Can't checkout to my C: root directly *PANIC* Admin Files Missing

[S I]

OK, I wrote this email and looks like it was bounced back or didn't get 
through to the mailing list, however, if it did, please pardon the 
redundancy.

Hi

I've tried 4 or 5 different Windows command-line versions of cvs.exe from 
(1.10.5 to 1.11.20). Created a folder called cvs directly under C:\, pointed 
the path stmt to it. Created Home=C: and CVSROO envrionment variables, etc 
and successfully logged in to our linux repository where CVS is kept.

If I check out any of our CVS modules or projects from the main respository 
to any subfolder of my drive C: everything goes smoothly.  However none of 
the versions of CVS I tried allow me to directly check out a project to the 
root.  So when at the dos prompt and I type

C:\>cvs co -P newproj

I get these bizzare errors:

cvs checkout: in directory .:
cvs [checkout aborted]: *PANIC* administration files missing

I've exhausted my resources Googling this.  What seems to be the problem?  
Is this a bug or a matter of administrative access rights?  I would like to 
checkout a project directly under my C: drive.  Help please!

P.s. I meant to say WinXP desktop and Win2003 netwrk servers and 
repositories being on Linux servers.  Thanks again

Steven