SUBJECT : MICROSOFT OVERLAYS AND THE PATH FYI # : 120490SS DATE : APR 12 1990 OS VERSION : ALL REVISION : SHELL VERSION : GENERAL INFORMATION : CODE GENERATED BY MICROSOFT'S OVERLAY LINKER (USING OVERLAYS) HAS TO BE EXECUTED FROM ITS OWN DIRECTORY. PROBLEM : MICROSOFT'S OVERLAY LINKER PRODUCES CODE THAT CANNOT READ THE OVERLAYS IF THE EXECUTABLE IS NOT IN THE CURRENT DIRECTORY, EVEN IF THE EXECUTABLE IS SOMEWHERE ON THE PATH. THE ROOT MODULE WILL LOAD, BUT ANY ATTEMPT TO LOAD AN OVERLAY FAILS (EVIDENCED BY A MESSAGE PROMPTING THE USER TO INSERT DISKETTES CONTAINING THE EXECUTABLE). SOLUTION : 1. USE PLINK86+ - I CREATED SEVERAL SEPARATE CLIPPER MODULES AND LINKED THEM (USING OVERLAYS) INTO A SINGLE EXECUTABLE, AND HAD NO PROBLEMS EXECUTING THE CODE AS LONG AS THE EXECUTABLE WAS SOMEWHERE IN THE PATH. 2. ALWAYS INVOKE THE EXECUTABLE FROM THE DIRECTORY WHERE IT RESIDES. COMMENTS (Optional) : MICROSOFT IS REPORTEDLY TELLING CUSTOMERS THAT IT IS NOVELL'S PROBLEM. IT IS TRUE THAT THE PROBLEM DOES NOT EXIST UNDER DOS, BUT AGAIN, CODE LINKED WITH PLINK86+ DOES NOT EXHIBIT THE PROBLEM. (XX) This information has been verified.