DaOW> SOMETHING IS BROKE

yup, your logic... look here...

 DaOW>     WHEN right(lineread,7) = 'COM.SYS' then

this line of code matches on both lines...

  DEVICE=G:\OS2\BOOT\COM.SYS
 DEVICE=G:\OS2\MDOS\VCOM.SYS
                     1234567

see??

try it this way instead...

     WHEN right(lineread,8) = '\COM.SYS' then
                         ^     ^

two changes...

)\/(ark