File path in Acad2000i

One really strange thing happened on one of our computer's Acad2000i:

Our work project file folder is located in a shared folder on a WIN2K
Server. The shared folder is mapped as network drive on every CAD work
station, as network drive "H:\". So, when a drawing is opened in Acad, full
file path of the drawing is shown in Acad window's title. It looks like
"H:\projectname\workdrawings\drawingName.dwg". If you get system variable
"DWGPREFIX" (programmingly, or enter (getvar "DWGPREFIX) at command line,
you get "H:\\projectname\\workdrawings\\", which is expected.

Somehow, on one of the computer, the file path becomes
"\\SeverName\ShareName\projectname\workdrawings\" , not mapped network drive
label any more. Even weirder, this only happens when you open a drawing
through Open File dialog box. When double clicking file name in Windows
Explorer to open it, network drive label is shown as expected, as it is
always was before and as all other computers are. I simply cannot figure out
why it suddenly behave this way.

The reason this bothers me is that we have a drawing document management
program. The program is run inside Acad, it compares opened drawing's path
(get from "DWGPREFIX" system variable) to the path previously saved in
database. All drawing files' path are save in format "H:\projectname\...".
But the drawing opened on this problematic computer causes problem in our
program if it is opened via Open File dialog box causes problem (double
clicking opened drawing is fine, as usual).

Anybody ever run into this? Explanation?

 

Are you sure that you have selected the drive letter in the "File | Open" dialog and not the actual path? Either way would actually open the drawing. I see this all the time, it just depends on how you work you work your way down to the drawing via the Open box.