Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!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: Re: 4dos misfeature? Message-ID: <1991Mar7.045221.15064@en.ecn.purdue.edu> Date: 7 Mar 91 04:52:21 GMT References: <1991Mar6.192824.9889@en.ecn.purdue.edu> Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network Lines: 40 In article halcyon!ralphs@seattleu.edu (Ralph Sims) writes: >stevew@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Steven L Wootton) writes: >> 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. > >It probably moved the file to a directory called mstibm.exe which was a >sub-directory off the one you were logged in. No, actually it left both directory entries. After the failed MOVE, both had the binary image of mssibm.exe. All it forgot to do was delete the target file (mstibm.exe). And, of course, it nuked all of my directories. >> programs would still run, I crossed my fingers and hit the panic button. >> On reboot, all was perfectly normal. > >Scrambled cache? No, no cache program in use. XMS driver, RAMDRIVE.SYS (MS-DOS 3.30), 4dos, portions of the f-prot package, and a screen blanker, only. >> I haven't been eager enough to attempt this experiment again, at least not >> until I finish another full backup. Be wary, I suppose. > >Nope, use the move command for what is was intended, not as a replacement >for rename. > >4DOS's HELP function works real nice. Have you used it recently? Under MOVE, it says that if the target file (last one in the list) exists, then it will be deleted by the MOVE. That is what I expected to happen. It didn't work as advertised. Steve Wootton stevew@ecn.purdue.edu stevew@pur-ee.uucp stevew%ecn.purdue.edu@purccvm.bitnet