Symptoms

An adTempus Program Execution job step fails, and the following message is reported in the Job Log for the job:

The program could not be started: The directory name is invalid. (267)

Cause

The Startup Directory specified on the General page of the step properties is invalid or uses a UNC path.

Resolution

Correct the Startup Directory, or leave this box empty.

More Information

The Startup Directory specifies the "working directory" for the program being run. When the Startup Directory is set, it appears to the program that the program was started from a command prompt set to that directory.

For most programs it is not necessary to set this directory. It is necessary only for a program that uses relative paths to look for files. For example, if you are running a Java script it may be necessary to set this directory based on where your class files are located.

You may receive this error if you specify a startup directory using a mapped network drive without mapping that drive in adTempus. See the Network Access for Jobs help topic for more information.

You will receive this error if you use a UNC path (such as "\\server\share\") as the Startup Directory. Windows does not support using a UNC path as the Startup Directory. If you must use a Startup Directory, map the UNC path to a drive letter (on the Resources page of the job) and use the drive letter in the Startup Directory.