Greetings GNU Contact, I am running GNU 77 Fortran which I downloaded earlier this year. I am creating all files using Notepad. I am having some difficulty getting a compiled program to run. I have narrowed it down to the subroutine that needs the in.dat (data file), which is opened in a prior subroutine within the main program, to assign variables quantities. I think that there is a problem with the format statements .. I don't really understand if / in a Format statement merely ends a line, or if it also sends the 'carriage' to the next line? the in.dat file contains " in.dat for problem 1 00002 IB 00006 IE 00001 IDTYP: 1=RECTANG. DUCT, 2=2D-DUCT, 3=AXISYMMETRIC DUCT +1.00000E-01 DI (m): length of control volumes. " A prior subroutine, successfully conducts the following: " IDATI=71 OPEN(IDATI,FILE='in.dat') " The call satement from main.f is CALL INPUT(IB,IE,IDTYP,DI) Input.f contains the following associated lines of code: " READ(IDATI,5000) IB,IE,IGTYP,DI 5000 FORMAT(/I5/I5/I5/E12.5) " Everything compiles but on running 'main.exe', I get the following error message: " fmt: read unexpected character apparent state: unit 72 named out.dat last format: (/,I5,/,I5,/,I5,/,E12.5) lately reading sequential formatted external IO abnormal program termination " Hoping that you can shed some light, or point me in the right direction .. is my formatting line not in sinc with my in.dat file? I am at my wits end, even have a course instructor involved who is also at a loss. Hoping that you can shed some light on this situation, given your expertise with GNU 77. Sincerely, Ruth *********************************************************** Ruth C. Cooper, P. Eng M.A.Sc Candidate - Civil Engineering http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/civil/studentpages/cooper.htm ***********************************************************