In the 80's I wrote extensions to WHAT.EXE a simple DOS batch extender that would get stuff and put it in the environment and exit code. It helped make DOS batch a little more bearable without learning a new batch language. I had to rewrite it to handle newer DOS versions (old methods of finding the master environment and updating using MASM didn't work anymore) and added several commands. Many no longer work as of Windows ME. Most of these functions are incorporated now into the CMD command processor's extended shell commands. I tested WHAT.EXE in the WinXP CMD processor and it can't properly update the master environment table. But you can run COMMAND.COM and there it works. WHAT V1.51- Batch file enhancer Command Purpose Argument Environ Exit Extended --------- ------- -------- ------- ---- ------ C[E] ["prompt"] [chars] Get Allowable Character Character Echo character characters G[E] ["prompt"] [chars] Get Allowable Character Character Echo character characters (G option gives up after a while and returns TO for TIMEOUT.) S[E] ["prompt"] Get string None String Length Echo D[E] Check DOS None Major (Major*10) Minor version +Minor version E[E] Get environ None Bytes Bytes/10 10 bytes bytes left bytes in exit F[E] filespec Get file Filespec Kilobytes Ks/10Ks 10Ks in size (255=directory) exit Command Purpose Argument Environ Exit Extended --------- ------- -------- ------- ---- ------ K[E] [driveletter] Get disk Drive Kilobytes Ks/10Ks 10Ks in space exit M[E] Check None Kilobytes Ks/10Ks 10Ks in memory exit P[E] Check for n =1-4, Status 1=yes,0=no Verbal printer LPTn: message (is ready) Message V [number] Get/Set New mode Current or Current or None video mode last mode last mode 7 Check for None 1=yes,0=no 1=yes,0=no None coprocessor Command Purpose Argument Environ Exit Extended --------- ------- -------- ------- ---- ------ A Check for None 1=yes,0=no 1=yes,0=no None ANSI driver Y[E] Get current None Directory Level/Drive Drive directory T[E] Get Time None HH:MM Nothing 12 hour of day format X[E] Get Date None mm-dd-yy Nothing yy-mm-dd W[E] Get Day None Day Name 0-7 for Abbrev. of week Sun-Sat B[E] Get File Filename mm-dd-yy Nothing yy-mm-dd Date At 04:47 PM 2/3/2006 -0800, you wrote: [Alcohol] You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. --Frank Zappa --... ...-- -.. . -. ----. --.- --.- -... tpeters at nospam.mixcom.com (remove "nospam") N9QQB (amateur radio) "HEY YOU" (loud shouting) WEB ADDRESS http//www.mixweb.com/tpeters 43? 7' 17.2" N by 88? 6' 28.9" W, Elevation 815', Grid Square EN53wc WAN/LAN/Telcom Analyst, Tech Writer, MCP, CCNA, Registered Linux User 385531