mkdir creates file instead of directory ...

Hello -

I have this strange intermittent problem where a mkdir command in a
batch file will create a file with the name of a directory instead of
the directory itself. This has happened for several people and I have
no clue what is causing it.

Here is the code ...

if not exist "C:\Program Files\X" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X"
if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error
if not exist "C:\Program Files\X\Y" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X\Y"
if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error

Could this be because I am creating two directories or is this a bug
with mkdir?

I/we have XP SP2.

Thanks,
Joe

"Joe HM" <unixverse@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4cc459f1-193c-4818-8bb5-c092ed7dbd5c@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> Hello -
>
> I have this strange intermittent problem where a mkdir command in a
> batch file will create a file with the name of a directory instead of
> the directory itself. This has happened for several people and I have
> no clue what is causing it.
>
> Here is the code ...
>
> if not exist "C:\Program Files\X" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X"
> if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error
> if not exist "C:\Program Files\X\Y" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X\Y"
> if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error
>
> Could this be because I am creating two directories or is this a bug
> with mkdir?
>
> I/we have XP SP2.
>
> Thanks,
> Joe

The probability of there being a bug with mkdir is extremely small.
It is far more likely that you created a file called "mkdir.bat", which
is not a good idea. What happens if you replace the command
"mkdir" with its alias "md"?

By the way, you could tighten your code like so:
if not exist "C:\Program Files\X" md "C:\Program Files\X" || goto error
if not exist "C:\Program Files\X\Y" md "C:\Program Files\X\Y" || goto error

Hello -

The batch file is called INSTALL.XXX.bat and not mkdir.bat.

I will try the md ... what is the difference? Is the || always
equivalent to if not %errorlevel% == 0?

Thanks a lot!
Joe



On Jul 10, 3:45*pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:
> "Joe HM" <unixve...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:4cc459f1-193c-4818-8bb5-c092ed7dbd5c@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hello -
>
> > I have this strange intermittent problem where a mkdir command in a
> > batch file will create a file with the name of a directory instead of
> > the directory itself. *This has happened for several people and I have
> > no clue what is causing it.
>
> > Here is the code ...
>
> > if not exist "C:\Program Files\X" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X"
> > if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error
> > if not exist "C:\Program Files\X\Y" mkdir "C:\Program Files\X\Y"
> > if not %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto error
>
> > Could this be because I am creating two directories or is this a bug
> > with mkdir?
>
> > I/we have XP SP2.
>
> > Thanks,
> > Joe
>
> The probability of there being a bug with mkdir is extremely small.
> It is far more likely that you created a file called "mkdir.bat", which
> is not a good idea. What happens if you replace the command
> "mkdir" with its alias "md"?
>
> By the way, you could tighten your code like so:
> if not exist "C:\Program Files\X" md "C:\Program Files\X" || goto error
> if not exist "C:\Program Files\X\Y" md "C:\Program Files\X\Y" || goto error- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

"Joe HM" <unixverse@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:777a8c4b-51c9-4110-aa08-1da3df886cbe@a1g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
Hello -

The batch file is called INSTALL.XXX.bat and not mkdir.bat.

I will try the md ... what is the difference? Is the || always
equivalent to if not %errorlevel% == 0?

Thanks a lot!
Joe

====================

I did not say that your batch file is called mkdir.bat. I suggested that
you have a file mkdir.bat (or mkdir.cmd) hanging about, perhaps from
a previous exercise.

The || connector executes the command following it if the preceding
command returns an error level > 0. Its twin brother is the && connector.

Hello -

I see ... I searched my machine and found a mkdir.exe in C:\cygwin
\bin. I think this is somewhere at the end of my path so it should
not be executed. I have actually not seen the problem on my own
machine but on other people's machines. They do not have Cygwin
installed ... why would the mkdir.exe help???

What is the && doing? I assume it is not an "and" since I have
unsuccessfully tried to find such a thing ...

Thanks!
Joe



On Jul 10, 4:06*pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:
> "Joe HM" <unixve...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:777a8c4b-51c9-4110-aa08-1da3df886cbe@a1g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Hello -
>
> The batch file is called INSTALL.XXX.bat and not mkdir.bat.
>
> I will try the md ... what is the difference? *Is the || always
> equivalent to if not %errorlevel% == 0?
>
> Thanks a lot!
> Joe
>
> ====================
>
> I did not say that your batch file is called mkdir.bat. I suggested that
> you have a file mkdir.bat (or mkdir.cmd) hanging about, perhaps from
> a previous exercise.
>
> The || connector executes the command following it if the preceding
> command returns an error level > 0. Its twin brother is the && connector.

You need to search the other machines for mkdir.*

A quick test would show you that the || connector detects
ErrorLevel > 0 whereas its twin && detects ErrorLevel = 0 . . .


"Joe HM" <unixverse@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:717d7283-7126-42c5-a1c9-f6b7d1ab6ff4@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Hello -

I see ... I searched my machine and found a mkdir.exe in C:\cygwin
\bin. I think this is somewhere at the end of my path so it should
not be executed. I have actually not seen the problem on my own
machine but on other people's machines. They do not have Cygwin
installed ... why would the mkdir.exe help???

What is the && doing? I assume it is not an "and" since I have
unsuccessfully tried to find such a thing ...

Thanks!
Joe



On Jul 10, 4:06 pm, "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I....@fly.com.oz> wrote:
> "Joe HM" <unixve...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:777a8c4b-51c9-4110-aa08-1da3df886cbe@a1g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Hello -
>
> The batch file is called INSTALL.XXX.bat and not mkdir.bat.
>
> I will try the md ... what is the difference? Is the || always
> equivalent to if not %errorlevel% == 0?
>
> Thanks a lot!
> Joe
>
> ====================
>
> I did not say that your batch file is called mkdir.bat. I suggested that
> you have a file mkdir.bat (or mkdir.cmd) hanging about, perhaps from
> a previous exercise.
>
> The || connector executes the command following it if the preceding
> command returns an error level > 0. Its twin brother is the && connector.