Windows Err Msg: File Manager Cannot Label the Disk

 Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
Article ID: Q93383
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

Using File Manager to create a disk label containing a space character generates the following error message: 

   File Manager cannot label the disk.

   Make sure the disk is not write-protected, is not a network
   drive, and that the label is valid.

   Labels cannot contain the following characters:
   [space] * ? / \ | . , ; : + = [ ] ( ) & ^ < > "
The error message is correct, but confusing because all versions of MS-DOS allow space characters in a disk label.

MORE INFORMATION

Page 517 of the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" manual for MS-DOS version 5.0 includes the following misleading statement: 

   A volume label can contain as many as 11 characters and can include
   spaces but no tabs. Consecutive spaces may be interpreted as a
   single space.
Using the MS-DOS label command to create a label of "A B C D E F" will return a label of "A B C D.E F". Because the first eight characters of an MS-DOS filename cannot end in a space, one or more spaces will be removed and a period inserted. For reasons such as this, it was decided to simplify the label parsing validation in File Manager to disallow space characters.

Reference(s):

"Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference," version 5.0, page 517

KBCategory: kbtool kberrmsg kbdocerr
KBSubcategory: win31 wfw wfwg
Additional reference words: 3.10

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Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
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