ROUTE Command Prints Help Text to STDERR

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.51

SYMPTOMS

The ROUTE command is a Windows NT console utility used to display or alter the TCP/IP routing table on a computer running Windows NT. If you issue the route command without any command line parameters, it displays information on how the command is used. The text of the message scrolls off of the screen so that you cannot see all of the information. If you try to pipe the output to the MORE command, the text still scrolls off of the screen.

CAUSE

The ROUTE command is writing the text of the help message to STDERR instead of STDOUT. Redirecting the output through a pipe to another command only works if the first program writes to STDOUT.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, increasing the size of the Screen Buffer Height in the MS-DOS Command Prompt window to 50 lines. This will allow you to see the text that has gone off-screen by scrolling up. If you change the Window Size Height to be 50 lines as well, then you will not have to scroll back at all.

To change the window size attributes:

1. Start a Command Prompt.

2. From the System Menu, choose Properties.

3. Select the Screen Size And Position tab.

4. Change the Screen Buffer Height to 50 and then click OK.

5. Choose "Apply properties to current window only" and click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.