>Hmm... are you sure the situation you saw was while using VFP? My understanding is VFP file I/O commands are synchronous i.e. they wait for a response (success or failure) from the OS before proceeding to the next command.

Exactly what I expect to happen each time.

>If the issue you saw was a long time ago, I wonder whether it was on some DOS-based version of Windows such as 95/98/Me, which as you probably recall were held together by spit, bubblegum and band-aids. I'd be surprised if you saw it on NT/2K/XP or later.

Now I really don't remember all the circumstances, which is why I added the disclaimer. There's a reason I had to write that loop. Now whether it was because of OS alone or there was something else involved as well, I can't honestly say now.