"working directory" per drive?

[orbs]

DOS remembers the working directory for each drive separately.

how do i use AutoIt functions to make use of that feature?

for example:

#include <File.au3>
#include <Array.au3>

FileChangeDir('C:\TEMP')

; the next command lists the contents of C:\TEMP as expected
RunWait(@ComSpec&' /k dir c: /b')

; the next command lists the contents of C:\ (root), even without the backslash,
; so it's not quite like the help file states: "...Similar to using Dir with the /B Switch"
$a=_FileListToArray('C:')
_ArrayDisplay($a)

EDIT: but this works as expected:

FileCopy('C:*','E:\TEMP\',8)

but if i do this

FileChangeDir('D:')
FileCopy('C:*','E:\TEMP\',8)

then FileCopy() relates to C: root again, even without the backslash. and it keeps it at root.

however with the batch equivalent:

cd c:temp

dir c: /b

cd d:

dir c: /b

 

...the final command still relates to c:temp

Edited May 8, 2014 by orbs

[JohnOne]

working directories have always confused me, first I thought there was one and it was system wide, then someone mentioned they can be per process, now this.

[orbs]

per-process makes sense, as all environment elements can be set differently for every process.

- you can set the same environment variable %MYVAR% to some value for one process, and another value for another process; actually the system will hold two environment variables named %MYVAR%, segregated, one for each process.

- you can "inherit" the environment of a calling process to the called process, but that would be replicating the environment, so if the called process changes something in the environment, the calling process won't see it.

but anyway, per-drive working directory is something i'd like the AutoIt experts to elaborate on, because DOS supports it, so no reason AutoIt wouldn't... but how?