PRB: Resolving "Run Command Failed" Error in FoxPro

ID: Q87679

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5 and 2.5a

SYMPTOMS

A "Run command failed" error occurs in FoxPro.

CAUSE

There are three main causes for this error:

FoxPro cannot locate the COMMAND.COM file.
There is not enough conventional memory to run the command.
FOXSWAP.COM is not in the FoxPro directory.
If you are using the 32-bit version of FoxPro version 2.0 for MS-DOS, PROAPI16.EXE is not in the FoxPro directory.

RESOLUTION

To address this situation, perform the following five steps:

1. Add a SHELL statement to your CONFIG.SYS file to specify the

   /P option switch. For example:

      SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /p

   where "C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM" points to a version of COMMAND.COM
   matching the MS-DOS version used to boot your computer.

2. Edit your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT statements to free as much

   conventional memory as possible.

3. Use FoxSwap to execute the command. (For example, to receive a

   listing of the current directory, specify RUN/0 DIR instead of
   RUN DIR.)

4. For the 32-bit version of FoxPro, modify your CONFIG.FP file to

   remove the DOSMEM=ON statement, if it is present.

5. Verify that the FOXSWAP.COM file is in the main FoxPro

   directory.

6. For FoxPro version 2.0 for MS-DOS, verify that the PROAPI16.EXE

   file is in the main FoxPro directory. FoxPro version 2.5 for
   MS-DOS includes this functionality within FOXPRO.EXE itself.

Additional reference words: FoxDos 2.00 2.50 2.50a 2.x KBCategory: kbprg kberrmsg kbprb KBSubcategory:

Last Reviewed: April 17, 1995