Resolve Sage 50 Error: “I/O in Variable Length Part of Record” in .DAT File

Sage I/O error in variable length part of record that occurs when the preferences file for the accounting software is damaged. So when you launch Sage 50, the program fails to parse the data in the preferences file and throws an error. One easy way to fix the Sage 50 I/O error is to delete the USERPREF.DAT file which will be automatically recreated the next time. In this post, you’ll learn how to fix the Sage 50 I/O error in the variable length part of the record.

The exact error message is shown…

Sage 50 Error: “I/O Error in variable length part of record”

Causes of I/O Error in Sage 50 Accounting

• USERPREF.DAT file damaged.
• The shared folder contains the company file and the preference file.
• The user hasn’t mapped the company file location properly.

Read More: Fix Sage 50 Accounts Hangs

Solution for Sage 50 I/O Error in Variable Length Part of Record

Since this error has one specific cause, we can rely on a single solution to fix the Sage 50 I/O error. You’ll need administrative rights to make the changes required to fix this error, so you need to use an administrator account in Windows.

• Go to File Explorer.
• Click on the search field in the top right corner of the window.
• Choose All Files and Folders.
• Input Company.DAT and hit enter. Wait for Windows to locate the file.
• Click on view from the toolbar, and choose Detail.
• Note the location of the company file and preferences file from the folder column.
• Right-click on the Folder for the company file.
• Choose Copy and paste the folder in the correct location so that Sage 50 can access it when you launch the program and log into the company file.
• Close Sage 50 on all your systems.
• Open the File Explorer, and go to the Folder containing the Company File.
• Right-click on the USERPREF.DAT file.
• Choose Delete, or click on Rename, and append old to the end of the file name.
  Note: deleting the user preference file doesn’t affect your data in any manner. While you’ll have to configure the preferences for the Sage 50 company file once again, you’ll not lose any of your data.
• Close File Explorer, and log into the Sage 50 company file that gave you the error in the first place.

When fixing the I/O error in the file UserPref.DAT in Sage 50, deleting the user preference file is essential because the damaged file will not let you access the company file.

Read More: How to Recover Sage 50 Lost Data

Conclusion

This is all in our simple guide for fixing the Sage 50 I/O error in the file UserPref.DAT. I hope that you were able to fix this error easily. We have a frequently asked question section that further elaborates some of the points in this article. You can always reach out to our accounting software experts if you need additional help with such errors.

FAQ