diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index dfa2226093..5dfc73614b 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ EndIf (Boost_FOUND)
 # Set the library version in the main CMakeLists.txt
 SET(FAIRROOT_MAJOR_VERSION 17)
 SET(FAIRROOT_MINOR_VERSION 03)
-SET(FAIRROOT_PATCH_VERSION 00)
+SET(FAIRROOT_PATCH_VERSION 01)
 SET(FAIRROOT_VERSION "${FAIRROOT_MAJOR_VERSION}.${FAIRROOT_MINOR_VERSION}.${FAIRROOT_PATCH_VERSION}")
 
 If(ROOT_FOUND_VERSION LESS 59999)
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ If(GIT_FOUND AND EXISTS "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/.git")
                   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
                  )
 Else()
-  Set(FAIRROOT_GIT_VERSION v-17.03)
+  Set(FAIRROOT_GIT_VERSION v-17.03a)
 EndIf()
 Configure_File(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/scripts/fairroot-config.in ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/fairroot-config @ONLY)
 
diff --git a/cmake/scripts/fairroot-config.in b/cmake/scripts/fairroot-config.in
index d624cd426b..8f7c917c11 100644
--- a/cmake/scripts/fairroot-config.in
+++ b/cmake/scripts/fairroot-config.in
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-_version=v-17.03
+_version=v-17.03a
 _major_version=${_version:2:2}
 _minor_version=${_version:5:2}
 _patch=${_version:7}
diff --git a/parbase/FairParAsciiFileIo.cxx b/parbase/FairParAsciiFileIo.cxx
index e944d0aef9..47add6857d 100644
--- a/parbase/FairParAsciiFileIo.cxx
+++ b/parbase/FairParAsciiFileIo.cxx
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ Bool_t FairParAsciiFileIo::open(const Text_t* fname, const Text_t* status)
 
 Bool_t FairParAsciiFileIo::open(const TList* fnamelist, const Text_t* status)
 {
+  if ( 0 == fnamelist->GetEntries() ) {
+    LOG(ERROR) << "The defined list of parameter files is empty. There are no parameters initialized from the ASCII files." << FairLogger::endl; 
+    return kFALSE;
+  }
   TString outFileName = gSystem->WorkingDirectory();
 
   outFileName += "/all_";