The full text of the error reads: "Commit failed. (details follow): 'pre-commit' hook failed with error output: all was unexpected at this time." I've run into this error when trying to commit files in Subversion (with TortoiseSVN) at least twice. At first, I thought it was caused by some obscure state error. I tried doing a cleanup on the directory, and then on the parent directory, with no success. I tried deleting the entire project and downloading it afresh from the repository. Nothing worked, until my associate Noel asked me what comment I'd used. It was then I realized that my comment contained double quotes. I replaced the double quotes with single quotes, and the commit worked without a hitch. In a way, it's a relief to know that I don't have to worry about any of my projects getting into a weird state where I can't commit anything, but on the other hand, it's a little troubling to think that my comment text apparently isn't getting escaped.