DOCUMENT:Q127002  05-NOV-1999  [pcmail]
TITLE   :PC Ext: Err Msg: A Critical Error Has Occurred...
PRODUCT :Microsoft Mail For PC Networks
PROD/VER:WINDOWS:3.0a,3.2,3.2a
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.0a, 3.2, 3.2a 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you run EXTERNAL.EXE, the following error may be displayed and placed in
the SESSION.LOG (if logging is enabled):

   12-30-94 09:47 A Critical error has occurred M:KEY\xxxxxxxx.KEY

where M: can be any drive letter that a PO is mapped to, and xxxxxxxx.KEY can be
any address for an external postoffice.

CAUSE
=====

NOTE: Critical errors may also be due to hardware or network problems. For
further information, query on "error code =" and "device =".

Hidden, locked, or corrupt .KEY files may cause the above error. Check the screen
or the SESSION.LOG for lines matching the above description. It may be necessary
to activate the /LogVerbose (-v) and /LogSession (-l) options to accomplish
this.


RESOLUTION
==========

Make sure the specified files are not locked, hidden, or corrupt. If the file is
corrupt, either restore the file from backup or reset the <hex- id>.KEY
and <hex-id>.MBG files. This can be done with one of the following
procedures:

Procedure 1
-----------

   To RESET the <hex-id>.KEY to 560 bytes, type:
   " DEBUG <hex-id>.KEY" (without the quotation marks) <Enter>
   At the "-" type "F100,32F,0" (without the quotation marks) <Enter>
   At the "-" type "RCX" (without the quotation marks) <Enter>
   The following will then be displayed:

   CX 1230
   :

   At the ":" type "230" (without the quotation marks) <Enter> (this resets
   the file to 560 bytes)
   At the "-" type "W" (without the quotation marks) <Enter> (you should
   see the message "Writing 00230 bytes")
   At the "-" type "Q" (without the quotation marks) <Enter> (to quit
   DEBUG)

The filesize should be 560 bytes.

To RESET the <hex-id>.MBG to 0 bytes, type:
" TYPE NUL > <hex-id>.MBG" (without the quotation marks)

The correct filesize should be 0 bytes.

Procedure 2
-----------

1. Run Admin, Local-Admin, Create to create a test user.

2. Run LISTUSER.EXE with the -f option against the PO to determine the hex-id of
   the test user.

3. Copy the test user's <hex-id>.KEY and <hex-id>.MBG to the corrupt
   <hex-id>.KEY and <hex-id>.MBG.

4. Run Admin, Local-Admin, Delete to delete the test user.

MORE INFORMATION
================

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

   Q117427 MS-DOS External 3.2 and RebootOnCE

   Q116434 EXTERNAL.INI Equivalents to -Qx Command-Line Options

Additional query words: 3.00a 3.20 3.20a external critical error key

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbMailSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbMailPCN320 kbMailPCN320a kbMailPCN300a
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0a,3.2,3.2a

=============================================================================

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