SMS: 'Too Many Parameters' Error When Running Smsls.bat

• Microsoft Systems Management Server, versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2

SYMPTOMS

When you run the Smsls.bat file on a client computer running Windows 95, you may receive errors, and the command prompt window may display the following message:

   Too Many Parameters
   Bad Command or Filename
   Bad Command or Filename
   Too Many Parameters

CAUSE

If there is a space in the directory name for the "path" environment variable (such as "C:\Program Files"), and you run the Smsls.bat file on a client computer running Windows 95, Systems Management Server does not parse the path correctly.

This problem occurs when Smsls.bat sets the SMS_P=%PATH% environment variable. SMS_P is then used in various places in the logon script that contains the space, and causes that command-line to clock.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, add quotation marks around the path variable in two (and only two) places in the Smsls.bat file.

1. Place quotation marks around the %PATH% variable under :RUN_FROM.

   For example, change

         if not "%OS%" == "Windows_NT" set PATH=%0\..;%0\..\%SMS_BIN%;%PATH%
   

   To:

         if not "%OS%" == "Windows_NT" set
   

1. Place quotation marks around SMS_P when it is reassigned to the path at the end of the script under :RESTORE.

   For example, change

         PATH=%SMS_P%
   

   To:

         PATH="%SMS_P%"
   

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K