Hi Ed,

> it is during index created INDEX ON statements and during sql selects that do select and DTOC on existing fields in the free foxpro 2.6 format table.

I've seen this on many occasions. Basically, this happens every time VFP converts the date value into a different type. This can happen on index operations, too. Have you checked the content of the table? Something like

LOCATE FOR YEAR(dateField) <= 1600

> When I try to put a 01/01/1500 in a date field it says "invalid date" messagebox and doesn't let me continue

As long as SET DATE is LONG or SHORT that's the case. However, when you change it to something else, you can enter any date. You might have data in the table that has been entered incorrectly a long time ago.