Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!umix!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!plx!slvblc!dick
From: dick@slvblc.UUCP (Dick Flanagan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: WARNING  Microsoft C V5.1 Setup  WARNING
Summary: DON'T ACCEPT ANY DEFAULT DIRECTORY OF [.]
Keywords: stupid careless write-protect backup shucks darn
Message-ID: <1455@slvblc.UUCP>
Date: 27 Apr 88 02:44:09 GMT
Sender: uupc@slvblc.UUCP
Reply-To: slvblc!dick@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (Dick Flanagan)
Organization: SLV Systems Group, Ben Lomond, California
Lines: 37
Disclaimer: none

About 30 minutes ago I destroyed several critical program files, including
the almighty setup.exe file, itself, on the Microsoft C V5.1 installation
diskettes.

One of the installation directories you are prompted to enter, very
plainly declares that its default is to install in directory '[.]'  This
is for one of the protected vs. real mode directories.  Since I didn't
totally understand the significance of the files it was referring to,
I figured it would be safe to accept the default and figure out what
directory I really wanted the stuff in later.

Well, folks, when it says it defaults to '.' it's not kidding one little
bit!  It doesn't mean that it defaults to something reasonable like 'C:.'
It honest-to-God means that IT DEFAULTS TO INSTALLING OVER THE INSTALLATION
DISKETTES, THEMSELVES!  If you accept that default, it will copy disk-
after-disk of installation files destined for that directory onto them-
selves--neatly destroying them one-by-one in the process!

And if you are sufficiently careless and use the original distribution
diskettes to do the installation (like one very chagrined person I know),
you will have destroyed your only copy of those files.  *8-(

Even though I am 100% to blame for not following the cardinal rule of
write-protecting all original diskettes, I really do wish Microsoft
wouldn't offer a default that, if accepted, destroys the very files you
are trying to install.

Dick

P.S.  Now the fun really begins:  trying to convince Microsoft that
      I really need another set of installation diskettes.  *sigh*

--
Dick Flanagan, W6OLD                         GEnie: FLANAGAN
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucscc!slvblc!dick           Voice: +1 408 336 3481
Internet: slvblc!dick@ucscc.UCSC.EDU         LORAN: N037 04.7 W122 04.6
USPS: PO Box 155, Ben Lomond, CA 95005