Quick and unchecked answer : D:\Source\fptex-0.4\texk>kpsewhich --expand-var $openout_any p D:\Source\fptex-0.4\texk>kpsewhich --expand-var $openin_any a Explanation : by default, the mode for writing files is 'paranoid', ie it won't let you write files outside of the current directory. Try to set : set openout_any=a and rerun latex. -- Fabrice