Can't compress-Archive from UNC path

Question

I'm trying to make a script that will automaticly find the correct folder on a network drive. These are our users' homefolders.

I want to zip the specified folder and place it somewhere else.

I keep getting an error that access is denied on the network drive when the zipping proces start.

I tried running elevated powershell, but the same error occurs. Here is the script I made:

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName('Microsoft.VisualBasic') | Out-Null 
$username = [Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction]::InputBox("Enter Name ")

$source=Get-ChildItem -Path \\server\Home1, \\server\Home2, \\server\Home3 -Include $username | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName

$destination = "C:\testzippowershell\"+$username+".zip"

Compress-Archive -literalpath $source -DestinationPath $destination

These are the resulting errors:

Get-ChildItem : The specified network name is no longer available. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:663 char:20 + $dirContents = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $sourceDirPath -Recurse + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ReadError: (\server\Home3\user\Desktop:String) [Get-ChildItem], IOException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DirIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand Get-ChildItem : The specified network name is no longer available. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:663 char:20 + $dirContents = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $sourceDirPath -Recurse + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ReadError: (\server\Home3\user\Documents:String) [Get-ChildItem], IOException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DirIOError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand Remove-Item : Cannot find path 'C:\testzippowershell\user.zip' because it does not exist. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:233 char:21 + ... Remove-Item -LiteralPath $DestinationPath -Force -Recurse ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\testzippowershell\user.zip:String) [Remove-Item], ItemNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.RemoveItemCommand Exception calling "GetFiles" with "0" argument(s): "The specified network name is no longer available. " At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:677 char:13 + $files = $currentContent.GetFiles() + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : IOException

Does anyone know how to get the compress-archive working for a UNC path?

Thanks!

Edit:

This is the current result: (The single slash is actually double, but get lost when I edit to remove details from my company)

Get-ChildItem : Access to the path '\server\Home3\user\Desktop' is denied. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:663 char:20 + $dirContents = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $sourceDirPath -Recurse + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : PermissionDenied: (\server\Home3\user\Desktop:String) [Get-ChildItem], UnauthorizedAccessException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DirUnauthorizedAccessError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand Get-ChildItem : Access to the path '\server\Home3\user\Documents' is denied. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:663 char:20 + $dirContents = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $sourceDirPath -Recurse + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : PermissionDenied: (\server\Home3\user\Documents:String) [Get-ChildItem], UnauthorizedAccessException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DirUnauthorizedAccessError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand Remove-Item : Cannot find path 'C:\testzippowershell\user.zip' because it does not exist. At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:233 char:21 + ... Remove-Item -LiteralPath $DestinationPath -Force -Recurse ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\testzippowershell\user.zip:String) [Remove-Item], ItemNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.RemoveItemCommand
Exception calling "GetFiles" with "0" argument(s): "Access to the path '\server\Home3\user\Desktop' is denied." At C:\windows\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\Modules\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive\Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.psm1:677 char:13 + $files = $currentContent.GetFiles() + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnauthorizedAccessException

For me its working, I can compress files from a unc-path. what is the result of test-path -path $source`? — guiwhatsthat
Looks like you're missing a slash from the start of your UNC path as the error shows \server\Home3\user\Desktop, I'm not sure how this is happening though! maybe try putting single quotes around each path? — James C.
If I use -path instead of -literalpath I get these error: Get-ChildItem : Access to the path '\\server\Home3\user\Desktop' is denied. — Niels Frederickx
I can get it working with a commandline7ip: [System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName('Microsoft.VisualBasic') | Out-Null $username = [Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction]::InputBox("Enter Name ") $source=Get-ChildItem -Path \\server\Home1, \\server\Home2, \\server\Home3 -Include $username | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName $destination = "C:\testzippowershell\"+$username+".zip" cd $source C:\temp\7z1604-extra\7za.exe a -t7z $username+".zip" — Niels Frederickx
I tried the following to test the path, but it seems to be working PS H:\> # PowerShell Checks If a File Exists $WantFile = "\\server\Home3\user" $FileExists = Test-Path $WantFile If ($FileExists -eq $True) {Write-Host "Yippee"} Else {Write-Host "No file at this location"} Yippee — Niels Frederickx

Niels Frederickx Niels Frederickx · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-04T11:32:17

I was stupid.

The homedrive I was testing was my own.

I tried with a different and it was working without any issues.

Can't compress-Archive from UNC path

1 Answers