FIX: MASM 6.0 Fails with /Ta if Filename Has No Period

 Last reviewed: September 11, 1997
Article ID: Q73409
6.00 | 6.00 MS-DOS | OS/2 kbtool kbfixlist kbbuglist

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Macro Assembler for MS-DOS, version 6.0
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler for OS/2, version 6.0

SYMPTOMS

The Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) version 6.0 may overwrite a source file or generate a file access error if the /Ta option is used to specify a filename without an extension and no period is specified at the end.

To illustrate this problem, assume an assembly source file called TEST (with no extension) exists in the current directory and the following command line is used to invoke the assembler: 

   ML /c /Ta TEST
Under DOS, this results in the loss of the source file TEST, regardless of whether the source file assembles successfully. Without the trailing period, the assembler fails to add the .OBJ extension to the object module that it tries to produce. If the file assembles cleanly, then the new object file (named TEST) overwrites the original source. If there is an error in the original TEST source file, then the file is simply deleted because the assembler deletes the incomplete .OBJ (now named TEST) during cleanup after the error.

Under OS/2, the command line above may cause the assembler to generate the following error: 

   fatal error A1000: cannot open file : test
The same problem occurs with a long filename under HPFS. For example, an A1000 error will be generated under OS/2 with this command line: 

   ML /c /Ta "This is a long file name test"

RESOLUTION

The workaround for all cases is to simply add a period to the end of the filename. For example: 

   ML /c /Ta TEST.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in MASM version 6.0. This problem was corrected in MASM version 6.0a.

Additional reference words: 6.00 buglist6.00 fixlist6.00a
KBCategory: kbtool kbfixlist kbbuglist
KBSubCategory: MLIss
Solution Type : kbfix

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Last reviewed: September 11, 1997
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