In this appendix
DOS messages can be divided into two groups: general error messages and device error messages. The three types of general DOS messages are as follows:
Error messages—. These messages indicate that DOS has encountered a problem with a command or with the syntax you used. Execution stops when DOS displays an error message.
Warning messages—. These messages tell you that the next action you take might cause unwanted changes to files or to your system; they often include a prompt, which enables you to select an action.
Information messages—. These messages display needed information about your system's operation or your DOS version's performance. Like warning messages, these messages also often include a prompt.
The messages in this section might appear any time during a work session. Messages that can occur when you start DOS are indicated by (startup). With most startup errors, DOS does not start and you must reboot the system:
d contains n non-contiguous blocks
Warning: CHKDSK
found noncontiguous blocks on drive d
. If you like, you can use a defragmenter to eliminate the fragmentation or use COPY
or XCOPY
to transfer the fragmented files to a freshly formatted floppy disk in a sequential form.
A BAD UMB number has been specified
Error: You have attempted to use LOADHIGH
(or LH
) with the /L
parameter referring to a nonexistent UMB area. The best way to correct this problem is to rerun MemMaker.
A program was run that took memory that Backup requires The program must be removed from memory before Backup can continue
Access denied
Error: You or a program attempted to change or erase a file that is in use or marked as read-only. You can change the read-only attribute by using the ATTRIB
command.
Active code page: xxx
Information: You issued CHCP
, which displayed the code page currently in use by the system (represented by xxx
).
Active code page for device ddd is xxx
Information: You issued MODE
, which lists the code page (xxx
) currently in use for the device (ddd
). To display a single screen at a time, pipe this command into MORE
(MODE|MORE
).
Active code page not available from CON device
Add filename? (Y/N)
Prompt: You issued REPLACE /P
. DOS asks whether you want to add the file to the disk.
Adding filename
Information: REPLACE
displays this message while adding filename
to your disk.
All available space in the Extended DOS Partition is assigned to logical drives
Error: No room remains for logical drives in the extended partition. Use FDISK
to change the size of the extended partition.
All files canceled by operator
Information: You issued PRINT /T
, which removes all files from the print queue.
All files in directory will be deleted! Are you sure (Y/N)?
All logical drives deleted in the Extended DOS Partition
Information: While using FDISK
, you removed all logical drives associated with the extended DOS partition.
All specified file(s) are contiguous
Information: None of the files you specified (to CHKDSK
) are fragmented.
Allocation error, size adjusted
Warning: The contents of a file have been truncated because the size indicated in the directory is inconsistent with the amount of data allocated to the file. Use SCANDISK
or CHKDSK /F
to correct the discrepancy.
An incompatible DOSKey is already installed
ANSI.SYS must be installed to perform requested function
Warning: While using MODE
, you requested a screen function that cannot be performed until you load ANSI.SYS
.
APPEND already installed
Information: You tried to issue APPEND
with /X
or /E
after previously using APPEND
. You can use the /E
switch only the first time you type APPEND
after starting your system. You can use the /X
switch only if it was used during initialization.
APPEND/ASSIGN conflict
Warning: You cannot use APPEND
on an assigned drive. Cancel the drive assignment before using APPEND
with this drive.
ATTENTION: A serious disk error has occurred while writing to drive
/B invalid with a black and white printer
Error: You tried to print the background color by using GRAPHICS /B
, but you do not have a color printer connected to your computer.
***Backing up files to drive x:***
Information: This message appears while you back up files to the specified drive.
Bad command or file name
Error: You entered an invalid name for invoking a command, program, or batch file. The most frequent causes are misspelling a name, omitting a required disk drive or pathname, or omitting the command name when giving parameters (for example, omitting the WordStar command, WS
, by typing MYFILE
instead of WS MYFILE
).
Check the spelling on the command line and make sure that the command, program, or batch file is in the location specified. Then, try the command again.
Bad or missing command interpreter
Error (startup): DOS does not start because it cannot find COMMAND.COM
, the command interpreter.
If this message appears during startup, COMMAND.COM
is not on the startup disk or a COMMAND.COM
file from a previous version of DOS is on the disk. If you used the SHELL
command in CONFIG.SYS
, the message means that the SHELL
command is improperly phrased or that COMMAND.COM
is not in the location you specified.
With DOS 6.0 or 6.2, you can override CONFIG.SYS
by using the F8 or F5 key while booting. This solution works if the correct COMMAND.COM
is in the root directory. Otherwise, place another disk that contains the operating system (IO.SYS
, MSDOS.SYS
, and COMMAND.COM
) in the floppy disk drive and reset the system. After DOS starts, copy COMMAND.COM
to the original startup disk so that you can boot DOS in the future.
Error: If this message appears while you are running DOS, there are several possibilities: COMMAND.COM
has been erased from the disk and directory you used when starting DOS, a version of COMMAND.COM
from a previous version of DOS has overwritten the good version, or the COMSPEC
entry in the environment has been changed. You must restart DOS by resetting the system.
If resetting the system does not solve your problem, restart the computer from a copy of your DOS master disk. Copy COMMAND.COM
from this disk to the offending disk.
Bad or missing filename
Warning (startup): The device driver filename was not found, an error occurred when the device driver was loaded, a break address for the device driver was beyond the RAM available to the computer, or DOS detected an error while loading the driver into memory. DOS continues booting without the device driver filename.
If DOS loads, check your CONFIG.SYS
file for the line DEVICE=
filename
. Make sure that the line is typed correctly and that the device driver is at the specified location; then reboot the system. If the message reappears, copy the file from its original disk to the boot disk and try starting DOS again. If the error persists, the device driver is bad; contact the dealer or publisher who sold you the driver.
Bad or missing keyboard definition file
Warning: DOS cannot find KEYBOARD.SYS
as specified by the KEYB
command. Solving this problem might take several steps. First, check to make sure that KEYBOARD.SYS
exists and is in the correct path; then retype the KEYB
command. If you get the same message, KEYB.COM
or KEYBOARD.SYS
might be corrupted.
Bad partition table
Error: While using FORMAT
, DOS was unable to find a DOS partition on the fixed disk you specified. Run FDISK
and create a DOS partition on this fixed-disk drive.
Batch file missing
Error: DOS could not find the batch file it was processing. The batch file might have been erased or renamed. With DOS 3.0 only, the disk containing the batch file might have been changed, causing DOS to abort processing of the batch file.
If you are using DOS 3.0 and you changed the disk that contains the batch file, restart the batch file without changing the disk. You might need to edit the batch file so that you do not need to change disks. This procedure applies only to DOS 3.0.
If the batch file includes a RENAME
command that causes the originating batch filename to change, edit the batch file to prevent renaming when the batch file is processed again. If the file was erased, re-create the batch file from its backup file if possible. Edit the file to ensure that the batch file does not erase itself.
Baud rate required
Error: When using MODE COM
x
commands to set any COM port parameters, you must at least indicate the baud rate.
BREAK is off BREAK is on
Cannot change BUFSIZE
Error: When DOSKey has been loaded into memory, you cannot change the buffer size.
Cannot CHDIR to path - tree past this point not processed
Error: CHKDSK
was unable to go to the specified directory. No subdirectories below this directory are verified. Run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK /F
to correct this error.
Cannot CHDIR to root
Error: CHKDSK
was checking the tree structure of the directory and was unable to return to the root directory. Remaining subdirectories were not checked. Restart DOS. If the message continues to appear, the disk is unusable and must be refor matted.
Cannot CHKDSK a network drive
Cannot CHKDSK a SUBSTed or ASSIGNed drive
Warning: You cannot use CHKDSK
to check substituted or assigned drives.
Cannot create a zero size partition
Error: While using FDISK
, you tried to create a partition of 0% (0 megabytes). To correct this error, you must allocate 1% (or a minimum of 1MB) of hard disk space to any partition you create.
Cannot create extended DOS partition without primary DOS partition on disk x
Error: While using FDISK
, you tried to create an extended DOS partition before giving your first fixed-disk drive a primary DOS partition. To correct this problem, simply create a DOS partition on your first fixed-disk drive. When this operation is complete, you can create an extended DOS partition if you have room on this disk or if you have a second fixed disk.
Cannot create logical DOS drive without an Extended DOS Partition on the current drive
Cannot DISKCOMP to or from a network drive
Error: You cannot compare disks on any disk drive that has been reassigned to a network.
Cannot delete Extended DOS Partition while logical drives exist
Error: When using FDISK
to delete an extended DOS partition, you first must remove any logical drives.
Cannot DISKCOPY to or from a network drive
Error: You attempted to copy a floppy disk to a drive that was redirected to a computer network. DISKCOPY
does not copy disks directly to a networked disk drive. Use COPY
to copy the disk.
Cannot do binary reads from a device
Error: You tried to copy from a device by using the /B
switch. To complete the copy process, use the ASCII (/A
) switch to create an ASCII copy. You also can use the COPY
command without the /B
switch.
Cannot find file QBASIC.EXE
Cannot find GRAPHICS profile
Error: You did not give the path of the GRAPHICS.PRO
file; DOS could not find it in the current directory.
Cannot find System files
Error: While running FORMAT
, you specified a drive that did not have the system files in the root directory.
Cannot FORMAT a network drive
Error: You tried to format a disk in a drive being used by a network.
Cannot FORMAT an ASSIGNed or SUBSTed drive
Error: You attempted to format a drive that was mapped to another drive with ASSIGN
or SUBST
. To perform a successful format, you must run ASSIGN
or SUBST
again to clear the drive assignments.
Cannot LABEL a JOINed, SUBSTed or ASSIGNed drive
Cannot LABEL a network drive
Error: You cannot use LABEL
with drives redirected over the network.
Cannot load COMMAND, system halted
Error: DOS attempted to reload COMMAND.COM
, but the area where DOS keeps track of memory was destroyed or the command processor was not found in the directory specified by the COMSPEC=
entry. The system halts.
This message might indicate that COMMAND.COM
was erased from the disk and directory you used when starting DOS, or that the COMSPEC=
entry in the environment has been changed. Restart DOS from your usual startup disk. If DOS does not start, the copy of COMMAND.COM
has been erased. Restart DOS from the DOS startup or master disk and copy COMMAND.COM
to your usual startup disk.
Alternatively, an errant program might have corrupted the memory allocation table where DOS tracks available memory. Try running the same program that was in the computer when the system halted. If the problem occurs again, the program is defective. Contact the dealer or publisher who sold you the program.
Cannot loadhigh batch file
Warning: The LOADHIGH
(or LH
) command is used only for TSR programs. Batch files might not be run this way.
Cannot move multiple files to a single file
Error: When using MOVE
with wildcards for the source file specification, you must specify a directory for the destination. The most common cause of this error is a misspelled name.
Cannot perform a cyclic copy
Cannot recover ... entry Entry has a bad attribute (or link or size)
Error, Warning: The ..
entry (the parent directory) is defective and cannot be recovered. If you have specified the /F
switch, CHKDSK
tries to correct the error.
Cannot set up expanded memory
Error: FASTOPEN
cannot correctly access expanded memory (EMS).
Cannot specify default drive
Error: You specified the default drive as a SYS
destination. Switch to another drive before issuing the SYS
command.
Cannot start COMMAND, exiting
Error: You or one of your programs directed DOS to load another copy of COMMAND.COM
, but DOS could not load it. Your CONFIG.SYS FILES
command is set too low, or you do not have enough free memory for another copy of COMMAND.COM
.
If your system has 256KB or more and FILES
is less than 10, edit the CONFIG.SYS
file on your startup disk, using FILES=15
or FILES=20
. Then., restart DOS.
If the problem recurs, you do not have enough memory in your computer, or you have too many resident or background programs competing for memory space. Restart DOS, loading only the essential programs. If necessary, eliminate unneeded device drivers or RAM disk software. You also can obtain additional RAM for your system.
Cannot SUBST a network drive
Error: You cannot substitute drives redirected over the network.
Cannot SYS a network drive
Cannot use FASTOPEN for drive x
Error: You attempted to use FASTOPEN
over a network, with a floppy disk drive, or with more than four disks at one time.
Cannot use PRINT - Use NET PRINT
Error: You tried to use PRINT
over the network. Use NET PRINT
or consult your system administrator for the correct procedure for printing files over the network.
Cannot XCOPY from a reserved device Cannot XCOPY to a reserved device
Error: The specified XCOPY
source or target is a character device (printer), an asynchronous communication device, or NULL
. You must specify a file or block device as your source and your target.
CHDIR .. failed, trying alternate method
Code page not prepared
Error: While using MODE
, you selected a code page not yet prepared for the system or without the correct font to support the current video mode. To correct this error, prepare a code page using the MODE PREPARE
command. If you have installed the DISPLAY.SYS
installable device driver, make sure that the DEVICE
command line in your CONFIG.SYS
file allows additional subfonts.
Code page xxx
Information: This message displays the code page currently in use by the specified device. If you type MODE CON
, for example, the message returns the code page in use for your screen.
Code page xxx not prepared for all devices
Code page xxx not prepared for system
Error: CHCP
is unable to select a code page for the system. If NLSFUNC
is installed and your CONFIG.SYS
file does not install device drivers, you can retry CHCP
. If CONFIG.SYS
installs device drivers, you must issue the MODE PREPARE
command to prepare the specific code page for each device before retrying the CHCP
command.
Code page operation not supported on this device
Error: While using MODE
, you selected a device and code page combination not recognized by DOS. Make sure that you specified a valid device and code page and that the code page you selected is supported on the device.
Code page requested (xxx) is not valid for given keyboard code
Code page specified has not been prepared
Error: You issued the KEYB
command with an unrecognized code page. Prepare the code page for your CON
(console screen device) by using the MODE PREPARE
command; then retry KEYB
.
Code page specified is inconsistent with selected code page
Warning: You used KEYB
with an option incompatible with the code page for your console screen device. Specify a compatible option or issue the MODE SELECT
command to change the code page for your console screen device.
Code pages cannot be prepared
Error: You attempted to use a duplicate code page for the specified device; or with MODE PREPARE
, you specified more code pages than DOS supports for that device. Check CONFIG.SYS to see how many prepared code pages your device command line allows or issue MODE /STATUS
at the command line to view the code pages already prepared for the device (for example, MODE /STATUS CON
).
Compare error at offset xxxxxxxx
Compare error on side s, track t
Information: DISKCOMP
has located a difference on the disk in the specified drive on side s
at track t
.
Compare process ended
Error: A fatal error occurred during the comparison operation.
Comparing t tracks n sectors per track, s side(s)
Information: This message confirms the format of the disks you are comparing.
Configuration too large for memory
Error (startup): DOS could not load because you set too many files or buffers in your CONFIG.SYS
file or specified too large an environment area (/E
) with the SHELL
command. This problem occurs only on systems with less than 256KB.
Restart DOS with a different configuration; then edit the CONFIG.SYS
file on your boot disk, lowering the number of files, buffers, or both. You also can edit CONFIG.SYS
to reduce the size of the environment in addition to or as an alternative to lowering the number of files and buffers. Restart DOS with the edited disk.
Another alternative is to increase the RAM in your system.
Content of destination lost before copy
Error: The original contents of the destination file for the COPY
(concatenation) operation were overwritten because the destination and one of the source files had the same name. You might be able to recover the file by using UNDELETE
; if not, you can restore the destination file from your backup disk.
Copy process ended
Error: The DISKCOPY
process ended before completion. Test with SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
and then copy the remaining files onto the disk with COPY
or XCOPY
.
Current code page settings:
Information: You issued the MODE
command and specified a device with code page support. MODE
displays the active code page, the hardware code page, other prepared code pages, and the space available for additional code pages on the lines that follow the message. If you want to see status information for all devices, type MODE
without listing a device.
Current CON code page: xxx
Information: This message displays the current keyboard code and code page along with the current code page used by the console screen device (CON
).
Current drive is no longer valid
Warning: The system prompt includes the meta-symbol $p
, to display the current directory, or $n
, to display the current drive. You tried to change the default drive to an invalid drive. (You tried to make a floppy drive current, for example, without a floppy present.) DOS presented the Abort, Retry, Fail?
prompt. When you responded by pressing F, DOS temporarily changed the prompt to the Current drive is no longer valid
message.
The invalid drive error also occurs when a current networked or substituted disk drive is deleted or disconnected. Simply change the current drive to a valid disk drive.
Current keyboard does not support this code page
Error: You selected a code page incompatible with the current keyboard code. First, check the selected code page. If the code page is correct, change the keyboard code by using KEYB
.
Device n not prepared
Error: No code page is present for this device.
Disk boot failure
Error (startup): An error occurred when DOS tried to load into memory. The disk contained IO.SYS
and MSDOS.SYS
, but one of the two files could not be loaded.
Try starting DOS from the disk again. If the error recurs, try starting DOS from a disk you know is good, such as a copy of your DOS startup or master disk. If DOS still fails to boot, you have a disk drive problem. Contact your dealer.
Disk full. Edits lost.
Disk unsuitable for system disk
Warning: FORMAT
detected one or more bad sectors on the floppy disk in the area where DOS normally resides. Because the portion of the disk where DOS must reside is unusable, you cannot boot DOS from this disk.
Try reformatting the disk. Some floppy disks format successfully the second time. If FORMAT
gives this message again, you cannot boot from the disk.
Divide overflow
Error: DOS aborted a program that attempted to divide by zero. The program was incorrectly entered or contains a logic flaw. If you wrote the program, correct the error and try the program again. If you purchased the program, report the problem to the dealer or publisher.
This message also might appear when you attempt to format a RAM disk with DOS 3.0 or 3.1. Make sure that you are formatting the correct disk and try again.
Do not specify filename(s) Command format: DISKCOMP [drive1: [drive2:]] [/1] [/8]
Error: You typed an incorrect switch or added one or more filenames with the DISKCOMP
command. DISKCOMP
syntax does not accept filenames on the command line.
Do not specify filename(s) Command Format: DISKCOPY [drive1: [drive2:]] [/1] [/V]
Error: You added an incorrect switch to the command or placed a filename in the command string. Retype the command and press Enter.
DOS is in HMA DOS is in low memory
DOS memory-arena error
Error: When you are using the DOS editor, this message indicates a serious memory error. If possible, save your work to a different file and reboot your computer.
Drive assignment syntax error
Error: INTERLNK
found a syntax error in its command line. Double-check the syntax by entering HELP INTERLNK
.
Drive types or diskette types not compatible
Error: When using DISKCOMP
or DISKCOPY
, you specified two drives of different capacities. You cannot use DISKCOMP
or DISKCOPY
, for example, from a 1.2MB drive to a 360KB drive. Retype the command using compatible drives.
Duplicate filename or file not found
Enter current volume label for drive d:
Warning: You are attempting to format a hard disk that has a volume label. Enter the exact volume label to proceed with the format; if you do not want to enter a volume label, press Enter and FORMAT
will quit.
Error in COUNTRY command
Warning (startup): The COUNTRY
command in CONFIG.SYS
is improperly phrased or has an incorrect country code or code page number. DOS continues to load but uses the default information for the COUNTRY
command.
After DOS has started, check the COUNTRY
line in your CONFIG.SYS
file. Make sure that the command is correctly phrased (with commas between the country code, code page, and COUNTRY.SYS
file) and that any given information is correct. If you detect an error in the line, edit the line, save the file, and restart DOS.
If you do not find an error, restart DOS. If the same message appears, edit CONFIG.SYS
. Re-enter the COUNTR
Y command and delete the old COUNTRY
line. The old line might contain some nonsense characters that DOS can see but that are not apparent to your text-editing program.
Error in EXE file
Error: DOS detected an error while attempting to load a program stored in an EXE file. The problem, which is in the relocation information DOS needs to load the program, might occur if the EXE file has been altered.
Restart DOS and try the program again, this time using a backup copy of the program. If the message appears again, the program is flawed. If you are using a purchased program, contact the dealer or publisher. If you wrote the program, issue LINK
to produce another copy of the program.
Error loading operating system
Error (startup): A disk error occurred when DOS was loading from the hard disk. DOS does not start.
Restart the computer. If the error occurs after several tries, restart DOS from the floppy disk drive. If the hard disk does not respond (that is, you cannot run DIR
or CHKDSK
without getting an error), you have a problem with the hard disk. Contact your dealer. If the hard disk does respond, place another copy of DOS on your hard disk by using SYS
. You also might need to copy COMMAND.COM
to the hard disk.
Increase to 15 or 20 the number of FILES
in the CONFIG.SYS
file of your startup disk. Restart DOS. If the error recurs, you might have a problem with the disk. Try a backup copy of the program. If the backup works, copy the backup over the offending file.
If an error occurs in the copying process, you have a flawed disk. If the problem is a floppy disk, copy the files from the flawed disk to another disk and reformat or discard the original disk. If the problem is the hard disk, immediately back up your files and run RECOVER
on the offending file. If the problem persists, your hard disk might be damaged.
Error reading directory
Error: During a FORMAT
procedure, DOS was unable to read the directory; bad sectors might have developed in the file allocation table (FAT) structure.
If the message occurs when DOS is reading a floppy disk, the disk is unusable and should be thrown away. If DOS cannot read your hard disk, however, the problem is more serious, and you might have to reformat your disk. Remember to back up your data files regularly to prevent major losses.
Error reading (or writing) partition table
Error: DOS could not read from (or write to) the disk's partition table during the FORMAT
operation because the partition table is corrupted. Run FDISK
on the disk and reformat the disk.
Error writing to file on remote system
Error: INTERSVR
has detected that the remote system (the one running INTERLNK
) has a write error. The most likely reason is that the remote disk is full.
Extended error
File allocation table bad, drive d
Abort, Retry, Fail?
Warning: DOS encountered a problem in the file allocation table of the disk in drive d
. Press R to retry several times; if the message recurs, press A to abort.
CHKDSK
can't repair this type of error in the file allocation table. If you have DOS 6.2, SCANDISK
might be capable of correcting this problem for you. Commercial third-party utility packages often include tools that can repair this problem as well. Otherwise, you will be forced to back up as many files as you can and then reformat the disk. If FORMAT
finds no errors, you can safely go back to using the disk.
File cannot be copied onto itself
Error: You attempted to copy a file to a disk and directory containing the same filename. This error often occurs when you misspell or omit parts of the source or destination drive, path, or filename. This error might occur also when you are using wildcard characters for filenames or when you use SUBST
. Check your spelling and the source and destination names, and then try the command again.
File creation error
Error: A program or DOS failed to add a new file to the directory or to replace an existing file.
If the file already exists, issue the ATTRIB
command to check whether the file is marked as read-only. If the read-only flag is set and you want to change or erase the file, remove the read-only flag with ATTRIB
; then try again. If the problem occurs when the read-only flag is not set, run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
without the /F
switch to determine whether the directory is full, the disk is full, or some other problem exists with the disk.
File not found
Filename device driver cannot be initialized
Warning (startup): In CONFIG.SYS
, the parameters in the device driver filename or the syntax of the DEVICE
line is incorrect. Check for incorrect parameters and phrasing errors in the DEVICE
line. Edit the DEVICE
line in the CONFIG.SYS
file, save the file, and restart DOS.
FIRST diskette bad or incompatible SECOND diskette bad or incompatible
Error: One of these messages might appear when you issue DISKCOMP
. The messages indicate that the FIRST
(source) or the SECOND
(target) floppy disk is unreadable or that the disks you are attempting to compare have different format densities.
Format not supported on drive x:
Formatting while copying
Information: DISKCOPY
displays this message as it copies data to an unformatted disk.
Illegal device name
Error: DOS does not recognize the device name you entered with the MODE
command.
Incorrect DOS version
Error: The copy of the file holding the command you just entered is from a different version of DOS.
Get a copy of the command from the correct version of DOS (usually from your copy of the DOS startup or master disk) and try the command again. If the disk you are using has been updated to hold new versions of DOS, copy the new versions over the old ones.
Insert disk with batch file and strike any key when ready
Insert disk with batch file into disk drive, and press a key to continue
Insert disk with COMMAND.COM in drive d and strike any key when ready
Prompt: DOS needs to reload COMMAND.COM
but cannot find it on the startup disk. If you are using floppy disks, the disk in drive d
(usually A) has probably been changed. Place a disk with a good copy of COMMAND.COM
in drive d
and press a key.
Insert diskette for drive x and press any key when ready
Prompt: On a system with one floppy disk drive or a system in which DRIVER.SYS
creates more than one logical disk drive from a physical disk drive, you or one of your programs specified a tandem disk drive x
(such as A or B) that is different from the current disk drive.
If the correct disk is in the disk drive, press a key. Otherwise, insert the correct disk into the floppy disk drive and then press a key.
Insufficient disk space
Warning, Error: The disk does not have enough free space to hold the file being written. All DOS programs terminate when this problem occurs, but some non-DOS programs continue.
If you think that the disk should have enough room to hold the file, run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
to determine whether the disk has a problem. When you terminate programs early by pressing Ctrl+Break, DOS might not be capable of doing the necessary cleanup work, leaving some disk space temporarily trapped. SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
can free these areas.
If you have simply run out of disk space, free some disk space or insert a different disk; then try the command again.
Insufficient memory to store macro. Use the DOSKEY command with the /BUFSIZE switch to increase available memory.
Warning: Your DOSKey macros have filled the total space set aside for them. You must enlarge the memory area for macros (the default is 512 bytes) by using the BUFSIZE
switch before you can enter any new macros.
Intermediate file error during pipe
Error: DOS cannot create or write to one or both of the intermediate files it uses when piping information between programs because the disk is full, the root directory of the current disk is full, or the TEMP
environment variable points to an illegal path. The most frequent cause is insufficient disk space.
Run DIR
on the root directory of the current disk drive to make sure that you have enough room in the root directory for two additional files. If you do not have enough room, make room by deleting or copying and deleting files. You also can copy the necessary files to a different disk that has sufficient room.
This error also might occur if a program is deleting files, including the temporary files DOS creates. In this case, correct the program, contact the dealer or program publisher, or avoid using the program with piping.
Internal stack overflow System halted
Error: Your programs and DOS have exhausted the stack, which is the memory space reserved for temporary use. This problem is usually caused by a rapid succession of hardware devices demanding attention. DOS stops, and the system must be turned off and on again to restart DOS.
The circumstances that cause this message are generally infrequent and erratic, and they might not recur. If you want to prevent this error from occurring, add the STACKS
command to your CONFIG.SYS
file. If the command is already in your CONFIG.SYS
file, increase the number of stacks specified.
Invalid /BAUD parameter
Warning: You have selected an illegal baud rate for either INTERLNK
or INTERSVR
. For example, you have /BAUD:9200
instead of /BAUD:9600
.
Invalid characters in volume label
Error: You attempted to enter more than 11 alphanumeric characters, or you entered illegal characters (+
, =
, /
, , and
|
, for example) when you typed the disk's volume label (the disk name). Retype the volume label with valid characters.
Invalid COMMAND.COM in drive d:
Warning: DOS tried to reload COMMAND.COM
from the disk in drive d
and found that the file was from a different version of DOS. Follow the instructions for inserting a disk with the correct version.
If you frequently use the disk that generated this warning message, copy the correct version of COMMAND.COM
to that disk.
Invalid COMMAND.COM, system halted
Error: DOS could not find COMMAND.COM
on the hard disk. DOS halts and must be restarted.
COMMAND.COM
might have been erased, or the COMSPEC
variable in the environment might have been changed. Restart the computer from the hard disk. If a message indicates that COMMAND.COM
is missing, the file was erased. Restart DOS from a floppy disk and copy COMMAND.COM
to the root directory of the hard disk or to the location your SHELL
command indicates, if you have placed this command in your CONFIG.SYS
file.
If you restart DOS and this message appears later, a program or batch file is erasing COMMAND.COM
or altering the COMSPEC
variable. If a program is erasing COMMAND.COM
, contact the dealer or publisher who sold you the program. If a batch file is erasing COMMAND.COM
, edit the batch file. If COMSPEC
is being altered, edit the offending batch file or program, or place COMMAND.COM
in the subdirectory your program or batch file expects.
Invalid COUNTRY code or code page
Warning (startup): The COUNTRY
code number or the code page number given to the COUNTRY
command in CONFIG.SYS
is incorrect or incompatible. DOS ignores the COUNTRY
command and continues the startup process.
Check the COUNTRY
command in your CONFIG.SYS
file (see Chapter 14, “Understanding the International Features of DOS”) to determine whether the correct and compatible country code and code page numbers are specified. If you detect an error, edit and save the file. Then restart DOS.
Invalid date
Error: You gave an impossible date or an invalid character to separate the month, day, and year. This message also appears if you enter the date from the keypad when it is not in numeric mode.
Invalid device parameters from device driver
Error: The partition did not fall on a track boundary. You might have set the DEVICE
drivers incorrectly in CONFIG.SYS
or attempted to format a hard disk formatted with DOS 2.x so that the total number of hidden sectors is not evenly divisible by the number of sectors on a track. Therefore, the partition might not start on a track boundary.
To correct the error, run FDISK
before formatting or check CONFIG.SYS
for a bad DEVICE
or DRIVPARM
command.
Invalid directory
Error: You specified a directory name that does not exist, you misspelled the directory name, the directory path is on a different disk, you did not give the path character () at the beginning of the name, or you did not separate the directory names with the path character. Check your directory names to make sure that the directory exists and try the command again.
Invalid disk change Abort, Retry, Fail?
Invalid drive in search path
Warning: You specified an invalid disk drive name in the PATH
command, or a disk drive you named is nonexistent or hidden temporarily by a SUBST
or JOIN
command.
Use PATH
to check the paths you instructed DOS to search. If you gave a nonexistent disk drive name, issue the PATH
command again with the correct search paths. If the problem is temporary because of a SUBST
or JOIN
command, you can run PATH
, leaving out or correcting the wrong entry. Or you can just ignore the warning message.
Invalid drive or file name
Invalid drive specification
Error: You entered an invalid or nonexistent disk drive as a parameter to a command; you specified the same disk drive for the source and destination; or by not giving a parameter, you defaulted to the same disk drive for the source and the destination.
Remember that some DOS commands (such as SUBST
and JOIN
) temporarily hide disk drive names while the command is in effect. Check the disk drive names. If the command is objecting to a missing parameter and defaulting to the wrong disk drive, name the correct disk drive explicitly.
Invalid drive specification Specified drive does not exist or is non-removable
Error: You gave the name of a nonexistent disk drive, you named the hard disk drive when using commands for only floppy disks, you did not give a disk drive name and defaulted to the hard disk when using commands for only floppy disks, or you named or defaulted to a RAM disk drive when using commands for a floppy disk.
Remember that certain DOS commands (such as SUBST
and JOIN
) temporarily hide disk drive names while the command is in effect. Check the disk drive name you gave and try the command again.
Invalid keyboard code specified
Error: You selected an invalid code. Enter the KEYB
command again with the correct keyboard code.
Invalid macro definition
Error: You entered an illegal character or command with DOSKey or attempted to create a DOSKey macro with an illegal definition. This message appears, for example, if you use a GOTO
command in a DOSKey macro. Correct any errors and carefully retype the macro.
Invalid media or Track 0 bad - disk unusable
Error: A disk you are trying to format might be damaged. A disk might not format the first time. Try to format again; if the same message appears, the disk is bad and should be discarded. With some versions of FORMAT
, this same symptom can be caused by memory boundary problems. If the symptom occurs for multiple floppy disks, try changing the number or sizes of TSRs to see whether the symptoms change.
Invalid number of parameters
Error: You have given too few or too many parameters to a command. One of the following occurred: You omitted required information, you omitted a colon immediately after the disk drive name, you inserted an extra space, you omitted a required space, or you omitted a slash (/
) in front of a switch.
Invalid parameter
Error: At least one parameter you entered for the command is not valid. One of the following occurred: You omitted required information, you omitted a colon immediately after the disk drive name, you inserted an extra space, you omitted a required space, you omitted a slash (/
) in front of a switch, or you used a switch the command does not recognize. For more information, check the explanation of this message in the “Command Reference” for the command you issued.
Invalid parameter combination
You typed conflicting parameters with a DOS command. Retype the command with only one of the conflicting switches.
Invalid partition table
Error (startup): DOS has detected a problem in the hard disk's partition information. Restart DOS from a floppy disk. Back up all files from the hard disk, if possible, and run FDISK
to correct the problem. If you change the partition information, you must reformat the hard disk and restore all its files.
Invalid path
Error: The pathname contains illegal characters, the pathname has more than 63 characters, or a directory name within the path is misspelled or does not exist.
Check the spelling of the pathname. If necessary, check the disk directory with DIR
to make sure that the directory you have specified exists and that you have specified the correct pathname. Make sure that the pathname contains no more than 63 characters. If necessary, change the current directory to a directory closer to the file to shorten the pathname.
Invalid path or file name
Error: You gave a directory name or filename that does not exist, specified the wrong directory name (a directory not on the path), or mistyped a name. COPY
aborts when it encounters an invalid path or filename. If you specified a wildcard for a filename, COPY
transfers all valid files before it issues the error message.
Check to see which files have been transferred. Determine whether the directory and filenames are spelled correctly and whether the path is correct. Then try again.
Invalid STACK parameters
Warning (startup): One of the following problems exists with the STACKS
command in your CONFIG.SYS
file. A comma is missing between the number of stacks and the size of the stack, the number of stack frames is not in the range of 8 to 64, the stack size is not in the range of 32 to 512, you have omitted the number of stack frames or the stack size, or the stack frame or the stack size (but not both) is 0. DOS continues to start but ignores the STACKS
command.
Check the STACKS
command in your CONFIG.SYS
file. Edit and save the file; then restart DOS.
Invalid time
Error: You gave an impossible time or invalid character to separate the hours, minutes, and seconds. This message also appears if you enter the time from the keypad when it is not in numeric mode.
Invalid volume ID
Memory allocation error Cannot load COMMAND, system halted
Error: A program destroyed the area where DOS keeps track of memory. You must restart DOS. If this error occurs again with the same program, the program has a flaw. Try a backup copy of the program. If the problem persists, contact the dealer or program publisher.
Missing operating system
Error (startup): The DOS hard disk partition entry is marked as bootable (capable of starting DOS), but the DOS partition does not contain a copy of DOS. DOS does not start.
Start DOS from a floppy disk. Issue the SYS C:
command to place DOS on the hard disk and then copy COMMAND.COM
to the disk. If this command fails to solve the problem, you must back up the existing files, if any, from the hard disk; then issue FORMAT /S
to place a copy of the operating system on the hard disk. If necessary, restore the files you backed up.
MSBACKUP program files must be located on your hard disk You cannot start MSBACKUP from a floppy disk
Error: MSBACKUP
relies on repeated access to its program files during the backup operation. You must start it from a hard disk so that the program files will be available throughout the process. Change the default drive to the hard disk before starting MSBACKUP
.
Must enter both /T and /N parameters
Error: On FORMAT
, you must specify /T
(number of tracks per side) and /N
(number of sectors per disk) on the same command line. If you include the one, you must include the other.
Must specify COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4
Error: You must specify COM1
, COM2
, COM3
, or COM4
when using this form of the MODE
command.
No drive letters redirected
No free file handles Cannot start COMMAND, exiting
Error: DOS could not load an additional copy of COMMAND.COM
because no file handles were available. Edit the CONFIG.SYS
file on your startup disk to increase by five the number of file handles (using the FILES
command). Restart DOS and try the command again.
No printer ports redirected
Information: INTERLNK
isn't currently redirecting any printer ports to the remote system.
No room for system on destination disk
Error: This error isn't nearly so prevalent in DOS 6.0 or 6.2 as it was in previous versions. SYS
rearranges the files as needed to make a system bootable but issues this error if insufficient room is available or if the root directory is full.
No serial ports were found
No system on default drive
Error: SYS
cannot find the system files. Insert a disk containing the system files, such as the DOS disk, and type the command again. If the system files are available on another drive, issue the other form of the SYS
command, indicating the location of the system files.
Non-System disk or disk error Replace and strike any key when ready
Error (startup): Your disk does not contain IO.SYS
and MSDOS.SYS
, or a read error occurred when you started the system. DOS does not start.
If you are using a floppy disk system, insert a bootable disk into drive A and press a key. The most frequent cause of this message on hard disk systems is leaving a nonbootable disk in drive A with the door closed. Open the door to disk drive A and press a key. DOS boots from the hard disk.
Not enough memory Insufficient memory
Error: The computer does not have enough free RAM to execute the program or command. If you loaded a resident program, such as PRINT
, GRAPHICS
, SideKick, or ProKey, restart DOS and try the command again before loading any resident programs. If this method fails to solve the problem, remove any nonessential device drivers or RAM disk software from CONFIG.SYS
and restart DOS. If this option also fails, your computer does not have enough memory for this command. You must increase the amount of RAM installed in your computer to run the command.
Out of environment space
Warning: Not enough room is available in the current environment to add (or change) the variables you have specified with the SET
, PATH
, or PROMPT
command. If you are running SET
, PATH
, or PROMPT
from a shell program such as DOS Shell, quit the shell program and try the command again. If the command still fails, you can increase the size of the environment by increasing the /E:
size
parameter for the SHELL=
command in your CONFIG.SYS
file and restarting your computer.
Out of memory
Packed file corrupt
Error: The program appears to be damaged. A common cause of this symptom is older format-packed executables, which could not load into the first 64KB of conventional memory. With older operating system versions, the resident portion of the system generally used enough memory that this wasn't a problem. In DOS 5.0, 6.0, and 6.2, the DOS=HIGH
, DEVICEHIGH
, and LOADHIGH
features can reduce memory usage enough that this problem occurs with certain programs. Use the LOADFIX
command to use up enough memory temporarily so that the program is loaded at a location it can manage.
Parameters not supported Parameters not supported by drive
Error: You entered parameters that do not exist, that are not supported by the DOS version you are running, or that are incompatible with the specified disk drive. Run VER
to determine whether the current DOS version supports the parameters (or switches) you specified.
Parameters not compatible with fixed disk
Parse Error
Error: COMMAND.COM
has detected an error but cannot tell you the normal error message because the floppy disk containing COMMAND.COM
is missing. (This error doesn't generally occur on a hard disk system.) To avoid these “anonymous” errors, use the /MSG
switch on the SHELL=
line of CONFIG.SYS
.
Path not found
Error: A specified file or directory path does not exist. You might have misspelled the filename or directory name, or you might have omitted a path character () between directory names or between the final directory name and the filename. Another possibility is that the file or directory does not exist in the place specified. Check these possibilities and try again.
Path too long
Program too big to fit in memory
Error: The computer does not have enough memory to load the program or command you invoked. If you have any resident programs loaded (such as PRINT
, GRAPHICS
, or SideKick), restart DOS and try the command again without loading the resident programs. If this message appears again, reduce the number of buffers (BUFFERS
) in the CONFIG.SYS
file, eliminate nonessential device drivers or RAM disk software, and restart DOS. If the problem persists, your computer does not have enough RAM for the program or command. You must increase the amount of RAM in your computer to run the program.
Required parameter missing
Error: Many DOS commands give this error when you omit part of the parameter list. You might have specified only a single name with the MOVE
command, for example.
Same parameter entered twice
Sector size too large in file filename
Error: The device driver filename
that you are loading in your CONFIG.SYS
file with a DEVICE=
or DEVICEHIGH=
command uses a sector size that is too large. You cannot use this device driver.
SOURCE diskette bad or incompatible
Error: The disk you attempted to read during a copy process was damaged or in the wrong format (for example, a high-density disk in a double-density disk drive). DOS cannot read the disk.
Specified COM port number not recognized by BIOS
Error: The port number is legal, but your ROM BIOS doesn't support it. Generally, this problem can happen with an older BIOS that supports only two COM ports. Either replace the computer's ROM BIOS or specify COM1
or COM2
.
Syntax error
Target diskette bad or incompatible Target diskette may be unusable Target diskette unusable
Error: A problem exists with the target disk. DOS does not recognize the format of the target disk in the drive, or the disk is defective. Make sure that the target disk is the same density as the source disk, run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
on the target disk to determine the problem, or try to reformat the disk before proceeding with the disk copy operation.
Target media has lower capacity than Source Continue anyway (Y/N)?
Warning: The target disk can hold fewer bytes of data than the source disk. The most likely cause is bad sectors on the target disk. If you press Y
, some data on the source disk might not fit on the target disk.
To avoid the possibility of an incomplete transfer of data, press N
and insert a disk with the same capacity as the source disk. If you are not copying “hidden” files, you also can issue the COPY *.*
command to transfer files.
There are no serial ports or parallel ports available for communication
Error: INTRSVR
cannot find any serial ports or parallel ports not already in use. Without such a port, INTRSVR
cannot communicate with INTRLNK
.
There is not enough room to create a restore file You will not be able to use the unformat utility Proceed with Format (Y/N)?
Warning: The disk lacks sufficient room to create a restore file. Without this file, you cannot use UNFORMAT
to reverse the format you are attempting.
This program requires Microsoft Windows
Error: At the DOS prompt, you tried to run a program that needs Microsoft Windows to execute. If you are already running Windows, press Alt+Tab to switch to the Program Manager and start it from there. If you haven't started Windows, use WIN
to do so.
Too many block devices
Warning (startup): Your CONFIG.SYS
file contains too many DEVICE
commands. DOS continues to start but does not install additional device drivers.
DOS can handle only 26 block devices. The block devices created by the DEVICE
commands plus the number of block devices automatically created by DOS exceed this number. Remove any unnecessary DEVICE
commands from your CONFIG.SYS
file and restart DOS.
Too many parallel ports, port ignored
Warning: INTERLNK
cannot automatically scan this many parallel ports. The earlier ones will be used.
Too many serial ports, port ignored
Warning: INTERLNK
cannot automatically scan this many serial ports. The earlier ones will be used.
Top level process aborted, cannot continue
Error (startup): COMMAND.COM
or another DOS command detected a disk error, and you chose the A
(abort) option. DOS cannot finish starting itself, and the system halts.
Try to start DOS again. If the error recurs, start DOS from a floppy disk (if starting from the hard disk) or from a different floppy disk (if starting from a floppy disk). After DOS has started, issue the SYS
command to place another copy of the operating system on the disk and copy COMMAND.COM
to the disk. If DOS reports an error while copying, the disk is bad. Reformat or discard the floppy disk or back up and reformat the hard disk.
Trying to recover allocation unit nnn
Information, Warning: A bad allocation unit was found when the FORMAT
command executed.
Unable to create destination
Error: MOVE
was unable to create the destination file. Possible reasons are that the destination drive is full or that the destination is the root directory, which lacks room.
Unable to create directory
Error: You or a program could not create a directory for one of the following reasons. A directory by the same name already exists; a file by the same name already exists; you are adding a directory to the root directory, and the root directory is full; or the directory name has illegal characters or is a device name.
Issue DIR
to make sure that no file or directory already exists with the same name. If you are adding the directory to the root directory, remove or move (copy and then erase) any nonessential files or directories. Check the spelling of the directory name and make sure that the command is properly phrased.
Unable to initialize serial port COMn
Error: INTRSVR
was unable to initialize the specified serial port. The most common reason is that two devices in the system have the same port address.
Unable to load MS-DOS Shell, Retry (y/n)?
Error, Prompt: DOSSHELL.COM
could not load DOSSHELL.EXE
. Normally, this error is caused by not having enough conventional memory. If you are attempting to run DOSSHELL
from another program, quit the program and try again.
A less likely cause for this error message is that the DOSSHELL.EXE
file is corrupted. If you have plenty of conventional memory available (MEM /FREE
), get a fresh copy of DOSSHELL.EXE
from a backup disk.
Unable to open source
Error: MOVE
was unable to open the specified source file. This problem could be the result of an illegal character used in the filename, but the more common cause is trying to move a directory to a different place in the disk hierarchy. You can rename a directory by using the MOVE
command but not actually move it.
Unable to read source
Error: A disk problem occurred while transferring the data from the source file to the destination. Use COPY
to copy the file, compare it, and then delete the original.
Unable to write BOOT
Error: FORMAT
cannot write to the BOOT
track or DOS partition of the disk that is being formatted because one of these areas is bad. Discard the bad disk, insert another unformatted disk, and try the FORMAT
command again.
Unable to write destination
Unrecognized command in CONFIG.SYS
Error in CONFIG.SYS line nnn
Warning (startup): DOS detected an improperly phrased command in CONFIG.SYS
. The command is ignored, and DOS continues to start. Examine the indicated line in the CONFIG.SYS
file, looking for an improperly phrased or incorrect command. Edit the line, save the file, and restart DOS.
Unrecognized switch
Error: You tried to use a switch that was illegal for the particular internal command. Type the command followed by /?
to find out what options are permitted.
Unrecoverable read error on drive x side n, track n
Error: DOS was unable to read the data at the specified location on the disk. DOS makes four attempts before generating this message. Copy all files on the questionable disk to another disk and try the command again, first with a new disk and then with the backup disk. If the original disk cannot be reformatted, discard it.
Unrecoverable transmission errors, maximum retries exceeded
Error: INTRSVR
is getting excessive errors on the communications cable to INTERLNK
. Check that the connections are screwed in tightly and that the cable is not routed too close to electrical interference, such as an arc welder.
Unrecoverable write error on drive x side n, track n
Error: DOS was unable to write to a disk at the location specified. Try the command again; if the error recurs, the target disk is damaged at that location. If the damaged disk contains important data, copy the files to an empty, freshly formatted disk and try to reformat the damaged disk. If the disk is bad, discard it.
WARNING: Unable to use a disk cache on the specified drive
Warning: You specified a drive that SMARTDRV
cannot cache, such as a network drive. The version of SMARTDRV
distributed with DOS 6.2 can cache CD-ROM drives, but previous versions cannot. SMARTDRV
ignores this drive letter.
Write failure, diskette unusable
You have started the Interlnk server in a task-switching environment. Task-switching, key combinations, and some disk-writing operations are Disabled. To restore these functions, exit the server.
Warning: INTERLNK
cannot permit certain operations to occur while it is in control. One of these is the DOSSHELL
capability to switch tasks. If INTERLNK
was swapped while communicating with INTERSVR
, you might lose data. INTERLNK
therefore inhibits these operations until it is complete.
You must specify the host drive for a DoubleSpace drive
When DOS detects an error reading or writing to a disk drive or device, one of the error messages in this section is displayed. Most of these messages are followed by this prompt:
Abort, Ignore, Retry, Fail?
You can enter one of the following characters to indicate the action that you want DOS to take:
Many of the error messages have a similar format, as follows:
error_type reading|writing drive|device
error_type
indicates the type of disk or device error that has occurred. drive
indicates the disk drive where the error occurred. device
indicates the device (AUX
, CON
, PRN
, and so on) where the error occurred.
Each type of error can occur when either reading or writing to a disk or device. Rather than list all four possibilities for each error message, only the most common ones are shown in the text:
Invalid device request reading drive x: Invalid device request writing drive x:
Error: This error message is uncommon. A software program has issued an invalid or unsupported command to the drive or device indicated. The problem might be with the device driver or software program. If either of them is new to your system, contact the manufacturer of the software to see whether an upgrade is available.
Invalid device request parameters reading drive x: Invalid device request parameters writing drive x:
Invalid unit reading drive x:
Error: An invalid subunit number was passed to the device driver. This error is displayed if you try to access one of INTERLNK
's drives when the drive letter isn't currently redirected to the INTERLNK
server. Use the INTERLNK
command to link the drive letter to a drive on the server and try again.
Data error reading drive x:
Error: DOS was unable to read some of the data on the disk. When this message appears, choose Retry at least two or three times before giving up. Quit the application you are using and run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
to attempt to locate and correct the problem on the disk.
Not ready reading drive x: Not ready writing drive x:
Error: An error occurred when DOS tried to read or write to the disk drive. For floppy disk drives, the drive door might be open, the floppy disk might not be fully inserted, or the disk might not be formatted. Correct the situation and choose Retry. For hard disk drives, this error might indicate a hardware problem. If you get this error for a device rather than a disk drive, check to see that the device is turned on and ready to read or write.
FCB unavailable reading drive x: FCB unavailable writing drive x:
Error: A program using file control blocks (FCBs) attempted to open more file control blocks than were specified with the FCBS=
command. Usually, you have to choose the Abort option and terminate the program you are using. Increase the value of the FCBS=
command in your CONFIG.SYS
file by four or five; then reboot the system. If the message appears again, increase the value again and reboot.
This method of opening files dates back to DOS 1 and CP/M and should not be used by any current programs that you work with.
General failure reading drive x: General failure writing drive x:
Error: This message is a catchall for errors not covered elsewhere and can occur with disk drives or other devices. Whenever a device driver is unsure of what to call the error it has just received, it calls the error a general failure. Reading disks formatted for operating systems other than DOS can often result in a general failure message.
If you load the file-sharing SHARE.EXE
program into memory, you might see this message more often. SHARE
prevents two programs from opening the same file at the same time. Newer programs recognize that SHARE
is denying them access, but others might return general failure messages. If you are running Windows and receive this message in a DOS program, don't panic. It probably means that another application has a file open, and you are being denied access.
Lock violation reading drive x: Lock violation writing drive x:
Error: With a file-sharing program such as SHARE.EXE
or network software loaded, a program attempted to access a locked file. Your best choice is Retry. If you are on a network, get a cup of coffee and choose Retry again to see whether the other user has released the lock yet. If you just can't seem to get access to the file, choose Fail. The program you are using might notice the failure and ask you what to do about it. The last resort is to choose Abort, but be aware that any unsaved data in memory will be lost when the program is terminated.
Sharing violation reading drive x: Sharing violation writing drive x:
Error: With a file-sharing program such as SHARE.EXE
or network software loaded, a program attempted to access a file that is in use by another program. Your best choice is Retry. If you are on a network, get a cup of coffee and then choose Retry again to see whether the file is available yet. If you can't get access to the file, choose Fail. The program you are using might notice the failure and ask you what to do about it. The last resort is to choose Abort, but be aware that any unsaved data in memory will be lost when the program is terminated.
Printer out of paper error writing device dev
Invalid media type reading drive x: Invalid media type writing drive x:
Error: The boot sector or the file allocation table (FAT) of the disk contains invalid information, making the disk unusable. If you come into contact with computers using operating systems other than DOS, you might be trying to read one of their disks.
When you are sure that the disk is a DOS disk, run SCANDISK
or CHKDSK
to see whether it can be repaired. Even if the repair is successful, you should back up all the files on the disk and reformat it. If FORMAT
finds no errors, you can safely begin using the disk again.
Not ready reading drive x: Not ready writing drive x:
Error: This error message is common. It usually means that you've left open the door to your floppy disk drive. Other common causes are that the drive is empty or the disk isn't seated properly. Check the drive or reinsert the disk, and then choose Retry. If you can't get a floppy disk drive to read any disks that you put in it, you might have a hardware problem.
Read fault error reading drive x:
Error: DOS was unable to read data from the drive. Often this problem is caused by a floppy disk that isn't seated properly in the drive, or you might have a bad spot on the disk. Reinsert the disk and choose Retry. Usually, the read operation succeeds after you choose Retry a few times. Check the disk by running SCANDISK
to make sure that no errors appear on it, or back up any files and reformat the disk.
If you begin to get several of these errors, your floppy disk drive might be out of alignment. When this problem occurs, people typically start complaining that they can't read your disks. If your drive is out of alignment, your only options are to repair or replace the drive.
Sector not found reading drive x: Sector not found writing drive x:
Error: The disk drive was unable to find the requested sector on the disk. This error is usually the result of a defective spot on the disk. Choose Retry quite a few times before you give up; often the sector will be found if you're persistent. Check the disk by running SCANDISK
to make sure that no errors appear on it, or back up any files and reformat the disk.
Some copy-protection schemes use a defective spot to prevent unauthorized duplication of the disk. If you have reason to believe that the disk you are reading or writing to is copy-protected, do not correct the disk by running SCANDISK
. Contact the manufacturer of the copy-protected software and ask for a replacement disk.
Seek error reading drive x: Seek error writing drive x:
Error: The disk drive could not find the proper track on the disk. Seek errors are often the result of failing drive electronics. If, however, the disk is not properly seated in the drive, reseating it corrects the problem. Choose Retry a few times to see whether the problem goes away. If you are having a hardware problem, you will get more of these errors as time goes on and will eventually have to repair or replace your disk drive.
Write fault error writing drive x:
Error: DOS was unable to write data to the drive. Often this problem is caused by a floppy disk that isn't seated properly in the drive, or you might have a bad spot on the disk. Reinsert the disk and choose Retry. The write operation usually succeeds after you choose Retry a few times. Check the disk by running SCANDISK
to make sure that no errors appear on it, or back up any files and reformat the disk.
If you begin to get several of these errors, your floppy disk drive might be out of alignment. When this problem occurs, people typically start complaining that they can't read your disks. If your drive is out of alignment, your only options are repair or replacement.
Write fault error writing device dev
Write protect error writing drive x:
Error: DOS attempted to write to a disk that is write-protected. If the disk is a floppy and the write operation is intentional, remove the disk, adjust the write-protect tab, and reinsert the disk. Don't switch floppy disks at this prompt. To allow the write operation to proceed, make sure that the disk is no longer write-protected and choose Retry. If you don't want to allow the program to write to the disk, choose Fail or, as a last resort, Abort. Remember that if you choose Abort, any unsaved data in memory will be lost.
Invalid disk change reading drive x: Invalid disk change writing drive x:
Error: You have removed a disk that DOS needs access to. This message can occur only with removable media, such as floppy disks. Unfortunately, DOS doesn't tell you what disk it needs; it tells you only the drive. Think back, put the previous disk back in the drive, and choose Retry. Choosing any other option might mean that the disk that was prematurely removed might be damaged or incomplete. Never choose Fail or Abort at this message without first removing all media from the disk drive because DOS could write the wrong file allocation table (FAT) to that disk and destroy all the data on it.
18.118.37.154