[Toc][Index]

Error Messages


This section lists error messages generated by CMD.EXE, and includes a 
recommended course of action where appropriate.  If you are unable to 
resolve the problem, look through your Introduction and Installation Guide 
for any additional troubleshooting recommendations, then contact JP 
Software for technical support. 
Error messages relating to files are generally reports of errors returned 
by OS/2.  You may find some of these messages (for example, "Access 
denied") vague enough that they are not always helpful.  CMD.EXE includes 
the file name in file error messages, but is often unable to determine a 
more accurate explanation of these errors.  The message shown is the best 
information available based on the error codes returned by OS/2. 
The following list includes all error messages, in alphabetical order: 
Access denied:  You tried to write to or erase a read-only file, rename a 
file or directory to an existing name, create a directory that already 
exists, remove a read-only directory or a directory with files or 
subdirectories still in it, or access a file in use by another program in 
a multitasking system. 
Alias loop:  An alias refers back to itself either directly or indirectly 
(i.e., a = b = a), or aliases are nested more than 16 levels deep. 
 Correct your alias list. 
Already excluded files:  You used more than one exclude range in a 
command.  Combine the exclusions into a single range. 
Bad disk unit:  Generally caused by a disk drive hardware failure. 
Batch file missing:  CMD.EXE can't find the batch (.BTM or .CMD ) file it 
was running.  It was either deleted, renamed, moved, or the disk was 
changed.  Correct the problem and rerun the file. 
Can't copy file to itself:  You cannot COPY or MOVE a file to itself. 
 CMD.EXE attempts to perform full path and filename expansion before 
copying to help ensure that files aren't inadvertently destroyed. 
Can't create:  CMD.EXE can't create the specified file.  The disk may be 
full or write protected, or the file already exists and is read-only, or 
the root directory is full. 
Can't delete:  CMD.EXE can't delete the specified file or directory.  The 
disk is probably write protected. 
Can't get directory:  CMD.EXE can't read the directory.  The disk drive is 
probably not ready. 
Can't install hook:  CMD.EXE cannot install the operating system hooks 
required to support the KEYSTACK command.  The operating system may have 
been damaged or improperly installed, or there may be too few resources to 
support KEYSTACK. 
Can't make directory entry:  CMD.EXE can't create the filename in the 
directory.  This is usually caused by a full root directory. Create a 
subdirectory and move some of the files to it. 
Can't open:  CMD.EXE can't open the specified file.  Either the file 
doesn't exist or the disk directory or File Allocation Table is damaged. 
Can't remove current directory:  You attempted to remove the current 
directory, which OS/2 does not allow.  Change to the parent directory and 
try again. 
CD-ROM door open or CD-ROM not ready:  The CD-ROM drive door is open, the 
power is off, or the drive is disconnected.  Correct the problem and try 
again. 
CD-ROM not High Sierra or ISO-9660:  The CD-ROM is not recognized as a 
data CD (it may be a music CD).  Put the correct CD in the drive and try 
again. 
Clipboard is empty or not text format:  You tried to retrieve some text 
from the OS/2 clipboard, but there is no text available.  Correct the 
contents of the clipboard and try again. 
Clipboard is in use by another program:  CMD.EXE could not access the OS/2 
clipboard because another program was using it.  Wait until the clipboard 
is available, or complete any pending action in the other program, then 
try again. 
Command line too long:  A single command exceeded 1023 characters, or the 
entire command line exceeded 2047 characters, during alias and variable 
expansion.  Reduce the complexity of the command or use a batch file. 
 Also check for an alias which refers back to itself either directly or 
indirectly. 
Command only valid in batch file:  You have tried to use a batch file 
command, like DO or GOSUB, from the command line or in an alias.  A few 
commands can only be used in batch files (see the individual commands for 
details). 
Contents lost before copy:  COPY was appending files, and found one of the 
source files is the same as the destination.  That source file is skipped, 
and appending continues with the next file. 
Data error:  OS/2 can't read or write properly to the device.  On a floppy 
drive, this error is usually caused by a defective floppy disk, dirty disk 
drive heads, or a misalignment between the heads on your drive and the 
drive on which the disk was created.  On a hard drive, this error may 
indicate a drive that is too hot or too cold, or a hardware problem. 
 Retry the operation; if it fails again, correct the hardware or diskette 
problem. 
Directory stack empty:  POPD or DIRS can't find any entries in the 
directory stack. 
Disk is write protected:  The disk cannot be written to.  Check the disk 
and remove the write-protect tab or close the write- protect window if 
necessary. 
Drive not ready -- close door:  The removable disk drive door is open. 
 Close the door and try again. 
Duplicate redirection:  You tried to redirect standard input, standard 
output, or stand error more than once in the same command. 
Environment already saved:  You have already saved the environment with a 
previous SETLOCAL command.  You cannot nest SETLOCAL / ENDLOCAL pairs. 
Error in command-line directive:  You used the //iniline option to place 
an CMD.INI directive on the startup command line, but the directive is in 
error.  Usually a more specific error message follows, and can be looked 
up in this list. 
Error on line [nnnn] of [filename]:  There is an error in your CMD.INI 
file.  The following message explains the error in more detail.  Correct 
the line in error and restart CMD.EXE for your change to take effect. 
Error reading:  OS/2 experienced an I/O error when reading from a device. 
 This is usually caused by a bad disk, a device not ready, or a hardware 
error. 
Error writing:  OS/2 experienced an I/O error when writing to a device. 
 This is usually caused by a full disk, a bad disk, a device not ready, or 
a hardware error. 
Exceeded batch nesting limit:  You have attempted to nest batch files more 
than 10 levels deep. 
File Allocation Table bad:  OS/2  can't access the FAT on the specified 
disk.  This can be caused by a bad disk, a hardware error, or an unusual 
software interaction. 
File exists:  The requested output file already exists, and CMD.EXE won't 
overwrite it. 
File is empty:  You attempted to use an empty file in @SELECT.  Correct 
the file name or contents and try again. 
File not found:  CMD.EXE couldn't find the specified file.  Check the 
spelling and path name. 
General failure:  This is usually a hardware problem, particularly a disk 
drive failure or a device not properly connected to a serial or parallel 
port.  Try to correct the problem, or reboot and try again.  Also see Data 
error above. 
Include file not found:  You used the Include directive in the CMD.INI 
file, but the file you specified was not found or could not be opened. 
Include files nested too deep:  You used the Include directive in the 
CMD.INI file, and attempted to nest include files more than three levels 
deep. 
Infinite COPY or MOVE loop:  You tried to COPY or MOVE a directory to one 
of its own subdirectories and used the /S switch, so the command would run 
forever.  Correct the command and try again. 
Insufficient disk space:  COPY or MOVE ran out of room on the destination 
drive.  Remove some files and retry the operation. 
Invalid character value:  You gave an invalid value for a character 
directive in the CMD.INI file. 
Invalid choice value:  You gave an invalid value for a "choice" directive 
(one that accepts a choice from a list, like "Yes" or "No") in the CMD.INI 
file. 
Invalid color:  You gave an invalid value for a color directive in the 
CMD.INI file. 
Invalid count:  The character repeat count for KEYSTACK is incorrect. 
Invalid date:  An invalid date was entered.  Check the syntax and reenter. 

Invalid directive name:  CMD.EXE can't recognize the name of a directive 
in your CMD.INI file. 
Invalid drive:  A bad or non-existent disk drive was specified. 
Invalid key name:  You tried to make an invalid key substitution in the 
CMD.INI file, or you used an invalid key name in a keystroke alias or 
command.  Correct the error and retry the operation. 
Invalid numeric value:  You gave an invalid value for a numeric directive 
in the CMD.INI file. 
Invalid parameter:  CMD.EXE didn't recognize a parameter.  Check the 
syntax and spelling of the command you entered. 
Invalid path:  The specified path does not exist.  Check the disk 
specification and/or spelling. 
Invalid path or file name:  You used an invalid path or filename in a 
directive in the CMD.INI file. 
Invalid time:  An invalid time was entered.  Check the syntax and reenter. 

Keystroke substitution table full:  CMD.EXE ran out of room to store 
keystroke substitutions entered in the CMD.INI file.  Reduce the number of 
key substitutions or contact JP Software or your dealer for assistance. 
Label not found:  A GOTO or GOSUB referred to a non-existent label. Check 
your batch file. 
Missing ENDTEXT:  A TEXT command is missing a matching ENDTEXT.  Check the 
batch file. 
Missing GOSUB:  CMD.EXE cannot perform the RETURN command in a batch file. 
 You tried to do a RETURN without a GOSUB, or your batch file has been 
corrupted. 
Missing SETLOCAL:  An ENDLOCAL was used without a matching SETLOCAL. 
No aliases defined:  You tried to display aliases but no aliases have been 
defined. 
No closing quote:  CMD.EXE couldn't find a second matching back quote [`] 
or double-quote ["] on the command line. 
No expression:  The expression passed to the @EVAL variable function is 
empty.  Correct the expression and retry the operation. 
No room for INI file name:  CMD.EXE does not have enough space to pass the 
name of your CMD.INI file to secondary shells; see String area overflow 
for more details.  Any [Secondary] section in CMD.INI will be ignored in 
secondary shells until the problem is corrected and the system or session 
is restarted. 
No shared memory found:  The SHRALIAS command could not find any global 
alias list, history list, or directory history list to retain, because you 
executed the command from a session with local lists.  Start CMD.EXE with 
at least one global list, then invoke SHRALIAS. 
Not a windowed session:  You tried to use the WINDOW command in a 
full-screen session.  WINDOW is valid only in windowed sessions. 
Not an alias:  The specified alias is not in the alias list. 
Not in environment:  The specified variable is not in the environment. 
Not ready:  The specified device can't be accessed. 
Not same device:  This error usually appears in RENAME.  You cannot rename 
a file to a different disk drive. 
Out of memory:  CMD.EXE or OS/2 had insufficient memory to execute the 
last command.  Try to free some memory by closing other sessions.  If the 
error persists, contact JP Software for assistance. 
Out of paper:  OS/2 detected an out-of-paper condition on one of the 
printers.  Check your printer and add paper if necessary. 
Overflow:  An arithmetic overflow occurred in the @EVAL variable function. 
 Check the values being passed to @EVAL.  @EVAL can handle 16 digits to 
the left of the decimal point and 8 to the right. 
Read error:  OS/2 encountered a disk read error; usually caused by a bad 
or unformatted disk.  Also see Data error above. 
Sector not found:  Disk error, usually caused by a bad or unformatted 
disk.  Also see Data error above. 
Seek error:  OS/2 can't seek to the proper location on the disk.  This is 
generally caused by a bad disk or drive.  Also see Data error above. 
Sharing violation:  You tried to access a file in use by another program 
in a multitasking system or on a network.  Wait for the file to become 
available, or change your method of operation so that another program does 
not have the file open while you are trying to use it. 
SHRALIAS already loaded:  You used the SHRALIAS command to load 
SHRALIAS.EXE, but it was already loaded.  This message is informational 
and generally does not indicate an error condition. 
SHRALIAS not loaded:  You used the SHRALIAS /U command to unload 
SHRALIAS.EXE, but it was never loaded.  This message is informational and 
may not indicate an error condition. 
String area overflow:  CMD.EXE ran out of room to store the text from 
string directives in the CMD.INI file.  Reduce the complexity of the 
CMD.INI file or contact JP Software for assistance. 
Syntax error:  A command or variable function was entered in an improper 
format.  Check the syntax and correct the error. 
Too many open files:  OS/2 has run out of file handles. Try increasing the 
FILES setting in CONFIG.SYS. 
Unbalanced parentheses:  The number of left and right parentheses did not 
match in an expression passed to the @EVAL variable function.  Correct the 
expression and retry the operation. 
Unknown command:  A command was entered that CMD.EXE didn't recognize and 
couldn't find in the current search path.  Check the spelling or PATH 
specification.  You can handle unknown commands with the UNKNOWN_CMD alias 
(see ALIAS). 
UNKNOWN_CMD loop:  The UNKNOWN_CMD alias (see ALIAS) called itself more 
than ten times.  The alias probably contains an unknown command itself, 
and is stuck in an infinite loop.  Correct the alias. 
Variable loop:  A nested environment variable refers to itself, or 
variables are nested more than 16 deep.  Correct the error and retry the 
command. 
Warning:  Can't load CMD.EXEDLL:  CMD.EXE cannot find CMD.EXEDLL.DLL, a 
library used to support the BEGINLIBPATH and ENDLIBPATH "environment 
variables" under OS/2 Warp.  CMD.EXEDLL.DLL must be in the CMD.EXE 
directory, or on a directory listed in the LIBPATH setting in CONFIG.SYS. 
 If it is not, BEGINLIBPATH and ENDLIBPATH will not be available, but all 
other CMD.EXE functions will operate normally. 
Write error:  OS/2 encountered a disk write error; usually caused by a bad 
or unformatted disk.  Also see Data error above. 

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