jrg@dsl.pipex.com wrote:

Boost filesystem paths checked using filsystem::windows_name cannot contain a colon (":"). But the standard way to specify a particular drive in Windows is to use a colon (e.g. "C:\Windows"). Shouldn't colons be allowed for specifying a drive in Windows?

If you specify 'native' as your name_checker when creating a path object, you can use the colon and a drive letter when running under Windows. Using 'native' means you can successfully use a path format that is native to the operating system under which you will run. If you do not specify a name_checker, then your path must conform to the portable file format of boost filesystem.