# Installation Problems

> [HTML Version](installationproblems.htm)

There is very little that can go wrong during a Windows installation of A-Shell, and it is likely that if something does go wrong, the problem is related to something unexpected done by the installer. Unless there were some problems during the installation process itself, and the files A-Shell requires in order to run were not actually installed on the PC, there are basically two places to look for problems.

**Config File**

First, make sure you understand the [A-Shell Configuration File](ashellconfigfile.htm.md) and how it works. If A-Shell does not start up properly, it is likely that some file specification in miame.ini is pointing at a wrong or non-existent location, or a required command in the ini file is mis-formatted or misspelledd.

**Start Command**

Secondly, check the Windows start command (shortcut) that is invoking A-Shell. The command line should have two parts, as shown below. Note that if the path in which A-Shell was installed includes spaces (like "Program Files"), then the file specs on the target line will (and must) have quotes around them.

•	The first part of the command line specifies the file specification of the program to run—i.e., A-Shell. The program and file name is ashw32.exe and it should be at the end of a file specification that begins with "c:\\...." If A-Shell was installed in the c:\\vm\\miame folder, for example, the first part of the target command should look like this:

C:\\vm\\miame\\bin\\ASHW32.exe

•	The second part of the target line, which begins after the first part and a space, should begin with "-i" and be followed by a space and the full file specification for the A-Shell initialization file (normally "miame.ini"). If A-Shell were installed as above, then the second part of the target line would look like this:

\-i C:\\vm\\miame\\miame.ini

If A-Shell were installed in the C:\\Program Files\\MicroSabio\\Ashell folder, the full command line should look like this:

"C:\\Program Files\\MicroSabio\\Ashell\\bin\\ASHW32.exe" -i "c:\\program files\\microsabio\\ashell\\miame.ini"

The "Start In" specification of the A-Shell shortcut should be blank.

See the following for specific problems that you may encounter.

u **Missing or Invalid MIAME**

If you see this error, it is because A-Shell is trying to run but cannot find or process the required initialization file (normally "miame.ini"). This would normally indicate that the "-i <ini file spec>" argument on the launch command line is missing or incorrect. See [Specify Ini File](specifyinifile.htm.md) for related information.

(./images/ashref_img7.png)

A similar and related error message for a missing ini file is shown below. This normally occurs if A-Shell has previously been set up properly and has run as expected, but the ini file has been moved or renamed.

(./images/ashref_img8.png)



u **Cannot INIT DSK0**

This error (below) normally occurs when the statement in your miame.ini file that specifies the location of DSK0: is entirely missing. The three lines below show what happens as A-Shell tries to execute A-Shell's default startup command, ASTART, and there is no DSK0: on which to find that file. Solving this problem should be easy; simply add the DEVICE statement in miame.ini, or perhaps remove the semicolon in front of it that is turning it into an inactive command (i.e., a comment).

?Cannot INIT DSK0:ASTART.CMD\[2,2\] - device does not exist

?Cannot INIT DSK0:ASTART.DO\[2,2\] - device does not exist

?Cannot INIT DSK0:ASTART.LIT\[2,2\] - device does not exist



A properly formatted statement in miame.ini for defining DSK0: would look like either of these:

DEVICE=DSK0 "c:\\program files\\microsabio\\ashell\\DSK0\\"        ; Pathname for DSK0:

DEVICE=DSK0 c:vm\\miame\\dsk0\\





u **Command Will Not Execute**

If you get a screen like the one shown here, it normally means that your DEVICE=DSK0: statement is present but invalid. The problem is likely a misspelling or bad punctuation. Remember that paths with spaces in them must be quoted.

(./images/ashref_img9.png)