FreeCommander Forum

Salvete! I rename and move files all the time, and often look at them with the internal viewer, or I do "flat view" and "thumbnail" to see folders full of png files. Sometimes this causes the folder to be locked. In fact, FC *often* times will lock folders (which causes a flash drive to become not ejectable also), but it also causes this strange error.

The folder has become locked somehow. When I go to rename the folder (I like the popup window to rename things), I get this error message:
"Compare folders
Access is denied."

Now, I go and check with Unlocker.exe just what program is locking the directory that I cannot rename. The only program in the list is FreeCommanderXE. FCXE is locking the directory and preventing its own actions.

And I don't know why it gives me a "Compare folders" error on rename.

I can't comment on the main point of BGM's post because I have no experience with it. But I would like to say something on the sub-topic of "Compare folders" appearing in the error message. These are actually two separate issues, as is evident from the fact that the same phrase appears in other, unrelated, errors. And like BGM, I have been perplexed with it.

For example: rename or delete the target of an entry in a file container, then try to open it from the file container. The error says "Compare folders. The system cannot find the path specified." Now clearly the system had to compare the shortcut in the file container with the target location, so in that sense it is a "compare folders" operation in the background. But I was not performing a folder compare, which is a very different operation in FC. That is why the error message is perplexing.

A second example: I tried to rename a shortcut in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\...\ and got the error message "Compare folders. Access is denied."

I suggest that "Compare folders" be removed from these error messages unless it is actually a folder comparison initiated by the user. The remaining message may need to be reworded in some cases.

It's probably just a mistake in the language files.