BUG: The Command "ml /?" Causes Unexpected Errors

• Microsoft Macro Assembler for MS-DOS, versions 6.1 and 6.11
• Microsoft Macro Assembler for Windows NT, version 6.11

SYMPTOMS

With MASM version 6.1, if a one-character subdirectory name exists in the root directory, the command "ml /?" results in this error:

   fatal error A1006 invalid command line option /A

With MASM version 6.11, the same situation results in this error message:

   warning A4007: option untranslated, directive required : /A
   fatal error A1017: missing source filename

CAUSE

ML.EXE interprets the slash (/) as if it were a backslash (\) and interprets the question mark (?) as a wildcard. The one-character subdirectory off the root directory is a match for \?. This confuses the assembler/compiler, causing it to interpret the result as the switch /A.

RESOLUTION

To work around the problem, use this command:

   ml -?

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.