# How do I prevent ruby on windows from automatically converti **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [April 30, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-ruby-on-windows-from-automatically-converti/103012 "2007-04-30T20:03:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rlorimor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@rlorimor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlorimor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-ruby-on-windows-from-automatically-converti/103012/1 "2007-04-30T20:03:20Z")
I have a Windows batch file (mytest.bat) that calls a Ruby script (mytest). The mytest.bat looks like this: ruby %TOOLDIR%\bin\mytest %\* When the batch file is called using “call mytest” from another Ruby script, it is automatically converting the command-line arguments. Specifically, it is converting path arguments: mytest -i “\testdir\mytests\test.dat” becomes “/testdir/mytests/test.dat” I do not want Ruby converting these paths. It seems like it is going through each string argument, detecting that it is a path and normalizing/converting each path from Windows-style to UNIX-style. How do I stop Ruby from doing this? ---
**Author:** ![rlorimor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@rlorimor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlorimor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-ruby-on-windows-from-automatically-converti/103012/2 "2007-04-30T21:40:28Z")
On Apr 30, 1:02 pm, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > becomes > > “/testdir/mytests/test.dat” > > I do not want Ruby converting these paths. Why not? Are you aware that even under windoze, if a program written in Ruby or awk or Perl tries to open “/testdir/mytests/ test.dat”, it will do the right thing? By the way, how is your program converting these paths? Are you using File::expand\_path?