of one fileunder Vista.

Hi folks,

I discovered to my utter dismay (well, more or less)
that Vista is capable of maintaining 2 versions of the
same file. It happened when I discovered a bug in
GnuWin32's zlib's zconf.h file.

You can reproduce this for yourself (under Vista):

1. Install GnuWin32's zlib from here:
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages.html
2. Install the Windows version of Vim (the editor).
3. Install Cygwin along with Vim.
4. Use explorer to find the zconf.h file, and
make any edit to it using the Windows version
of Vim. It will be in at
c:\Program Files\GnuWin32\include.
5. Now start Cygwin i.e. BASH, go to the
same directory and edit that file. You will
discover that your previous edit was not made.
6. Now using explorer open the same file in
the Windows version of Vim. You will discover
the indeed your edit was made.

....because 2 version of the file exist at
the same time.

I'd guess it's some kind of anti-virus functionality
that was put into Vista so that a virus or
trojan can think it damaged an important file
i.e. something under Program Files, when
every other program sees the original.

Clever, but maddening if you need to fix
a GnuWin32 bug (attempted access to
nonexistent unistd.h).

table400@yahoo.com wrote in news:e494b246-026d-4358-8c20-9a8a27336d90
@a70g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

> Hi folks,
>
> I discovered to my utter dismay (well, more or less)
> that Vista is capable of maintaining 2 versions of the
> same file. It happened when I discovered a bug in
> GnuWin32's zlib's zconf.h file.
<snip>

> 4. Use explorer to find the zconf.h file, and
> make any edit to it using the Windows version
> of Vim. It will be in at
> c:\Program Files\GnuWin32\include.

There's your problem. The 'Program Files' directory is protected on
Vista. Any changes are done in a shadow directory. (I forget the exact
name, but if you open a command prompt and do a "dir /a/s \zconf.h"
you'll find it - if I remember right, it's under \Users\<yourname>
somewhere)

<snip>
> 6. Now using explorer open the same file in
> the Windows version of Vim. You will discover
> the indeed your edit was made.
Yup, Windows is magically showing _your_ version of that file. If you
logged in as another user, you would see the original. And since Cygwin
doesn't go thru the registry for the redirection, then it doesn't see the
altered file. (I believe if you open a cmd window, cd to the include
directory and use vim, you'd also see the missing changes)

First option is to install to some other directory then PF. Or, after
installing, change the permissions on GnuWin32 to allow all users RW
permission. (I forget exactly which permissions to change - I'm too lazy
right now to boot up my vista machine)

Dave Connet

This is going to sound nuts: 2 simultaneous versions of one fileunder Vista. - Editors

This is going to sound nuts: 2 simultaneous versions of one fileunder Vista.

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This is going to sound nuts: 2 simultaneous versions of one fileunder Vista.

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