VBS can't find directory - 'Path Not Found'

Question

I have a script that obtains information about the current folders and subfolders within a specific directory. It works great, but I have stumbled across a strange issue:

dim FSO, objFolder, datafolder, foldername, objSubfolder, totalSize
dim objSubfolder2, objFolder2, mSize, size, today, dateLastMod

foldername = "D:\folder\subfolder"
set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
set objFolder = FSO.GetFolder(foldername) 
set colSubfolders = objFolder.Subfolders
today = Now
ShowFolderDetails objFolder

Function ShowFolderDetails(oF)

    datafolder = oF.Size/1073741824
    wscript.echo oF.Name & " :Size= " & datafolder & " GB"
    wscript.echo oF.Name & " #Files= " & oF.Files.Count
    wscript.echo oF.Name & " #Folders= " & oF.Subfolders.count
    wscript.echo oF.Name & " Date Last Modified= " & oF.DateLastModified
    totalSize = totalSize + datafolder

end Function

And there is more to follow, but my issue is I get a path not found when I call that function.

The folder is not located on the C:\ drive - which shouldn't be an issue. I have done this same script but changed foldername = D:\folder\differentsubfolder which works perfectly. But when I change it back to the other folder, it gives me a path not found error.

I also tried putting everything below set FSO = CreatObject("Scripting.FileSytemObject") within an IF statement:

IF FSO.FolderExists(foldername) Then ....

This does enter in that IF statement, which makes me believe the VBS sees it, but I still get that error at line 17 (datafolder = oF.Size/1073741824).

I have tried putting in the full folder path where the variable foldername is located (surrounded in quotes).

I tried running my vbs pointed to other directories and it runs 100%. Its just that specific folder. There are no spaces in the folder name. Is there anything else I am missing? I have full admin access to the D:\

Solution 1

I bet it isn't a hidden file or folder that is the cause but a system file like eg Thumbs.db thas sits in many folders containing images, too see them edit your folder options to see systemfiles, remove the systemfile and try again. When you ask the size of a folder you need access to ALL folders and files beneath it. If you try your script on eg your profilefolder you certainly will get errors, administrator or owner of that folder or not.

In case it could help, here a script that gives the attributes from a file

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.GetFile("c:\ruby193.zip")
If objFile.Attributes AND 0 Then
    Wscript.Echo "No attributes set."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 1 Then
    Wscript.Echo "Read-only."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 2 Then
    Wscript.Echo "Hidden file."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 4 Then
    Wscript.Echo "System file."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 32 Then
    Wscript.Echo "Archive bit set."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 64 Then
    Wscript.Echo "Link or shortcut."
End If    
If objFile.Attributes AND 2048 Then
    Wscript.Echo "Compressed file."
End If

Solution 2

The .Size property of a folder is computed on the fly. So all branches and leaves in that sub tree are critical for the success of the operation. My C:\ contains a hidden system folder "System Volume Information" which I can get the .Name but not .Size of:

>> sFP = "System Volume Information"
>> If goFS.FolderExists(sFP) Then WScript.Echo goFS.GetFolder(sFP).Name
>>
System Volume Information
>> If goFS.FolderExists(sFP) Then WScript.Echo goFS.GetFolder(sFP).Size
>>
Error Number:       70
Error Description:  Permission denied

I admit that "Permission denied" is not "path not found", but it seems probable that the attributes or the permissions for some subfolder(s) are to blame.

UPDATE

For testing I asked my root to mess up a folder on my linux share that is mapped as e:\bin. root sees:

bin
[-rwx------ eh         16]  bin/dragit-ssh.sh
[lrwxrwxrwx eh         33]  bin/komodo -> /home/eh/Komodo-Edit-6/bin/komodo
[drwxr-xr-x eh       4.0K]  bin/pics
[-rwxr--r-- eh       6.0K]  bin/pics/Thumbs.db
[-rwxr--r-- eh        20K]  bin/pics/jsa.JPG
[-rwx------ root      10K]  bin/pics/x
[-rwxr-xr-x eh         45]  bin/rhinos.sh
[drwx------ root     4.0K]  bin/rootsown
[-rwxr-xr-x root      10K]  bin/rootsown/x
[-rwx------ eh        523]  bin/showpath.sh
[-rwxr--r-- eh        325]  bin/sp6p.sh

2 directories, 9 files

14392   /home/eh/bin/rootsown
40595   /home/eh/bin/pics
60025   /home/eh/bin

On linux, I'm allowed to see:

bin
[-rwx------ eh         16]  bin/dragit-ssh.sh
[lrwxrwxrwx eh         33]  bin/komodo -> /home/eh/Komodo-Edit-6/bin/komodo
[drwxr-xr-x eh       4.0K]  bin/pics
[-rwxr--r-- eh       6.0K]  bin/pics/Thumbs.db
[-rwxr--r-- eh        20K]  bin/pics/jsa.JPG
[-rwx------ root      10K]  bin/pics/x
[-rwxr-xr-x eh         45]  bin/rhinos.sh
[drwx------ root     4.0K]  bin/rootsown [error opening dir]
[-rwx------ eh        523]  bin/showpath.sh
[-rwxr--r-- eh        325]  bin/sp6p.sh

2 directories, 8 files

4096    bin/rootsown
40595   bin/pics
49729   bin

Two important facts: I'm not allowed to 'look into' the rootsown directory, so I can't see or size bin/rootsown/x; but the size of bin/pics/x is no secret, although I'm forbidden to read, change, or execute it.

VBScript:

>> sf = "e:\bin\pics"
>> WScript.Echo goFS.GetFolder(sf).Size
>>
36499

You can get the .Size of folder containing nasty files.

>> sf = "e:\bin"
>> WScript.Echo goFS.GetFolder(sf).Size
>>
Error Number:       70
Error Description:  Permission denied

You can't get the .Size of a folder containing a nasty sub (sub...) folder.

>> sf = "e:\bin\pics\rootsown"
>> WScript.Echo goFS.GetFolder(sf).Size
>>
Error Number:       76
Error Description:  Path not found

You get a "Path not found" error, when you ask for the .Size of a nasty folder

Based on this, I am willing to pick up peter's bet. If you can show that by changing the attributes or permissions of a file you can make the parent folder's .Size succeed resp. fail, I'll pay Euro 10,- to the next homeless person I meet.

The humble dir:

To obtain the size of a folder, I would first try

dir /s e:\bin
Volume in drive E is eh
Volume Serial Number is 0ED6-233C

Directory of e:\bin

4.06.2012  18:42    <DIR>          .
4.06.2012  08:04    <DIR>          ..
2.01.2012  12:21                45 rhinos.sh
3.06.2012  22:55    <DIR>          rootsown
3.10.2011  16:42               325 sp6p.sh
4.06.2012  19:46    <DIR>          pics
1.07.2010  23:34               523 showpath.sh
8.10.2010  16:57               582 komodo
4.05.2010  12:53                16 dragit-ssh.sh
              5 File(s)          1.491 bytes

Directory of e:\bin\pics

4.06.2012  19:46    <DIR>          .
4.06.2012  18:42    <DIR>          ..
5.08.2011  10:22            10.296 x
0.07.2008  03:44             6.144 Thumbs.db
9.06.2012  23:29            20.059 jsa.JPG
              3 File(s)         36.499 bytes

    Total Files Listed:
              8 File(s)         37.990 bytes
              6 Dir(s)  29.060.050.944 bytes free

It seems that dir knows what I'm allowed to know and that it isn't unduly disturbed by nasty folders.

A script that uses dir:

Option Explicit

Dim reX  : Set reX  = New RegExp
reX.Pattern = "Directory\s+of\s+(.+?)\r[\s\S]+?Total[\s\S]+?([.\d]+\sbytes)"
Dim oMTS : Set oMTS = reX.Execute(WScript.StdIn.ReadAll())
If 1 = oMTS.Count Then
   WScript.Echo "Size of", oMTS(0).SubMatches(0), "=>", oMTS(0).SubMatches(1)
Else
   WScript.Echo "Bingo!"
End If

sample use:

dir /s e:\bin | cscript folsiz2.vbs
Size of e:\bin => 37.990 bytes

The RegExp pattern searchs for

Directory\s+of\s+            The first "Directory of "
(.+?)                        capture the path of the folder, that is
                             the sequence of 'everything except \n' but non greedy, so
\r                           the first \r will not be included in the capture
[\s\S]+?                     non greedy sequence of 'really everything (space or non-space)'
Total                        until "Total" is found
[\s\S]+?                     advance but stop for the first
([.\d]+\sbytes)              sequence of . or digits followed by " bytes", capture
                             that because that is the first sum after Total

Comments

[Zero]

This definitely helped my debugging +1 as .Size is my issue across the board. I changed my folders options to see hidden files, found one thing - safely removed it (as it didn't hold importance to the directory), tried it again and no luck. Still Debugging

[Zero]

Can I have .Size ignore hidden files?

[Zero]

Hmm. I know this is terrible practice but I surpressed those errors with a ON ERROR RESUME NEXT. After carefully analyzing my folders and the information returned - my script works - but I noticed a minimal difference between size and size on disk ( I am looking for folders with data in the GB + change (MB) so anything smaller than a few MB I don't care about).

[peter]

so, what was the reason of the message path not found ?

[Ekkehard.Horner]

@Foxtrot - yes, dir does that automagically. My update contains a script that makes use of dir to get the size of a nasty folder.

[Ekkehard.Horner]

@peter Value 16 means "Folder", not "File"

[peter]

@Ekkehard.Horner, ok i admit i should have said system file or folder

[peter]

@Ekkehard: a dir gives different values then explorer, on my profile account it gives 25049 files, 28.864.241.492 bytes while in explorer 25.378 files 28.971933.696 bytes so to have a precise size it's not usuable, but since Foxtrot doesn't need the precise size it doesn't matter. If he is willing to shell out that is in vbscript always the fastest option, he could also use WMI do do the job, but that would be the slowest option unless he walked all folders and files and did the math himself