Informix Error -464
-464 File write error.
This statement reads a value from a BYTE or TEXT column into a file.The database server got an operating-system error while writing the data. Check the accompanying ISAM error code for more information, and look for operating-system messages. Typical causes include lack of disk space and hardware errors.
Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance
Reasons / Common Causes
-464 is the write-side counterpart of -462/-463, specific to writing a BYTE/TEXT
column's content out to a file: the server encountered an operating-system error during the
write itself, most commonly insufficient disk space or a hardware failure.
- Insufficient disk space at the destination — the most common cause, per the official guidance.
- A hardware failure on the underlying storage.
- File permission or filesystem-level issues preventing a successful write.
Solutions / Resolution
- Check available disk space at the destination first, per the official guidance.
- Check the accompanying ISAM error code for the specific underlying reason.
- Check for operating-system messages around the same time for hardware-level indications.
Examples
Checking disk space before retrying
df -h /path/to/destination/
-- confirm sufficient free space is actually available at
-- the destination before retrying the write
Diagnostic Checks
- Check disk space at the destination.
- Read the accompanying ISAM error code for the specific underlying reason.
- Check OS-level messages for hardware-level indications around the same timestamp.
Related Errors / Related Topics
- -462 — "File close error." A related file-operation failure, at the close step rather than the write step — both often trace back to disk space issues.
- -455 — "'loc_write()' failed." A closely related write failure, in the more general
loc_*()-function family rather than this specific column-to-file copy scenario.
Check disk space at the destination first — it's the most common concrete cause, per the official
guidance, for both this write failure and its close-time sibling -462.