Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!en.ecn.purdue.edu!stevew
From: stevew@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Steven L Wootton)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: 4dos misfeature?
Message-ID: <1991Mar6.192824.9889@en.ecn.purdue.edu>
Date: 6 Mar 91 19:28:24 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Lines: 29


This could be a bug in 4dos 3.02a, or I could be extraordinarily unlucky,
or I could just be stupid :-)

I had two files in one directory, mstibm.exe and mssibm.exe.  These were
two versions of MS-Kermit.  I decided that I did not want mstibm (the old
version), and that I would replace it with the newer version.

Being the unix user that I am, I executed:

  move mssibm.exe mstibm.exe

which I thought would over-write the old mstibm with a new mstibm.  Didn't
work out that way.  The directory listing was lost entirely to 4dos, such
that every directory on my disk became c:\misc\*(&^%&%# with no files.

I found that even though I couldn't see the files, they would still work
(given an explicit pathname).  I tried to use Norton's QU to bring back
mssibm.exe, but it complained about a shared data space error.  Since my
programs would still run, I crossed my fingers and hit the panic button.
On reboot, all was perfectly normal.

I haven't been eager enough to attempt this experiment again, at least not
until I finish another full backup.  Be wary, I suppose.

Steve Wootton
stevew@ecn.purdue.edu
stevew@pur-ee.uucp
stevew%ecn.purdue.edu@purccvm.bitnet