PC Ext: Err Msg: A Critical Error Has Occurred...

 Last reviewed: October 7, 1997
Article ID: Q127002
3.00a 3.20 3.20a MS-DOS kbother kberrmsg

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.0a, 3.2, and 3.2a

SYMPTOMS

When you run EXTERNAL.EXE, the following error may be displayed and placed in the SESSION.LOG (if logging is enabled): 

   12-30-94 09:47  A Critical error has occurred M:KEY\xxxxxxxx.KEY
where M: can be any drive letter that a PO is mapped to, and xxxxxxxx.KEY can be any address for an external postoffice.

CAUSE

NOTE: Critical errors may also be due to hardware or network problems. For further information, query on "error code =" and "device =".

Hidden, locked, or corrupt .KEY files may cause the above error. Check the screen or the SESSION.LOG for lines matching the above description. It may be necessary to activate the /LogVerbose (-v) and /LogSession (-l) options to accomplish this.

RESOLUTION

Make sure the specified files are not locked, hidden, or corrupt. If the file is corrupt, either restore the file from backup or reset the <hex- id>.KEY and <hex-id>.MBG files. This can be done with one of the following procedures:

Procedure 1

To RESET the <hex-id>.KEY to 560 bytes, type: 

   DEBUG <hex-id>.KEY <Enter>
   At the "-" type "F100,32F,0" <Enter>
   At the "-" type "RCX"  <Enter>
   The following will then be displayed:
   CX 1230
   :

   At the ":" type "230" <Enter> (this resets the file to 560 bytes)
   At the "-" type "W"  <Enter> (you should see the message "Writing
   00230 bytes")
   At the "-" type "Q" <Enter> (to quit DEBUG)
The filesize should be 560 bytes.

To RESET the <hex-id>.MBG to 0 bytes, type: 

   TYPE NUL > <hex-id>.MBG
The correct filesize should be 0 bytes.

Procedure 2

  1. Run Admin, Local-Admin, Create to create a test user.

  2. Run LISTUSER.EXE with the -f option against the PO to determine the hex-id of the test user.

  3. Copy the test user's <hex-id>.KEY and <hex-id>.MBG to the corrupt <hex-id>.KEY and <hex-id>.MBG.

  4. Run Admin, Local-Admin, Delete to delete the test user.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q117427
   TITLE     : MS-DOS External 3.2 and RebootOnCE

   ARTICLE-ID: Q116434
   TITLE     : EXTERNAL.INI Equivalents to -Qx Command-Line Options

Additional reference words: 3.00a 3.20 3.20a external critical error key
KBCategory: kbother kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: MailPCExt

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Last reviewed: October 7, 1997
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