you said am thinking that there is something about this specific directory tree. so i suspect too that you are running the script from within a special windows directory: for example 32 bit program cannot access the content c:\Program Files and this is due to filesystem redirection: an evil feature of such OSses: see about win file system redirection 32 64bit madness and
me about filesystem redirection
So, what is your current path, where you encounter problem? which is the minimal code that produce such error?
L*
There are no rules, there are no thumbs..
Reinvent the wheel, then learn The Wheel; may be one day you reinvent one of THE WHEELS.