~Today's Top DOS Tip Using multiple configurations on your system - By Simon Burrows ~`Introduction ~`컴컴컴컴컴컴 `Since the arrival of more and more flash games, bigger and more `powerful spreadsheets, and more system-hungry C.A.D. programs, `organising your system to give the right memory-configuration to `run all these things can be an unwanted hassle. Sometimes the `results of this can be disastrous, with a great pile of boot-up `disks, each of which used to load a different configuration so all `your different software will perform. However, this doesn't have `to be the story! Included in MS-DOS 6.x, is a feature used to `have multiple configurations all listed in your two CONFIG.SYS and `AUTOEXEC.BAT programs. Each time you power-on your computer, you `are presented with a menu from which you can select which `configuration you wish to be used in this session. ~`Method and Examples ~`컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� `Of course, the first step is to decide how many different `configurations you are going to want to use, and what each one `will have in it. When you have done this, you need to decide two `names for each one. The first name is a simple reference which `only your computer will use (such as 'extended' or 'expanded'). `The second is a more detailed name which will be used as the title `for the memory-configuration on the menu. `For example, if you have one configuration to load maximum `extended memory, and one to load maximum expanded memory, you `might use the following names :- ~`Simple Name � Main name for menu ~`컴컴컴컴컴컴컴냐컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� ~`EXTENDED � Use HIMEM.SYS to enable max. Extended Memory ~`EXPANDED � Use EMM386.EXE to enable max. Expanded Memory `When you have decided all this, edit your CONFIG.SYS, and type in `each of these configurations, one at a time, with a two-line gap `in between each one. When that's down on the screen, put a line `above each configuration with the simple name for the config in `square brackets. For example, a two-configuration CONFIG.SYS `might look like this :- ~`[EXTENDED] `DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS `DOS=HIGH,UMB `BUFFERS=20 `FILES=20 ~`[EXPANDED] `DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS `DOS=HIGH `DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024 `BUFFERS=20 `FILES=30 `Now you are ready to add the lines at the top of this CONFIG.SYS `file to tell your PC that you want to have a menu displayed each `item you boot-up your PC. To do this, the first line of the `CONFIG.SYS must read '[MENU]'. After this, you will need one line `for each configuration starting with 'MENUITEM=', then the short `name for the config, then a comma followed by your main name. `If we add these lines to our example CONFIG.SYS, we now get the `following :- ~`[MENU] `MENUITEM=EXTENDED, Use HIMEM.SYS to enable max. Extended Memory `MENUITEM=EXPANDED, Use EMM386.EXE to enable max. Expanded Memory ~`[EXTENDED] `DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS `DOS=HIGH,UMB `BUFFERS=20 `FILES=20 ~`[EXPANDED] `DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS `DOS=HIGH `DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024 `BUFFERS=20 `FILES=30 `Once this is down, it could be argued that you have finished `editing this file. However, what happens if you have some lines `which appear in all these memory configurations? If this is the `case, use an extra configuration called '[COMMON]' which has all `these repeated lines in it. So long as this is called '[COMMON]', `your computer will carry out all the lines in here as well as the `ones in the specialist configuration selected from the Startup `Menu. For example, our CONFIG.SYS may look like this :- ~`[MENU] `MENUITEM=EXTENDED, Use HIMEM.SYS to enable max. Extended Memory `MENUITEM=EXPANDED, Use EMM386.EXE to enable max. Expanded Memory ~`[COMMON] `DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS `BUFFERS=20 ~`[EXTENDED] `DOS=HIGH,UMB `FILES=20 ~`[EXPANDED] `DOS=HIGH `DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 1024 `FILES=30 `That's the CONFIG.SYS file finished. Now we need to edit your `AUTOEXEC.BAT file so this is split into all the configurations `needed. To do this, we split the AUTOEXEC.BAT in the same way by `having different sections for different configuration. However, `instead of each one starting by the name of the configuration in `square brackets, we instead start the line with a colon. `At the end of each section, we also need a line telling your `computer to skip to the end of the file so it doesn't load any `other lines. This is done by saying 'GOTO END' at the end of each `configuration, then having an empty section called 'END' at the `bottom of the file. We also need a line at the start which tells `your computer to go to the section selected from your menu. This `line reads 'GOTO %CONFIG%'. `All this put together, the AUTOEXEC.BAT for the CONFIG.SYS above, `may look as follows :- `GOTO %CONFIG% ~`:EXTENDED `C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM `C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE 1024 `PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;C:\WINDOWS `PROMPT $P$G `GOTO END ~`:EXPANDED `C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM `PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;C:\WINDOWS `PROMPT $T$D $P$G `GOTO END ~`:END `There's just one problem, though! Instead of having a section `called ':COMMON' to put in lines which are the same in each `configuration (like in the CONFIG.SYS file), you need to add the `lines which would into such a section before the 'GOTO %CONFIG%' `line. With this included, out AUTOEXEC.BAT file ends thus :- `PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;C:\WINDOWS `C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM `GOTO %CONFIG% ~`:EXTENDED `C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE 1024 `PROMPT $P$G `GOTO END ~`:EXPANDED `PATH=C:\DOS;C:\;C:\WINDOWS `PROMPT $T$D $P$G `GOTO END: ~:END `If you now save these two files (AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS) and `reeboot your machine, you should find yourself with a nice start- `up menu looking rather like this :- ~`MS-DOS 6.x Startup Menu ~`袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� ~`1. Extended ~`2. Expanded ~`Enter a choice:_ Well there it is.... Have a nice day.... ` 컴컴컴컴컴컴� ~` Simon Burrows ` 컴컴컴컴컴컴�