Woodmen

Thank you both, disabling delayed expansion was the solution. Yzöwl - Yes, the small script and input file shown was just to demonstrate the problem and as you suggested is part of a larger script which includes the removal of text lines at the beginning and end of the input file. Also spot on about delayed expansion being enabled by default, seemed a good idea when it was setup and has now been amended. Am learning - but s-l-o-w-l-y. Again, thankyou.

Windows XP Home Can the exclaim char be read from a file and written to a file in batch scripting? Here's an input file: Here's the script: @echo off>trialnew.txt setlocal cls for /f %%# in (trial.txt) do ( echo %%#>>trialnew.txt ) Here's the output, all the ! have vanished: Thankyou.

GrofLuigi - I agree nothing is impossible only improbable. Making that error doesn't answer the 'almost' queries about why the filename was not displayed, not found in searches and apparently deleted during a Repair install. However, I'll file the possibility in case the problem manifests itself again. Many thanks for your interest.

Resolved - almost. Continued searching and MS Search found nothing. Installed the Locate search program which comes in two versions, Locate32 runs in Windows and Locate.exe which runs from the command prompt. Locate32 found nothing of note but Locate.exe found a zero length file named Echo (no extension) in the root of C:, no creation, access or amended date/time could be found and the only Attrib was a.. Dir did not display this file but Del deleted it and Echo. now is safely back in the fold. Now for the 'almost' queries. When was the file created and by what? Why was the command Echo successful whilst Echo. was not? Why did a repair re-install delete this file? The promise is that doing a Repair will not remove data files and it seems no other files were removed. Why did MS Search not find the file? OK, I know you cannot answer the 'almost' queries but lotsa thanks for your interest. W.

Thanks for that suggestion and I appreciate the reason for it. While a few filenames containing Echo were found Echo or Echo. on its own were not. The command Echo works just fine but Echo. fails. I have run malware scans etc and found nothing untoward. I find that doing a Repair Re-install of XP cures the problem, I did this on my backup hdd, but still have no clue as to the cause of the error condition. It seems that no other command or program is affected, just Echo. Just for interest sake I will continue digging but will probably eventually put it down to just another great MS puzzle. Thanks

Windows XP Home SP.3 For no apparent reason I've lost the use of Echo. in batch scripts or at the command prompt. This occurred today without warning and with no changes to software or hardware. This is the only command which does not perform (so far). I get the message that Echo. is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. Echo works just fine. To add to the confusion, booting from a backup hdd which was cloned two weeks ago brings up the same error although I have used Echo. in that time. So far have run SFC and have expanded CMD.EX_ from the I386 folder on my genuine full install disk. I'm guessing that there's nothing wrong with the file but what else could cause such a problem? Thanks