SB> I've just read in another OS/2 conference that Win95's VFAT
 SB> uses the same area to store a pointer to the long filename as OS/2's
 SB> EAs.  If that is really the case, [...]
It isn't.  Long filenames are stored as a succession of additional directory 
entries that have the "Volume", "Hidden", and "System" attributes set.  Hence 
the reason that the number of files that one can put in the root directory of 
a FAT partition is dependent from the length of the filenames in DOS+Windows 
95.
DOS+Windows 95 and Windows NT do define some of the previously "reserved" 
fields in the FAT directory entry structure, for providing additional 
datestamp information.  But these do not occupy the same space as the EA 
information recorded in FAT directory entries by OS/2 Warp.
The problem mainly occurs with Novell DOS (now OpenDOS, a.k.a. DR-DOS) and 
certain disc "doctor" programs for DOS.  OpenDOS stores password information 
in the area of the FAT directory entry used by OS/2 Warp for EA information, 
so setting passwords with OpenDOS will corrupt EAs.  PC-TOOLS version 6 
DISKFIX assumes that the EA information is "corruption", and promptly zeroes 
it.
 ¯ JdeBP ®
--- FleetStreet 1.19 NR
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