Shortcut to MS-DOS-Based Program Limited to 62 Characters

Last reviewed: August 30, 1996
Article ID: Q137939

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you double-click a shortcut for an MS-DOS-based program, you may receive the following error message:

   Cannot find the file '<Path>.' Make sure that the file
   exists on your system and that the path and filename
   are correct.

CAUSE

Shortcuts for MS-DOS-based programs are stored in .pif files rather than in .lnk files. The maximum length for a command line in a .pif file is 62 characters. If the command line is longer than 62 characters, you receive the error message stated above.

RESOLUTION

To work around this limitation, use either of the following methods:

Reinstall the MS-DOS-based program to a folder with a shorter path, and then create a shortcut to the new location.
Create a batch file in the Windows folder that runs the MS-DOS-based program, and then create a shortcut to the batch file.

KBCategory: kbui kberrmsg
KBSubcategory: win95
Additional reference words: 95

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Last reviewed: August 30, 1996
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