VBScript WScript.Shell Run() - The system cannot find the file specified

Question

I'm trying to write a VBScript (.vbs) script that uses the WScript.Shell Run() method, but it seems as though Run() can't find the file I'm passing in.

I've boiled my script down to the following code that will reproduce the results. This can be copied to a text editor, saved as test.vbs and ran. The type command simply outputs the text inside the file passed in.

Dim WShell
Set WShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WShell.Run("type C:\inetpub\wwwroot\iisstart.htm")

Set WShell = Nothing

If you were to run the code in Run() directly from the CMD prompt, it works fine. But when it's run from inside a .vbs script and using Run(), it gives me the following error:

Test.vbs(4, 1) (null): The system cannot find the file specified.

I can run other commands using Run() just fine, but when I try to pass in a path it fails. Exec() fails with the same error by the way. Any ideas?

Tallbot

Answer 1

Try this

Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

strCmd = "cmd /K type C:\inetpub\wwwroot\iisstart.htm"

oShell.Run(strCmd)

Set oShell = Nothing

Ammerman

Use of cmd.exe .k is necessary because TYPE isn't an actual executable program but rather an internal command within the CMD Command Processor. – Submit