"Bad Command or Filename" Starting Program with DOSSHELL

Last reviewed: August 28, 1995
Article ID: Q130829

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

If you run DOSSHELL in a Windows 95 MS-DOS command prompt session, you receive the following error message when you try to start a program from DOSSHELL:

   Bad Command or Filename

CAUSE

The version of COMMAND.COM included with Windows 95 is incompatible with DOSSHELL.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem occurs because DOSSHELL calls the executable program file as a 9.3 filename, which COMMAND.COM truncates to an 8.3 filename and processes. The version of COMMAND.COM that is included with Windows 95 cannot perform this particular truncation.

This problem does not occur if you have configured your computer so that you can boot a previous operating system and you boot your computer to this previous operating system and run DOSSHELL.

KBCategory: kbenv kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: wpp95 win95 appscomp
Additional reference words: 95

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Last reviewed: August 28, 1995
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