100. Error message when trying to close Band-in-a-Box®: "Cannot create file ... BBToolBar8.INI"

This error message means that Band-in-a-Box® does not have permission to write or modify this configuration file. This may happen if the file is marked as read-only, or if you do not have "write" access to the Band-in-a-Box® folder. The exact reason *why* Band-in-a-Box® doesn't have permission can be a result of a few different things. Also, if you are getting an error like this, you are most likely getting other errors whenever a file needs to be saved in the bb folder.

Windows Vista and 7

There are a few things that can affect this - (1) whether you are logged on as an administrator or standard user, (2) whether User Account Control is enabled, (3) where you have Band-in-a-Box® installed, (4) whether you are running the program from an external USB hard drive or from your internal hard drive.

There are a number of possible solutions, but in general here is what you should do:

  1. First you should nstall the latest build for your version of Band-in-a-Box®.
  2. If you are running Band-in-a-Box® 2009 from an external hard drive that you purchased from PG Music, download and install the Band-in-a-Box® 2009 Hard Drive patch for Windows Vista and 7. This should resolve the problem completely without having to do anything further. This patch would not be applicable to Band-in-a-Box® 2010 or higher.
  3. If you happen to have Band-in-a-Box® installed in the C:\Program Files folder, you might consider moving it somewhere else to avoid any complications that might be caused by folder virtualization. For example, C:\My Music Programs\bb.
  4. As long as you have done the above three steps, you shouldn't still be experiencing this problem. If you are, you could run the Band-in-a-Box® program as an administrator. To do this, right-click on bbw.exe (or the shortcut you use to open Band-in-a-Box®) and select 'Run as admin'. Or to set it permanently, right-click on it | Properties | Compatibility | Run as admin.
  5. Disabling User Account Control would also resolve the problem. This is done in Control Panel | User Accounts... On Windows 7, the 'entirely off' setting is most applicable. If you prefer not to disable User Account Control (UAC) then you can do one of the fixes above.

Windows XP and earlier operating systems

Try right-clicking on the Band-in-a-Box® folder (usually C:\bb), and selecting Properties. Make sure "read-only" is unchecked, and press [Apply]. You may be asked if you want the changes to apply to all subfolders and files - yes.

If that doesn't resolve the problem, you may be running Band-in-a-Box® on Windows 2000 or XP Pro under a limited (non-administrator) account, and have it installed in a location where you do not have "write" access to the Band-in-a-Box® folder. One solution is to move the Band-in-a-Box® folder to a different location where you DO have permission. Another solution is to log onto the computer as an administrator and change the security settings for the Band-in-a-Box® folder. For instance, on Windows XP Professional, you would:

  1. Right-click on the Band-in-a-Box® folder (usually C:\bb) and select Properties.
  2. Click on the Security tab.
  3. Select the Group or User name that pertains to the limited account you are running Band-in-a-Box® on.
  4. In the Permissions window, make sure that "write" access is not denied for that group.
  5. Press [Apply].

Band-in-a-Box® should now work properly under the limited account(s). Note that the the steps above for changing security settings apply to Windows XP Professional, but not to Windows XP Home edition. Windows XP Home doesn't give you the same control over permissions for individual user accounts, because "Simple File Sharing" is always enabled. For limited users, you may need to copy the bb folder to the Shared Documents folder. All user accounts can read and modify any folders or files that are in the Shared Documents folder. For more information, right-click on a folder, select 'Sharing and Security', and click on the 'Learn More' link in that dialog. There is a way you can disable simple file sharing on Windows XP Home, however that is beyond the scope of this article.


Alyssa - PG Music