Citrix Storefront | Error While Exporting STorefron Configuration “object at the specified path does not exist”
Article ID: CTX695502
Updated On:
Description
Environment
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Cause
The Export-STFConfiguration cmdlet attempts to initialize diagnostic logging under the user profile path using the Windows 8.3 short-name format (e.g., C:\Users\USERNA~1). If 8.3 name creation is disabled or the user profile was never initialized, the short alias does not exist, causing the cmdlet to fail when it tries to create diagnostic logs. This issue typically arises when the 8.3 short-name alias for the user profile path is missing on the server.
Resolution
Follow these steps in an elevated PowerShell window:
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path 'C:\Temp\SFDiag' -Force | Out-Null
$env:TEMP = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag'
$env:TMP = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag'
# (optional, sometimes helps)
$env:LOCALAPPDATA = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag'
Export-STFConfiguration -TargetFolder 'C:\Temp' -ZipFileName 'StoreFrontConfig.zip' -NoEncryption
Step-by-step explanation:
1. New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path 'C:\Temp\SFDiag' -Force | Out-Null
+What it does: Creates a folder named SFDiag under C:\Temp.
+Why: The export process needs a writable diagnostics directory. This step ensures the path exists and is accessible even if the user’s profile folders (like AppData) are unavailable.
+The -Force flag ensures the command succeeds even if the folder already exists.
+The | Out-Null simply suppresses console output for a cleaner script.
2. $env:TEMP = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag'
+What it does: Temporarily redefines the system environment variable TEMP for the current PowerShell session.
+Why: The Export-STFConfiguration cmdlet writes diagnostic logs to %TEMP%.
+By overriding it, you redirect the output to a guaranteed-valid path (C:\Temp\SFDiag), bypassing the missing short-name issue under C:\Users\<username>.
3. $env:TMP = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag'
+What it does: Sets another temporary folder variable, TMP, to the same location.
+Why: Some PowerShell cmdlets and Citrix utilities refer to TMP instead of TEMP.
+Setting both ensures consistency across all subprocesses used by the export routine.
4. $env:LOCALAPPDATA = 'C:\Temp\SFDiag' (optional but recommended)
+What it does: Overrides the LOCALAPPDATA path (normally C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local).
+Why: Certain StoreFront components initialize diagnostics or configuration snapshots using %LOCALAPPDATA%.
+Redirecting it avoids dependency on the user profile directory, which may not exist or lack short-name support.
5. Export-STFConfiguration -TargetFolder 'C:\Temp' -ZipFileName 'StoreFrontConfig.zip' -NoEncryption
+What it does: Executes the configuration export, saving the resulting .zip file under C:\Temp.
+Why: With diagnostics redirected to a valid folder, the export completes successfully even when 8.3 short-name creation or user profile paths are unavailable.
+The -NoEncryption flag prevents password prompts and simplifies validation of the export.
1. A new file named StoreFrontConfig.zip appears under C:\Temp.
2. The export completes without the “object at the specified path does not exist” error.
Issue/Introduction
The Export-STFConfiguration cmdlet fails during the Citrix StoreFront backup with an error stating that an object at the path C:\Users<profile>.EAD does not exist. This missing file or directory causes the diagnostic configuration to fail.
Additional Information
+These environment variable changes are temporary and apply only to the current PowerShell session.
+They revert automatically once the window is closed.
+This approach is preferred when you cannot modify drive settings or re-enable 8.3 short-name creation due to organizational policy.
NOTE:
The 8.3 short name (also called DOS-compatible filename) is an old Windows file-system feature that creates a short alias for every file and folder name on NTFS volumes.
Format: up to 8 characters for the name, 3 characters for the extension — hence “8.3”.
Example:
Long path: C:\Users\Administrator
Short (8.3) alias: C:\Users\ADMINI~1
Purpose: It was originally used to ensure backward compatibility with older MS-DOS and 16-bit applications that couldn’t handle long file names or spaces.
How Citrix StoreFront uses it:
1. Some PowerShell cmdlets, such as Export-STFConfiguration, still call certain Windows APIs that rely on these short-name paths when initializing diagnostics or temporary files.
2. If the system has 8.3 name creation disabled, those short aliases don’t exist—so when StoreFront tries to access C:\Users\ADMINI~1\AppData\Local, it fails because that alias path isn’t available.
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/storefront/current-release/manage-deployment/export-import-storefront-config.html
