XYplorer no longer opening PDFs with overlong paths

[MoJoeUSA]

I'm running Windows 10, and I bought a lifetime license last month because I needed a Windows Explorer alternative that could work with overlong file paths, and so far this software has been amazing. For the past month, it's been working great, until today. Now for some reason it fails to open the file and just displays an error window saying "The parameter is incorrect". I've tested and verified that PDFs with paths shorter than the 259 limit open just file from XYplorer. I've tried restarter both XYplorer and my computer, but the problem persists.

- I have the Window registry key added to enable long paths.
- I have overlong support enabled in XYplorer settings.
- Surprisingly, Windows Explorer was able to navigate to this file and open it with no issue.

I've search the forums for an answer, but I haven't found my exact situation duplicated anywhere.

Any ideas? Or is this a bug I've found?

Thanks,
Joe

[admin]

You seem to use Adobe to open PDFs. Are you sure it supports overlong paths? Try to open the file from Adobe.

[MoJoeUSA]

Adobe Reader successfully opens the file when I open it from there, which doesn't surprise me since Windows Explorer also successfully opened the PDF using Acrobat Reader.

XYplorer not opening the file is very recent new behavior unfortunately.

[admin]

Strange. Since you neither changed the XYplorer version, nor its configuration, I don't know where to look.

Just for fun, try a virgin instance: paste fresh; into the XYplorer address bar and hit ENTER. Can you open those PDF from this instance?

[MoJoeUSA]

I tried making a fresh instance like you suggested, but no luck.

Fresh XYplorer Instance.png (522.71 KiB) Viewed 212 times

But I do remember one thing that I wonder if it's relevant. Doesn't seem like it should be, but maybe it is. Here's the story:

The main reason I wanted a Windows Explorer alternative is because I downloaded a factory service manual for my car and organized it into a folder tree structure that more or less emulates a table of contents. That's when I crashed into WE's inability to deal with file paths that get too long. So looking at alternatives, I tried out your evaluation version, really liked its handling of long file paths, it's ability to tag folders and files, and its standalone portability. So I bought a lifetime license. That portability may(?) be coming into play with my issue.

First, I did a normal install of XYplorer to my system, installed to one of the C:\Program Files location, and I have it parked alongside WE so that, over time, I can maybe transition to using it as a complete WE replacement.

XYplorer for OS.png (152.93 KiB) Viewed 212 times

I also installed a second copy to my system as a standalone executable to be kept with my vehicle FSM data, with the database tags change from "absolute paths" to "relative to executable" so that I could keep a backup of my FSM on a USB drive and use it on a different machine, and still be able to navigate it's long paths and keep the colored folder tags, etc.

XYplorer for my Car's FSM.png (68.85 KiB) Viewed 212 times

I also remember that the install for my system recently updated after I changed the setting that made it automatically check for updates, so now it's version 25.70. The portable install attached to my FSM directory has not been updated, and is still 25.50.

XYplorer Different Versions.png (501.88 KiB) Viewed 212 times

Could it be the issue somehow?

EDIT: I just updated my portable install to 25.70.0100, and the issue is still there.

XYplorer Version 25.70.0100.png (136.31 KiB) Viewed 212 times

[admin]

Are you saying that 25.50 still opens PDFs with overlong paths? I don't think so, because one of your first screenshots shows 25.50 with the error message.

By the way, this error message is not owned by XYplorer. It might be from Windows or from Adobe.

[MoJoeUSA]

No, I'm just unable to open any overlong-path file with any of my XYplorer installs. I just tried copying a TXT file to the overlong folder location, and I got the same error message when I tried opening it from XYplorer (right half of screenshot). But the same file still opens just fine from WE (left half), but you can see the weird shortening of names in the WE view of the file.

TXT File doesn't open with XYplorer.png (304.54 KiB) Viewed 205 times

[admin]

Could it be related to the logical drive on which XY is installed or the files you are opening?

[MoJoeUSA]

While my hope is to be able to eventually store my car's FSM and its "attached" XYplorer portable install on a USB drive, and be able to use it all in a portable fashion, at the moment my FSM and the attached portable XYplorer install live in my Documents folder under my username on C drive. So I think we can rule out any external drive stuff being the cause of this weirdness.

[admin]

Does it make a difference whether you open by Enter, double-click, or right-click menu?

[MoJoeUSA]

I tried all three of those methods, and it made no difference unfortunately.

[admin]

Out of ideas.

Try v25.70.0111 anyway, I made a small change there.

[MoJoeUSA]

For what it's worth, I did some more poking and prodding at the issue. It seems to be a fuzzy function of both the length of the directories-only part of the path and the depth of the path (# of directories), and a possible interaction between those two parameters. WE runs into the issue as well, but apparently not under the exact same circumstances?? It's weird, and it's hard to tell if it's an XY issue or an underlying Windows issue.

[admin]

I once read that even with a maximum path length of 32,767 characters, there are still restrictions on the length of path components (the parts between two \ slashes). They cannot be longer than 256 or so. Strangely, I cannot find any information about this now. (Didn't try too hard.)

[MoJoeUSA]

Yeah my individual directory names may be descriptive, but nowhere near as long as that