Microsoft KB Archive/257404

= DOS Command Line Is Missing the First Character =

Article ID: 257404

Article Last Modified on 1/27/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2

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This article was previously published under Q257404



SYMPTOMS
MS-DOS programs that use command-line arguments may work improperly and may indicate that they are receiving a command line that is missing the first character.



CAUSE
The command-line tail length is at offset 0x80 in the MS-DOS program segment prefix (PSP). Offset 0x81 has a blank in it. The actual content of the tail starts at offset 0x82. Some old MS-DOS compilers, including the Microsoft Fortran for MS-DOS version 5.1 compiler and the Microsoft Pascal compiler, assume that offset 0x81 is the initial character of the command-line tail instead of offset 0x82.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

  Date         Time      Size     File name ---  03-DEC-2001  19:09     50,620   Command.com



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, change the routine that gets the command-line tail so that it starts with offset 0x81 from the PSP instead of offset 0x82.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.



MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot

For additional information about how to install Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

249149 Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes

Additional query words: kbAppCompatability kbAppCompatibility

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbwin2000presp3fix kbappcompatibility kbqfe kbwin2000sp3fix kbhotfixserver KB257404

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