Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!geoff
From: geoff@nluug.nl (G. Coupe EPD/74 O75/1435)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Using Win 3.0 on Shared-Use Machines
Summary: Kludge sortof works..
Keywords: Windows 3.0, File Properties
Message-ID: <1433@epd74hp.nluug.nl>
Date: 8 Jul 90 14:31:52 GMT
References: <1990Jul6.152405.929@athena.mit.edu> <7768@fy.sei.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: geoff@epd74hp.UUCP (Geoff Coupe)
Organization: Shell International, The Hague, Holland
Lines: 26

In article <7768@fy.sei.cmu.edu> bwb@sei.cmu.edu (Bruce Benson) writes:
>My solution:  I need word for windows to start in the subdirectory that
>contains this months letters (\wp\90-07).  Using properties I specify:
>\wp\90-07\winword.exe as the program to run. Since winword.exe is not
>found in that directory, the program manager complains that the file is
>invalid BUT allows me to select OK.  As winword.exe is on the path,
>winword.exe will still be found and started, but the starting directory
>will be \wp\90-07. 
>
>A kludge, but it does what I need.  Anyone have other approaches?  

The kludge is actually documented in the Windows manual (sorry, I can't give
page reference, the manual is 30 kilometers away in my office...).  However,
what the manual does not tell you is that there are gotchas:-

1) As Bruce points out, the program manager complains when you follow the 
   procedure, but if you persist, this does allow you to set up default
   directories when applications are started.
2) Your application's icon is replaced by the default Windows icon for a DOS
   file in the program manager window.  So now, on my system, both WinWord
   and Excel have the same nondescript icons, which rather removes the whole 
   raison d'etre of icons ...

You can't have your cake and eat it...

- Geoff Coupe