ERROR: not a valid file name: \INST85.SBK

Trying to double-click launch a ToolBook 8.5 file may give you the  following error on a computer running Windows XP:

not a valid file name: \INST85.SBK

This error may also be seen when trying to open the Version Updater utility.

The fix for this problem involves downloading a replacement ToolBook file. Note that Assistant 8.5 already has this fix applied.

• Download this INST85EXE.ZIP file to your computer, putting it somewhere easily accessible to you, such as on your desktop.

• Locate c:\program files\click2learn\instructor85\inst85.exe on your computer and rename that file to inst85oldcopy.exe.

• Unzip the ZIP file you downloaded. It will contain a single file - a newer version of inst85.exe.

• Place this new file in the c:\program files\click2learn\instructor85\ folder.

Your problem should now be fixed.

All right, so you are running 8.1 or earlier, what then? Well, unfortunately there is no replacement file to magically fix this problem for you - but there is a manual fix you can apply that seems to do the trick too.

If you access your Environment Variables by right-clicking on the My Computer icon (see figure below) and locate the two setting for the TMP variables, you can use the Edit buttons to change the name to something else like TMP2. 

IMPORTANT: Don't modify the TEMP variable. Only modify the TMP variable.

What this does is effectively shorten the standard Windows search path. An excessively long search path is what is tripping up ToolBook.