PRB: UNKNOWN WARNING May Result from Corrupt Error Message File

• The Microsoft C/C++ Compiler (CL.EXE) included with: - Microsoft C for MS-DOS, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0ax - Microsoft C for OS/2, versions 6.0, 6.0a - Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS, version 7.0 - Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.5 - Microsoft Visual C++ 32-bit Edition, versions 1.0, 2.0, 4.0

SYMPTOMS

In the Microsoft products listed above, if a number of compiler warning messages contain the description "UNKNOWN WARNING", or if the error number is displayed with no message, the cause may be the use of an incorrect or corrupted error message file. The compiler generates the correct error number, but because the messages are retrieved from a separate file, the compiler displays either no text or "UNKNOWN WARNING" when it cannot find a match.

In 16-bit Visual C++ version 1.0, these messages may also occur if there are not enough file handles available. Increasing the number set by the FILES= line in the CONFIG.SYS file may solve the problem.

The error message files for the C compiler should contain messages for all errors and warnings generated. If you look up the number of a compiler error in the documentation and find a normally documented error, then you should be suspicious of your .ERR error message files.

RESOLUTION

The simplest check is to reinstall the error message files--CL.ERR, C1.ERR, and C23.ERR--from the original disks and then recompile to see if the error messages appear correctly. The required steps vary depending on the compiler you are using.

• For Microsoft C versions 6.0x, put the Setup Disk in a disk drive, make it the current drive, and type "setup /copy" (without quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt. Setup prompts for the name of the file to copy from the distribution disks and the name of the destination directory on your hard disk.
• For Microsoft C/C++ version 7.0, use the CSETUP.EXE program to copy the files.
• For Visual C++ version 1.0 and above distributed on diskettes, locate the desired files on the Visual C++ disks and use the EXPAND.EXE utility to copy and decompress the files. (For help with EXPAND.EXE, type "EXPAND /?" and press <Enter> at a command prompt.) For Visual C++ version 1.0 and above distributed on CD-ROM, locate the desired files on the Visual C++ CD and copy the files directly to the destination directory.