How to Interpret Fatal Error Messages

Last reviewed: 10/25/2011
Article ID: R10044

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Fatal error messages contain many clues as to what happened when the error was received. The error number and file names are the most important parts of the message. Read the message carefully to make sure you have the error number and all file names associated with the error. If you did not get the entire error, you can view the Error Log. To view the Error Log, select View | Log Files | Error Log. The Error Log contains the last 300 lines of error information.

Note:  If the fatal error message contains a filename with a CPP extension (i.e., <filename>.CPP), you can ignore this filename. This file is a generic file and is not a usable file name for error resolution.

MORE INFORMATION

Fatal errors usually include three or four segments. A standard error format contains three segments in which the first segment number is usually less than 1300. An extended error format contains four segments in which the first segment number is usually 1300 or greater. Furthermore, extended errors include a file handler error code. The format of a program exception/access denied error message also contains three segments in which the first segment number is 3000 or 3001.

Use the following table to determine what type of error you received as well as interpret what the error indicates:

Standard
Error Format

N-L-C
    N is the 4 digit Error Number
    L is the location in the source code (usually 0)
    C is the Operating System (OS) error code (sometimes 0)

Note: This format is used if "N" is less than 1300.

Extended
Error Format

N-L-R-C
    N is the 4 digit Error Number
    L is the location in the source code (usually 0)
    R is the file handler error code (i.e., c-tree)
    C is the Operating System (OS) error code (sometimes 0)

Note: This format is used if "N" is 1300 or greater.

Program Exception/Access Denied Error Format

N-L-X
    N is the 4 digit Error Number
    L is the location in the source code (usually 0)
    X is the Exception Code in hexadecimal format (see example below).

A typical Exception Code is:
            0xC0000005 - Access Violation.

Note: This format is used if "N" is 3000 or 3001. There is no operating system error number for errors 3000 and 3001.

How To Troubleshoot An Error Message

When troubleshooting error messages, the error number represented by "N" tells what the general error is, whereas the other numbers provide more specific information. The file name from the error message indicates which file is involved in the error. The number represented by "L" is normally of little use unless all standard procedures used to resolve the error fail.

A list of all error numbers (represented by "N") can be found in KB Article R10045, "Fatal Error Messages". From this list, you can click on the individual error number to display information regarding the error. The topic may provide general troubleshooting steps to resolve the specific error or refer you to a more detailed troubleshooting article, such as KB Article R10011, "Troubleshooting Invalid Page Fault and Other Exception Errors". If you are having trouble resolving an error, call Technical Support at 402-419-2210, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. central time. Please have your program serial number and all of the error information available to help expedite your support call.

Because there are many exception codes, only the most frequent codes are listed in KB Article R10045, "Fatal Error Messages". If you receive error codes not listed, please contact Technical Support at 402-419-2210.

If your error number is not listed in the list of Fatal Error Messages:

Call Technical Support at 402-419-2210. Please have your program serial number and all of the error information available to help expedite your support call.

Examples

Following are examples of error messages and how to determine what the numbers represent:

Example:  1020-1-5 Error opening file. Filename:  STFIRM

The Error "1020" is "Error Opening File". This error is found on the Error Numbers list. We know it is not an extended error because the first number is less than 1300. The "1" is the location in the source code and can be ignored. Error "5" is an operating system error indicating that "Access is denied". This is found on the Operating System Errors list. The file name from the error message (STFIRM) will indicate which file is involved in the error.

This error indicates that there is a problem opening the STFIRM file. Check STFIRM.DAT to determine if the file is locked open by someone, if the file is flagged as a read only file or if the user does not have all rights to the directory where STFIRM is located.

Example:  1340-0-2-0 Error adding records. Filename:  T3FEE

The Error "1340" is "Error Adding Records". This error is found on the Error Numbers list. We know it is an extended error because the first number is 1300 or greater. The "0" is the location in the source code and can be ignored. This is used for source code lookups if the error cannot be resolved through standard procedures. Error "2" is a file handler error code, indicating that the "Key value already exists". The "0" is the operating system error. Here it is "0" because the error is not an error from the Operating System. The file name from the error message (T3FEE) will indicate which file is involved in the error.

This error indicates that there is an index error in the Tabs3 Fee file. Run a Data File Integrity Check (DFIC). If there are errors in the DFIC they must be corrected before continuing. If the DFIC is error free, make a backup. Run the Reindex Data Files program and select to reindex the T3FEE file with the Compact option selected.

Example:  1310-1-12-32 Error opening file. Filename:  T3ARCH

The Error "1310" is "Error Opening File". This is found on the Error Numbers list. We know it is an extended error because the first number is 1300 or greater. The "1" is the location in the source code and can be ignored. This is used for source code lookups if the error cannot be resolved through standard procedures. Error 12 is "Could not open file: check sysiocod value". This is found on the File Handler Errors list. The "32" is the operating system error, which indicates "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process". The file name from the error message (T3ARCH) will indicate which file is involved in the error.

This error indicates that the T3ARCH file is locked open by another process. There are a number of causes for this error, but this usually indicates that a workstation became locked open or another program was attempting to lock the file, such as an antivirus scanner.

Example: 3001-0-C0000005 Access violation. Filename: T3CLIENT

The Error "3001" is "Access violation". This is found on the Error Numbers list. We know it is an extended error because the first number is 1300 or greater. The "0" is the location in the source code and can be ignored. This is used for source code lookups if the error cannot be resolved through standard procedures. Error "C0000005" is "Exception access violation". This is found on the Exception Codes list.

This error can be caused by a number of different things including network glitches, corrupt data files, corrupt programs files, etc. Install the latest program update from the Tabs3 Web site, which will correct any program file errors, then attempt to run a Data File Integrity Check (DFIC). If there are errors in the DFIC they must be corrected before continuing. If the error still occurs, verify the Traceback Path for the fatal error and consult KB Article R10057.

References


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