ah-HAH! found it, and now it works as expected. Thanks for the help.

Can you tell I'm really not liking Java?

>>>Then it sounds as if there *is* a difference between the two files. Did you just compare 'visually' or actually run a file compare utility such as WinDiff? For testing: have you tried launching the VB executable directly rather than from within the Java/VFP apps?
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Viv
>>
>>I have run the file compare with TextPad and it says they are the same.
>>I get the same results running the VB executable as a standalone.
>
>I'm not familiar with TextPad so don't know whether its compare function is sufficiently rigorous but if, in otherwise identical environments, one file works and the other does not then logic dictates they are *not* the same.
>Does VFP see both strings as identical if you FILETOSTR() both files?