How to fix an 'options' or 'profile' error

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This article will help you resolve a problem that might appear after an update or new installation. The problem described is caused by an options .ini containing values that conflict with the current windows environment.

Possible error messages include:

Error--options overlay not found:

or

Error--options path not found:

or

Error creating 'profiles' folder or 'Default' profile link

or

A window flashes briefly when the program is started and then nothing happens

In some cases, the error message may contain a brief description of the problem. In all cases, after the error message is displayed, the program closes. Possible causes of this error are discussed below.

First, ascertain the fully-qualified path of the application file. For our example below, on Windows 10, we use

c:\program files (x86)\TMQ\MARC Report\marcreport.exe

but for other versions of Windows, and/or if the program is installed in a non-standard location, this path may need to be modified accordingly.

Make sure MARC Report is not running, then …

1. Login as the Windows user that will be using the program (if necessary)
2. Select Start|Run
3. Copy and paste the following line into the 'Open' box:

"c:\program files (x86)\TMQ\MARC Report\marcreport.exe" --defaultoptions 

NB. The quotes, dashes and spacing used in the examples above are required.

Press OK.

If this results in an error message from Windows (such that it cannot find the file), then re-check the steps above carefully.

After a second, a message will pop-up saying the existing options have been cleared.

1. Start MARC Report
2. Select Options on the main menu, and reset any options that were defaulted ¹⁾.

If the problem is still not resolved, go to the user's My Documents folder; search for a file named 'marcreport.ini'; make sure MARC Report is not running, then delete any copies of this file found; start the program.

If the steps above do not work, or if you are unable to try them (due to a privileges issue, etc), the following may also achieve the same result:

1. Find the folder in your My Documents section named “MarcReport”
2. Find the file named “marcreport.ini” (in the MarcReport folder)
3. Open “marcreport.ini” in Notepad or another text editor
4. Find the line (near the top) labelled “LASTVERSION”
5. Edit the version number by subtracting 1 from the digits after the period²⁾
6. Save the file
7. Start MARC Report

The program will think this is the first run after an update and refresh the Options folder and add the default support files. If this does not work, then double-check that you do not have multiple installations on your system (for more help on this, so the FAQ on reinstalling ).

Possible causes

These error messages pertain to entries in your marcreport.ini file that the program cannot validate. In each case, a critical path referenced in that file cannot be found on your system.

Options overlay not found

This error message indicates that the value for OPTIONSPATH2 is invalid. OPTIONSPATH2 is consulted only when its value differs from the value in OPTIONSPATH. In this case, the program assumes that 'shared sets' are in effect, and that OPTIONSPATH2 contains the shared network folder where the options used in your shared sets environment are located. Since the 'shared sets' environment cannot be initialized if this folder cannot be found, a critical error results, and the program displays this message.

If you are not using 'shared sets', open your marcreport.ini and check whether the values in OPTIONSPATH and OPTIONSPATH2 are different. If they are, deleting the line for OPTIONSPATH2, saving the .ini file, and starting MARC Report, should fix the problem. But if that doesn't fix the problem, then the steps above will.

For complete technical documentation on 'shared sets', Click here

Options path not found

This error message indicates that the value for USERSPATH and/or OPTIONSPATH is invalid. This is considered critical since both values contain the path to your 'My Documents' folder, and if that folder cannot be found then MARC Report cannot run.

One possible cause for this error is that your My Documents folder is located on a windows server and the mapping to that folder has changed. Another possible cause is that you have just installed the program on a new computer and have copied a profile from your old computer to the new computer. In either case, the values in the marcreport.ini file will be invalid. Running the steps above should fix this problem.

Error creating profiles folder

This error typically indicates a problem with the program's concept of your My Documents folder. It could be a permissions problem (the program does not have write permission in your My Documents folder), or it could indicate–in a server environment–that the location of your My Documents folder has changed.

Running the steps above should fix this problem too.

Permissions problem

This error message may occur if the permissions on your computer are too strict to allow the default access that is specified by Microsoft, or required by MARC Report. In this case, you will either have to have your IT dept resolve the problem, or switch to the portable version of MARC Report.

“Permissions” covers a lot of ground. For example, in Windows 10, there is a security setting in the Ransomware protection section called “Controlled folder access”. If this setting is enabled, its possible opening MARC Report will trigger a fatal error like the ones described on this page³⁾. In this case, one solution is to add MARC Report to the list of apps allowed through Controlled folder access.