never mind, it's a windows problem -- same results by calling expand-file-name
on "~ftpsvc~.ckm".
btw the log:
open 
ftp.microsoft.com
Connected to 
ftp.microsoft.com.
220 cpmsftftpa03 Microsoft FTP Service (Version 5.0).
quote user "anonymous"
331 Anonymous access allowed, send identity (e-mail name) as password.
quote pass  Turtle Power!
230-This is 
FTP.MICROSOFT.COM. Please see the
230-dirmap.txt for more information.
230 Anonymous user logged in.
hash
Hash mark printing on (1024 bytes/hash mark).
quote pwd
257 "/" is current directory.
quote syst
215 Windows_NT version 5.0
quote cwd /
250 CWD command successful.
ls "-al" C:/DOCUME~1/BENWIN~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/efsaVAG6Q
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
#
226 Transfer complete.
quote site idle
500 'SITE idle': command not understood
quote cwd /KBHelp/
250 CWD command successful.
ls "-al" C:/DOCUME~1/BENWIN~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/efsaVAG6Q
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
#
226 Transfer complete.
"Michael Sperber [Mr. Preprocessor]" wrote:
 
 Thanks for the reports.  There's one part I cannot reproduce:
 
 >>>>> "Ben" == Ben Wing <ben(a)666.com> writes:
 
 Ben> third, efs has problems with 
ftp.microsoft.com:
 
 Ben> /ftp.microsoft.com:/
 
 Ben> use f to go to kbhelp, hit f on ~ftpsvc~.ckm, you get a buffer named "®   
PÔï".
 
 I don't.  I get
 
 (2) (error/warning) Error in process filter: (ftp-error Opening input file: FTP Error:
/anonymous@ftp.microsoft.com:/KBHelp/~ftpsvc~.ckm not arrived or readable)
 
 ... understandably so, as 
ftp.microsoft.com says this:
 
 ftp> get /KBHelp/~ftpsvc~.ckm /tmp/sperber/efsaKYqBq.ckm
 get /KBHelp/~ftpsvc~.ckm /tmp/sperber/efsaKYqBq.ckm
 200 PORT command successful.
 550 /KBHelp/~ftpsvc~.ckm: The system cannot find the file specified.
 
 (I also get a correctly named buffer.)
 
 Your ftp protocol is only about the other problem.  Could you repeat
 and send the one containing a trace of this problem?
 
 Meanwhile, I'll see about the other problems.
 
 --
 Cheers =8-} Mike
 Friede, Völkerverständigung und überhaupt blabla 
-- 
ben
I'm sometimes slow in getting around to reading my mail, so if you
want to reach me faster, call 520-661-6661.
See 
http://www.666.com/ben/chronic-pain/ for the hell I've been
through.