PRB: Error 0x80004005 When You View ASP Page in Browser (307190)

SYMPTOMS

When you view an Active Server Pages (ASP) page in the browser, you may receive the following error message:

Error Type:
Active Server Pages, ASP 0141 (0x80004005)
The @ command can only be used once within the Active Server Page.
/pagename.asp, line xx

CAUSE

This error occurs if the server reads two lines of code that contain the @ command in server script. Often, this happens if the main page contains a line such as:

<% @Language=VBScript %>

and also contains a server-side include file that points to another page that contains the same line.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, make sure that you only use the @ command once in the page, and make sure that your include files do not contain a line with the @ command. If you need to change language in the middle of the page, use a script block. For example:

<SCRIPT Language=VBScript Runat=Server>
...
</SCRIPT>

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Script Encoder adds the following line by default to pages with an .asp file extension that it encodes:

<%@ LANGUAGE = VBScript.Encode %>

If your include files have an .asp file extension, you will probably encounter this problem.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

In Notepad, create a new ASP page named P1.asp, and paste the following code:

<%@Language=VBScript%>
<!-- #include file="Hello.asp" -->
<%=" World"%>

Save P1.asp in your Default Web Site's home directory.
In Notepad, click New on the File menu.
Create a new ASP page named Hello.asp, and paste the following code:
```
<%@Language=VBScript%>
<%="Hello"%>
					
```
Save Hello.asp in your Default Web Site's home directory.
In your browser, type the following address in the Address bar:
http://<localhost>/P1.asp