If you use vDosPlus to run XyWrite for DOS in Windows, you may have encountered a disconcerting error message -- "Maximum number of Windows search handles exceeded" -- whereupon vDosPlus-XyWrite crashes and any unsaved data in open files is lost. I, for one, run into it all too often, usually when I'm editing actively and likely to lose valuable data when (not if) XyWrite crashes. I have no idea whether other vDosPlus users have this experience, and I would very much appreciate hearing whether you do or do not suffer from these crashes. I decided to investigate and found that, in the course of a XyWrite editing session, vDosPlus creates -- but does not subsequently close -- a profusion of file handles. This "handle leak" destabilizes the session and eventually causes it to crash without warning. In my experience, a crash becomes imminent when the number of extraneous handles reaches 500. My new utility, vHandles.bat, a Windows batch file, is not exactly a cure for this sudden death, but it does offer preventive care. vHandles.bat issues a one-time warning message when your editing session is close to crashing, giving you an opportunity to save open files and quit & restart XyWrite in an orderly way. You can even, if you choose, configure vHandles.bat and XyWrite-DOS (any version) to SAve open files and Quit & Restart XyWrite automagically when the risk of crashing becomes imminent. This is done via a new XPL program, QUITS.PM, which is designed to work in all extant versions of XyWrite and NotaBene for DOS. I'd be grateful if users of vDosPlus would give vHandles.bat a try. Even if you do not experience these crashes, I'm very interested to know how many open handles vHandles.bat reports while your vDosPlus-XyWrite session is active. Download it here: https://ammaze.net/xywwweb/dls/vhandles.zip Unzip all included files into a directory of your choosing. At a Windows command prompt, switch to the directory with vHandles.bat and START vHandles.bat with: You will get an error message if you are not located in the directory with vHandles.bat when you issue this command. The zip file includes a ReadMe, vHandles.txt, which has more-detailed information on setup and use. If you choose to enable the Quit & Restart option -- recommended! -- QUITS.PM itself has pertinent instructions (read it in XyWrite, in eXPanded view). -- Carl Distefano cld@xxxxxxxxxx