Error: "I/O Error in the file [directory][dat file]"

Summary

I/O error occurs "Reading or writing to the file [...]" in Sage 50 Accounting. "I/O Error in variable length part of record" in one of the company .DAT files.

Description

I/O error in one of the following files:

Address.dat	AdvData.dat	AdvHist.dat	Aflocat.dat	Alarm.dat	Alert.dat	Apiaccss.dat
Atmntbdl.dat	Attchmnt.dat	Audittr.dat	Avgdtpay.dat	Bankrec.dat	Bddetail.dat	Bomhist.dat
Budget.dat	Budgetar.dat	Cashflow.dat	Cfacct.dat	Cftrans.dat	Chart.dat	Chartar.dat
ChgOrder.dat	CODetail.dat	Company.dat	Connco.dat	Contacts.dat	Cosess.dat	Cost.dat
Customer.dat	Defprfld.dat	EarnSumm.dat	Employee.dat	EmpPayinf.dat	Empprfld.dat	Esprfld.dat
EsWage.dat	Event.dat	Eventlog.dat	Eventcls.dat	Forecast.dat	Foredtl.dat	General.dat
GLCoat.dat	Grpdata.dat	Invchain.dat	Invcomp.dat	Invcost.dat	Jrnlcls.dat	Jrnlhdr.dat
Jrnlrow.dat	Jrnlsno.dat	Lineitem.dat	NotAdMsg.dat	NotCdVal.dat	Notifica.dat	NotMsg.dat
NotRecip.dat	NotRules.dat	Olacct.dat	Oltrans.dat	Paymethd.dat	PDSIDMap.dat	Pepusage.dat
Periodar.dat	Permiss.dat	Phase.dat	Project.dat	QtyDisc.dat	RaiseHst.dat	Recon.dat
Recpttag.dat	Recurex.dat	Report.dat	Review.dat	Roles.dat	Rptdata.dat	Rptfilts.dat
Rstydef.dat	Rstyle.dat	Statcode.dat	Stathist.dat	Statnote.dat	Storetrx.dat	Stxhdr.dat
Stxrow.dat	Syspref.dat	Taxauth.dat	Vendor.dat	Taxcode.dat	Taxtable.dat	Template.dat
Ticket.dat	Unitmeas.dat	Userpref.dat	Userrole.dat	Vendins.dat	Vendor.dat	Worktkt.dat

Cause

Incorrect file settings
Incorrect permissions on a shared folder
Damaged file
Bad sector on hard drive
Company data folder not in data path

Resolution

NOTE: If this error occurs during a data conversion:

Reinstall the prior version and restore the pre-conversion backup.
Run Data Verification on the company.
Reinstall the new version and convert the company again.

NOTE: In the instance that the error occurs on just one workstation, first try rebooting the workstation. If the error was preceded by a File System Error 3110, 3111, 3006, etc., refer to Error: "File System Error 3110".

If the company is shared on Remote Data Access, stop sharing the company immediately and see if the error continues.

If the error still occurs after stopping sharing the company, continue through the troubleshooting steps below
If the error stops when the company isn’t shared, go to Using Remote Data Access below

If your file isn’t in the list above

If the file mentioned in the error message isn’t in the list above, see I/O Error in non-data files
Otherwise, see What files can be reindexed? to determine if the file can be reindexed or safely deleted

I/O error in a file that can be safely deleted without corrupting your data

See What files can be reindexed? for information on which files can be safely deleted without corrupting your database
If you’re receiving any kind of I/O error in one of these files, and you’re willing to live with the loss of data that the file holds, browse out to your company data folder and delete the file
If the file can’t be safely deleted, see Verify my data file permissions are correctly set

I/O error in file [filename].DAT that can be reindexed

See What files can be reindexed?

Select Help, Support Utilities.
Select Integrity Check.
Select Backup
Give your backup a name, choose where you would like to save the backup, and then select Save.
In the Integrity Check window, select Reindex Files.
From the Reindex File List, select the file mentioned in the error, and then select OK.

If you receive an error message that the file couldn’t be reindexed, browse out to the file location, right-click the file and select Properties. If the Read-only check box is checked, uncheck it, and then try again to reindex the file.
If the file wasn’t read only, or if it was and the second attempt to reindex the file fails, you’ll need to restore a backup made before getting the error.

I/O error in file [filename].DAT that can’t be reindexed in Integrity Check

See What files can be reindexed?

You can attempt to run the Repair Company utility if you have an I/O error in a file that is not on the reindex file list.
- If you are on the 2024.0 version, you’ll need to install the 2024.0.1 patch update before you can run Repair Company
If you receive an error message that the file couldn’t be reindexed, browse out to the file location, right-click the file and select Properties. If the Read-only check box is checked, uncheck it, and then run the Repair Company again.
If the file wasn’t read only, or if it was and the second attempt fails, you’ll need to restore a backup made before getting the error.

Check file permissions

See Verify my data file permissions are correctly set.

Company data folder not in data path

If your company data folder isn’t located in the data path, especially on a removable USB drive, an I/O error can result.

Browse to the location of the folder which contains the file listed and copy this entire data folder. For example, if the error message listed the file as F:\Peachw\acmecorp\EventLog.DAT, you would browse to F:\Peachw and copy the acmecorp folder.
Browse to your data path.
Paste the folder into the data path.
Verify that you can open your company.

Check hard drive for errors

Consult your local computer technician or Microsoft support for assistance with checking the hard drive for errors.

Using Remote Data Access

Verify that your Internet upload and download speeds are sufficient to use Remote Data Access.

For broadband Internet, the FCC specifies 25 Mbps download / 3 Mbps upload as the minimum, although in System Requirements: Sage 50—U.S. Edition 2024 specifies 25 Mbps download / 10 Mbps upload as the minimum recommended Internet speed for best performance
You can test your Internet speed at speedtest.net. If your Internet speed doesn't meet either of the above benchmarks, you may need to contact your Internet Service Provider to see if your Internet speed can be increased
If you’re using a WiFi connection, it’s recommended to use a wired Ethernet connection, as this is more stable

Need more help?

Chat now