Hi Dragan

>[snip]So it did the search by long names, not by 8.3 names. The trouble is the same - if your search term is surrounded by asterisks, it will be found in extension, not just in the stem.

Thanks for your research.

Naomi, ADIR and SYS(2000) do not use the masks the way we think. I see no way for you to get the speed you desire. I cannot use the word require here. There is a difference.

I have a thought. If you made something on the server which adds records to a table as each new file is added or renamed you could have VFP scan that table. That scan should be fast enough.