PRB: Invalid Path or File Name Error on Novell Netware

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When you run Visual FoxPro on a Novell Netware shell, the SET DEFAULT or CD commands yield an "Invalid Path or File Name" error message.

CAUSE

The NET.CFG or SHELL.CFG Novell Netware configuration files, do not contain a SHOW DOTS statement. SHOW DOTS displays "." and ".." directory listings for network directories and is OFF by default. As these entries represent the current and previous directories, navigating along the directory structure can be difficult if they are not available.

RESOLUTION

Include the following statement in your SHELL.CFG or NET.CFG:

   SHOW DOTS=ON

STATUS

The error is not a bug in Visual FoxPro; it is the result of the Novell Netware architecture.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

With no SHOW DOTS command or with SHOW DOTS = OFF, type the following in the Command window:

   SET DEFA TO <valid drive letter>

   SET DEFA TO ..
   SET DEFA TO ..\<valid subdirectory>
   SET DEFA TO .\<valid subdirectory>
   SET DEFA TO \<valid subdirectory>

REFERENCES

For more information about the SHOW DOTS statement, refer to your Novell Netware documentation.

Netware is manufactured by Novell, Inc., a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

For more information about Novell and Windows, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q81486
   TITLE     : Novell SHELL.CFG and Windows