ERROR

Unable to open file e:\xxatedit_fat.menu"

Last Published: April 26, 2020

Error Message

Various ArcTools and EditTools commands return the following error message:

Error:   
"Unable to open file: <drive_letter>:\xxatedit_fat.menu"

Cause

The %HOMEDRIVE% or %HOMEPATH% variables are set to drives or paths which do not exist on the local machine.

OR

The edit_fat.aml is attempting to write to <drive_letter>:\USERS\DEFAULT, which does not exist on a local disk.

Solution or Workaround

To check the setting of the %HOMEDRIVE% and %HOMEPATH% variables, enter the following at the ARC prompt:
Arc: &SYS ECHO %HOMEDRIVE%
Arc: &SYS ECHO %HOMEPATH%
The %HOMEDRIVE% and %HOMEPATH% returned must be to a local disk, or ArcEdit returns this error message. Change these paths to the local disk.

For help with setting a system environment variable, see: How To: Edit an environment variable.

For the second cause, where the edit_fat.aml is attempting to write to <drive_letter>:\USERS\DEFAULT, create a folder called USERS on the drive where ArcInfo is installed, and within that, create a second folder called DEFAULT.
Note:
These folders are not ArcInfo workspaces, and may be created using Windows utilities.

Article ID:000002659

Software:
  • Legacy Products

Get help from ArcGIS experts

Contact technical support

Download the Esri Support App

Go to download options

Discover more on this topic