Microsoft KB Archive/36578

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"Bad File Mode" Loading 4.50 Fast Load Format File into 4.00

Article ID: 36578

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006

This article was previously published under Q36578

SUMMARY

Files saved in the (default) Fast-Load-and-Save format of Microsoft QuickBasic Version 4.50 cannot be used (are not downwards-compatible) with QuickBasic Version 4.00 or 4.00b. The error message "bad file mode" indicates that the QuickBasic Version 4.50 tokenized file is different than expected by Version 4.00 or 4.00b. You will need to first save QuickBasic Version 4.50 files as text before loading them into QuickBasic Version 4.00 or 4.00b.

Fast-Load-format files saved by QuickBasic Version 4.00 are generally upwardly compatible with Version 4.50, but it is recommended to always have a backup in ASCII text format for all files.

Microsoft Technical Support does not recommend using Fast-Load-and-Save format. Instead, always save with Text format, to avoid the chance of problems. To read about possible problems, query on QuickBasic, your version number, and the following words:

fast and load and save and format


MORE INFORMATION

Similarly, files saved in the (default) Fast-Load-and-Save format of QBX.EXE, which comes with Basic PDS Version 7.00, cannot be used (are not downwards-compatible) with QuickBasic Version 4.00, 4.00b or 4.50 and will produce the "Bad File Mode" error message as well. QBX.EXE can, however, read files saved in the Fast-Load-format of Versions 4.00, 4.00b and 4.50. As stated before, the Fast-Load-and-Save formats are upwardly compatible.

The QuickBasic Version 4.50 Help screens do not indicate that the Fast Load formats are different for the various versions of QuickBasic.

Note that QuickBasic versions earlier than 4.00 do not have a Fast Load format (just text mode).


Additional query words: QuickBas

Keywords: KB36578