Err Msg: There Was an Error Writing to the File DOSSHELL.INI (75670)


The information in this article applies to:
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0a
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.0
This article was previously published under Q75670

SUMMARY

When you run an application under MS-DOS Shell, the following initialization file error is displayed if the path to the DOSSHELL.INI file is not set correctly:

There was an error writing to the file DOSSHELL.INI. Changes were not saved to disk at this time.
Your computer may stop responding (hang) at this point or may display one of the following messages when you press ENTER:

Unable to load COMMAND.COM (or DOSSWAP.EXE). Retry? (Y/N)

-or-



Unable to load MS-DOS Shell. Retry? (Y/N)

MORE INFORMATION

Check to make sure the DOSSHELL.INI file is residing in the same directory as your other MS-DOS 5.0 commands. Check the PATH statement to make sure it is correctly typed. In most cases, it is C:\DOS. (A path written as C:DOS causes the above problem.)

If the above action does not clear up the problem, other steps to try are as follows:
    • Make sure Task Swapper is disabled.
    • Do a CHKDSK and check for any lost clusters or allocation units, and also to see if you are low on disk space.
    • If all fails, try re-expanding over the DOSSHELL.INI file from the MS-DOS 5.0 or 6.0 disks.
For more information on expanding files, query on the following words:

<MS-DOS version number> and EXPAND

Modification Type: Major Last Reviewed: 10/13/2003
Keywords: KB75670
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.