XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-xp, alt.windows7.general, alt.msdos.batch.nt   
   From: gazelle@shell.xmission.com   
      
   In article <10m56t4$bu2j$1@dont-email.me>, R.Wieser  wrote:   
   >Mr. Man-wai Chang,   
   >   
   >>>> How about a screenshot??   
   >>>   
   >>> Of what ?   
   >...   
   >> A screen-shot of the Command Prompt window that showed what you   
   >>> just said might help.   
   >   
   >What about you typing it in your puters console and see for yourself ?   
   >Just type "echo %=C:%" and see what the result is.   No screenshot needed.   
      
   First, to answer the thread question: My understanding is that this *is*   
   how processes in DOS/Windows keep track of the current directory for each   
   drive.  Note that the idea of multiple "current directories" - i.e., the   
   concept of each drive having its own current directory - is kind of unique   
   to DOS/Windows.  Unix doesn't have it and, in fact, neither does the real   
   underlying (NT) OS in modern Windows.  It is something that is emulated in   
   userland software so that modern Windows works similarly to original DOS.   
      
   So, the point is that there are "hidden" environment variables for each   
   drive that has a current directory other than \.  For example, on the   
   machine I just tested this on, every drive other than C: had its current   
   directory at the root, so the only env var I could find was the   
   "=C:\foo\bar\whatever".   
      
   That said, I am genuinely (non-rhetorically) curious as to how you   
   discovered this in the first place, given that these variables are not   
   displayed by the DOS "set" command.  You'd have needed to use some other   
   tool to scan the environment table.  For that reason, a screenshot would   
   actually have been useful.  Or, you could just tell us how you found it...   
      
   Two other notes:   
      
       1) I first became aware of this from a post made (a long time ago) in   
       the tech support forum of some other Windows product, by the devs of   
       that product, who are people who know what they are talking about.   
       That other product (tool) does, indeed, have the ability to access   
       these variables.   
      
       2) (Speaking of screenshots) Given that this is Usenet, and Usenet is   
       (supposed to be) a text-only medium, how would one go about posting a   
       screenshot, should one desire to do so?  Is there any established   
       protocol?   
      
   --   
   Indeed, most .NET developers couldn't pass CS101 at a third-rate   
   community college.   
   		- F. Russell -   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)