PC Ext: Err Msg: Invalid Option Specified in .INI (108843)

SYMPTOMS

With version 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, the External Mail program (EXTERNAL.EXE) may exit with the following error:

Invalid option specified in .INI:

CAUSE

This error is caused by a comment line that does not have a semicolon (;) in the first column of the INI file, or does not follow a valid INI option. A comment line of the form

; This is a comment
ThisIsAValidOption     ; This is a comment

does not cause the error. A line of the form

          ; This is a comment

is incorrect and causes the error.

This error can also be caused by a corrupt .INI file.

RESOLUTION

Place a semicolon in the first column of every comment line that does not follow a valid INI option. Thus the line

;           This is a comment

is correct. Several sample configurations for the External Mail program in the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks version 3.2 "Administrator's Guide" incorrectly display comment lines. Any comment line that does not follow a valid INI option must have a semicolon in the first column.

If you have double checked the .INI file and are certain that the entries are all valid, try creating a new one. Do not copy and paste from the old one, instead use Notepad or another ASCII editor and create a new .INI file.