[...]
1) This problem can only be seen when some very particular path
structure or combination of file names exists. If we were to
exactly recreate Al's file and directory structure, we would
be able to reproduce the problem. We could then try to find
a workaround.
Just a thought: This may be a result of -dir- (whether it be in Stata or in
the command prompt) looking at both the WIN32 file names and the DOS short
alias names. Perhaps some of Al's files, such as satish2_aug01.dta, have
DOS aliases that begin "saf". This is unlikely, as I would expect the
alias to begin "sat", but it is not impossible. In any case, the presence
of these alias names can cause some surprises.
