Distributed File System Links May Not Be Visible When You Connect to the Distributed File System Root Share

When you view the Distributed File System (DFS) root in the Distributed File System snap-in, all the DFS links are listed. However, when you connect to the DFS root share, none of the DFS links may be visible. When you browse the DFS root folder on the server, the local file system placeholders that represent the DFS links may be missing.

This issue can occur if the 8.3 file name creation functionality is disabled in NTFS.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this issue, enable the 8.3 file name creation functionality on the server that hosts the DFS root:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation value under the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
3. On the Edit menu, click DWORD, type 0, and then click OK.
4. Quit Registry Editor.
5. Restart the server.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.