ID Number: Q50563
4.00
MS-DOS
buglist4.00
Summary:
A problem occurs if the following conditions exist under MS-DOS
Packaged Product Version 4.00:
1. An environment variable contains "PATH" as the last four characters
in its name (e.g. DEVPATH). If there is more than one such
variable, this only applies to the first such variable in the
table.
2. The above variable is in the environment table before the PATH
environment variable.
3. The variable must not contain the directory which contains
FORMAT.COM in the same format as the PATH variable.
4. FORMAT.COM is not present in the current directory but is in a
directory specified in the PATH.
BACKUP issues the following message even when it is not necessary to
format a floppy disk during the backup process:
FORMAT.COM not found
BACKUP then terminates, even though FORMAT.COM is present in a
subdirectory included in the PATH variable.
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem with Microsoft MS-DOS
Version 4.00. We are researching this problem and will post new
information as it becomes available.
This problem did not exist with FORMAT.COM in MS-DOS Versions 3.20,
3.21, 3.22, 3.30, or 3.30a.
More Information:
For example, this error is issued if SET produces the following output
and FORMAT.COM is not in the C:\DRV directory:
COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM
PROMPT=$p$g
DEVPATH=C:\DRV
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\FOO;C:\BAR
The workaround to this problem is to put all of the AUTOEXEC.BAT SET
commands dealing with variables ending in "PATH" after the PATH
variable. This can also be accomplished by resetting the variable
manually with the following command:
set DEVPATH=C:\DRV
The following example also causes FORMAT to fail:
COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM
PROMPT=$p$g
DEVPATH=C:\DRV
FOOPATH=C:\DRV;C:\DOS
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\FOO;C:\BAR
FORMAT fails because the "DEVPATH" variable is encountered first and
FORMAT.COM is not located in the C:\DRV subdirectory or in the current
directory. The example listed below works because the first instance
of an offending variable "FOOPATH" is encountered. If FORMAT.COM is
located in C:\DOS, BACKUP finds the FORMAT.COM file correctly.
COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM
PROMPT=$p$g
FOOPATH=C:\DRV;C:\DOS
DEVPATH=C:\DRV
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\FOO;C:\BAR