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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

By Gregor ·
On Win2000 when I open a DOS box and type SET sometimes the directory assignments for variables like TEMP and TMP are sometimes in long filename format and sometimes short filename format. I can't seem to find a pattern to the display.

This creates a problem for installation of some older software. If long filenames are being used, the software can't find the temporary directory and fails. But if W2K comes back with short filenames, the installation proceeds normally.

Anyone have a clue about this behavior? If so, is there a way to control it so that I can get the software installed consistently?

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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

by cwilly66 In reply to W2K, long/short filename ...

In Win2K, the DOS set in (obviously) unreliable. I would HIGHLY recommend using the following method for setting Win2K env. var.:

Right click the "My Computer" icon, select "Properties". Once there, click the "Advanced" tab and click the "Environment Variables" button. Here is where you want to set Win2k env. var. I have not had any problems or unexpected results in using this method to set these variables.

Good Luck,
Chris

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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

by Gregor In reply to W2K, long/short filename ...

Thank you, Chris, for the answer. I am familiar with setting environment variables in NT and 2K.

The problem is that I'm not setting the variables. The problem is that my DOS apps when they install look for the temp directory. On Win2K with its very buried temp directory folders, if the temp directory environment variable is presented in long filename format, my installation will fail.

The situation I observed was that the installation failed some of the time on some machines, and would succeed other times, even on the same machines. The difference was the way that a DOS box would present the temp directory: long filename or short filename.

So in a nutshell, what I'm trying to discover is how to control the way that the DOS box presents this information, so I can get a 100% success for my installations.

gw

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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

by cwilly66 In reply to W2K, long/short filename ...

GW-

I'm gonna stick to my guns on this one. If you force the variable name and location within the NT/2K env.var., it may ease your pain. You (or your developers) could write a script to automate the change so you wouldn't have to do it manually. Does the Temp and Tmp location have to be "<drive>Winnt\Temp" and/or "<drive>Winnt\Tmp" or is it set deeper into the 'tree' than that? If deeper, maybe you can for the variable values (locations) to be higher up (not so deep) in the 'tree'.I've done some experiments on my 2K pc and found what you meant. When I forced the env. var. name and value, my problem went away.
Hope this helps.
Chris

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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

by Gregor In reply to W2K, long/short filename ...

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W2K, long/short filename & Temp variable

by Gregor In reply to W2K, long/short filename ...

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