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Q74747: INFO: Why Microsoft Development Tools Use TMP Instead of TEMP

Article: Q74747
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): ; MS-DOS:; WINDOWS:1.0,1.5; winnt:1.0,2.0,2.1,4.0,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbenv kbVC100 kbVC150 kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC400 kbVC500 kbVC600
Last Modified: 27-JUL-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft C for MS-DOS 
- Microsoft C for OS/2 
- Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS 
- Microsoft Visual C++, versions 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Learning Edition, version 6.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

Microsoft development systems and the utilities included with them use the drive
and directory specified by the TMP environment variable for temporary file
storage. This operating-system environment variable is typically set in the
startup batch file, AUTOEXEC.BAT for MS-DOS or STARTUP.CMD for OS/2. In Windows
NT, TMP may be set through the System Applet in the Control Panel. The value of
this environment variable must be the path of an existing drive and directory.

While Microsoft development tools use the TMP system variable, Microsoft
applications, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Windows, use a system
variable, TEMP. The TEMP variable is also set to a drive and directory that can
be used by applications for temporary file storage.

Compilers and other development tools generally need more temporary file storage
space than do applications. By having these various products read different
environment variables to determine their temporary file storage location,
Microsoft provides the user with a certain amount of flexibility. You may set
both the TMP and TEMP environment variables to the same drive and directory such
that all temporary files will reside in the same location. If free disk space is
a concern and your system has multiple drives or is connected to a network, you
may wish or need to set the TMP variable to another drive. Alternatively, under
MS-DOS, you could set TEMP to the path of a small RAM drive and not worry that
your development tools would run out of temporary file storage space.


Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbenv kbVC100 kbVC150 kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC400 kbVC500 kbVC600 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbVC400 kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword8 kbvc150 kbvc100 kbCCompSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbVC500 kbVC600 kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC32bitSearch kbVC500Search
Version           : :; MS-DOS:; WINDOWS:1.0,1.5; winnt:1.0,2.0,2.1,4.0,5.0,6.0

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