The device is not ready

Problem Description

When using a Persits product, an error message reading "The device is not ready" is generated. Examples:

Persits.Upload.1 error ' 800a0005 '
The device is not ready

(using AspUpload)

Persits.PdfManager.1 error ' 800a002e '
Opening Output file failed: The device is not ready

(using AspPDF)

Solution

This is almost always caused by using a mapped network drive letter. In Windows, network drive mappings are done for interactive users, and are usually not accessible to system processes such as ASP scripts. The solution is to use a UNC mapped drive path.

Instead of this (an example for AspUpload):

Upload.Save "f:\uploads" 'incorrect

use this:

Upload.Save "\\server\share\uploads" 'correct

This error can also occur if your script is genuinely using a device that isn't available, such as trying to access a CD or other removable media, but this situation is rare.

Comments

This article applies to AspUpload, AspEmail, AspEncrypt, AspJpeg, and AspPDF.