diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/cmis/ws/DMDiscoveryServicePort.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/cmis/ws/DMDiscoveryServicePort.java
index dc73a99903..9e2ef6de96 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/cmis/ws/DMDiscoveryServicePort.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/cmis/ws/DMDiscoveryServicePort.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISChangeLog;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISChangeType;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISDataTypeEnum;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISDictionaryModel;
+import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISObjectNotFoundException;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISQueryOptions;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISRelationshipDirectionEnum;
 import org.alfresco.cmis.CMISResultSet;
@@ -120,6 +121,24 @@ public class DMDiscoveryServicePort extends DMAbstractServicePort implements Dis
                 break;
             }
             
+            Object identifier;
+            NodeRef nodeRef;
+            try
+            {
+                nodeRef = row.getNodeRef();
+                identifier = cmisService.getReadableObject((String) nodeRef.toString(), Object.class);
+            }
+            catch (CMISObjectNotFoundException e)
+            {
+                // ALF-15001: Handle stale nodeRefs in the index
+                numItems--;
+                continue;
+            }
+            catch (CMISServiceException e)
+            {
+                throw ExceptionUtil.createCmisException(e);
+            }
+
             CmisPropertiesType properties = new CmisPropertiesType();
             Map<String, Serializable> values = row.getValues();
 
@@ -136,17 +155,6 @@ public class DMDiscoveryServicePort extends DMAbstractServicePort implements Dis
 
             CmisObjectType object = new CmisObjectType();
             object.setProperties(properties);
-            Object identifier;
-            NodeRef nodeRef;
-            try
-            {
-                nodeRef = row.getNodeRef();
-                identifier = cmisService.getReadableObject((String) nodeRef.toString(), Object.class);
-            }
-            catch (CMISServiceException e)
-            {
-                throw ExceptionUtil.createCmisException(e);
-            }
             if (includeAllowableActions)
             {
                 object.setAllowableActions(determineObjectAllowableActions(identifier));
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/GetMethod.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/GetMethod.java
index c756cdcb9b..609757e45e 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/GetMethod.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/GetMethod.java
@@ -176,12 +176,38 @@ public class GetMethod extends WebDAVMethod
         }
         
         FileInfo realNodeInfo = nodeInfo;
-        if (nodeInfo.isLink())
+
+        // ALF-12008: Due to Windows Explorer's URL concatenation behaviour, we must present links as shortcuts to the real URL, rather than direct hrefs
+        // This is at least consistent with the way the CIFS server handles links. See org.alfresco.filesys.repo.ContentDiskDriver.openFile().
+        if (realNodeInfo.isLink())
         {
-            realNodeInfo = getFileFolderService().getFileInfo(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef());
+            Path pathToNode = getNodeService().getPath(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef());
+            if (pathToNode.size() > 2)
+            {
+                pathToNode = pathToNode.subPath(2, pathToNode.size() -1);
+            }
+           
+            String rootURL = WebDAV.getURLForPath(m_request, pathToNode.toDisplayPath(getNodeService(), getPermissionService()), true);
+            if (rootURL.endsWith(WebDAVHelper.PathSeperator) == false)
+            {
+                rootURL = rootURL + WebDAVHelper.PathSeperator;
+            }
+           
+            String fname = (String) getNodeService().getProperty(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef(), ContentModel.PROP_NAME);
+            String webDavUrl = m_request.getServerName() + ":" + m_request.getServerPort() + rootURL + WebDAVHelper.encodeURL(fname, m_userAgent);
+            
+            StringBuilder urlStr = new StringBuilder();
+            urlStr.append("[InternetShortcut]\r\n");
+            urlStr.append("URL=file://");
+            urlStr.append(webDavUrl);
+            urlStr.append("\r\n");
+           
+            m_response.setHeader(WebDAV.HEADER_CONTENT_TYPE, "text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1");
+            m_response.setHeader(WebDAV.HEADER_CONTENT_LENGTH, String.valueOf(urlStr.length()));
+            m_response.getWriter().write(urlStr.toString());
         }
         // Check if the node is a folder
-        if (realNodeInfo.isFolder())
+        else if (realNodeInfo.isFolder())
         {
             // is content required
             if (!m_returnContent)
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/PropFindMethod.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/PropFindMethod.java
index b646798f46..921c987e76 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/PropFindMethod.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/PropFindMethod.java
@@ -390,24 +390,6 @@ public class PropFindMethod extends WebDAVMethod
         // Build the href string for the current node
         String strHRef = getURLForPath(m_request, path, isFolder);
 
-        if (nodeInfo.isLink())
-        {
-            Path pathToNode = getNodeService().getPath(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef());
-            if (pathToNode.size() > 2)
-            {
-                pathToNode = pathToNode.subPath(2, pathToNode.size() - 1);
-            }
-
-            String rootURL = getURLForPath(m_request, pathToNode.toDisplayPath(getNodeService(), getPermissionService()), true);
-            if (rootURL.endsWith(WebDAVHelper.PathSeperator) == false)
-            {
-                rootURL = rootURL + WebDAVHelper.PathSeperator;
-            }
-
-            String fname = (String) getNodeService().getProperty(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef(), ContentModel.PROP_NAME);
-            strHRef = rootURL + WebDAVHelper.encodeURL(fname, m_userAgent) + WebDAVHelper.PathSeperator;
-            isFolder = getFileFolderService().getFileInfo(nodeInfo.getLinkNodeRef()).isFolder();
-        }
         xml.startElement(WebDAV.DAV_NS, WebDAV.XML_HREF, WebDAV.XML_NS_HREF, getDAVHelper().getNullAttributes());
         xml.write(strHRef);
         xml.endElement(WebDAV.DAV_NS, WebDAV.XML_HREF, WebDAV.XML_NS_HREF);
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter.java
index cb7669f837..e37ccc3b8b 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter.java
@@ -172,6 +172,9 @@ public abstract class BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter extends BaseAuthenticationFilt
     protected void onValidateFailed(ServletContext sc, HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res, HttpSession session)
         throws IOException
     {
+        // Restart the login challenge process if validation fails
+        
+        restartLoginChallenge(sc, req, res);
     }
     
     /**
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/KerberosAuthenticationFilter.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/KerberosAuthenticationFilter.java
index 007fe5ccf0..748f29a4f2 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/KerberosAuthenticationFilter.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/KerberosAuthenticationFilter.java
@@ -39,18 +39,6 @@ public class KerberosAuthenticationFilter extends BaseKerberosAuthenticationFilt
     
     private static Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(KerberosAuthenticationFilter.class);    
 
-    /* (non-Javadoc)
-     * @see org.alfresco.repo.webdav.auth.BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter#onValidateFailed(javax.servlet.ServletContext, javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest, javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse, javax.servlet.http.HttpSession)
-     */
-    @Override
-    protected void onValidateFailed(ServletContext sc, HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res, HttpSession session)
-        throws IOException
-    {
-        // Restart the login challenge process if validation fails
-    	
-        restartLoginChallenge(sc, req, res);
-    }
-    
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.alfresco.repo.webdav.auth.BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter#getLogger()
 	 */
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/NTLMAuthenticationFilter.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/NTLMAuthenticationFilter.java
index 131659a181..78e89af3a3 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/NTLMAuthenticationFilter.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/webdav/auth/NTLMAuthenticationFilter.java
@@ -39,19 +39,6 @@ public class NTLMAuthenticationFilter extends BaseNTLMAuthenticationFilter
     // Debug logging
     private static Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(NTLMAuthenticationFilter.class);
 
-	
-    /* (non-Javadoc)
-     * @see org.alfresco.repo.webdav.auth.BaseSSOAuthenticationFilter#onValidateFailed(javax.servlet.ServletContext, javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest, javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse, javax.servlet.http.HttpSession)
-     */
-    @Override
-    protected void onValidateFailed(ServletContext sc, HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res, HttpSession session)
-        throws IOException
-    {
-        // Restart the login challenge process if validation fails
-    	
-        restartLoginChallenge(sc, req, res);
-    }
-    
     /* (non-Javadoc)
      * @see org.alfresco.repo.webdav.auth.BaseNTLMAuthenticationFilter#getLogger()
      */