home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Libris Britannia 4
/
science library(b).zip
/
science library(b)
/
INFO
/
HELP201.ZIP
/
HELP.DAT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-10-03
|
82KB
|
3,707 lines
ANSI.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ ANSI.SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ ANSI.SYS is a device
driver that allows use of the extended
screen and keyboard features.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DEVICE = ANSI.SYS
EXAMPLE: DEVICE = ANSI.SYS^
after this command is placed in the
CONFIG.SYS file, the extended screen and
keyboard drivers will be loaded.
NOTE:^ The ANSI.SYS device driver
must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file
and be used in conjunction with the
DEVICE = DRIVER command.
APPEND
COMMAND NAME:^ APPEND
DESCRIPTION:^ Locates files outside
of current directory that have
extensions other than .COM, .EXE, and
.BAT.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal and External
VERSION:^ 3.3 and up
USE:^ The first time APPEND is loaded:
APPEND d:path[;[d:]path ...]
or
APPEND [/X][/E]
After APPEND has been loaded:
APPEND d:path[;[d:]path ...]
or
APPEND [;]
d:path^ specifies the path to search.
Paths cannot be specified the first time
the APPEND command is loaded if either
/X or /E are also specified.
;^ to separate the APPEND paths or to
request the list to be reset to null if
the semi-colon is the only parameter.
/X^ to process SEARCH FIRST, FIND
FIRST, and EXEC functions. Commands
such as COMP and DIR use the SEARCH
FIRST functions to search for files.
Commands such as BACKUP, RESTORE, and
TREE use the FIND FIRST function to
locate files. DOS uses the EXEC
function any time a command is entered.
NOTE:^ If APPEND has been loaded with
/X, before using BACKUP or RESTORE,
APPEND must be issued using null (;).
/E^ is used to keep the APPEND paths
in the DOS environment, similar to the
PATH command. APPEND searches the
environment on each call to find the
path.
If the /E is not specified, the path
string is held within the APPEND
command. The paths are not stored in
the environment and can only be viewed
or changed by using the APPEND command.
/X and /E can only be specified on the
first invocation of the APPEND command.
NOTE:^ Some applications read a file
from an APPENDed directory and then
write the file back out to the disk.
The application writes the file in the
current directory, leaving the original
copy unchanged.
WHY USE APPEND ??^
The APPEND command allows you to store
applications only once on your fixed
disk. Those applications can be used
without changing to the directory that
contains them.
For example, correspondence can be
sorted into categories, by subject or
content. Rather than duplicate the
editor, word processor, and spelling aid
programs in each letter category or
directory, you can install those
programs and their associated operating
files, in one directory.
EXAMPLE:^ Assume directories have
been created for each letter. Before
you load any word processing, editing or
spelling aid application, use one of the
following sets of commands:
PATH C:\APPS
APPEND /E
APPEND C:\APPS
or
APPEND /E /X
APPEND C:\APPS
^
Now you can use the application that was
installed in C:\APPS as if it were in
your current directory. Since the files
that the application needs to operate
(that do not have an extension of .COM,
.EXE, or .BAT) are in C:\APPS, the
application will find them with the help
of APPEND. To edit a file in C:\TEXT,
you would change to that directory that
the file is in and execute your
application. When you save the file,
the new version will be written to the
current directory.
ASSIGN
COMMAND NAME:^ ASSIGN
DESCRIPTION:^ Causes a request for
one drive to be routed to another drive.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ ASSIGN [x [=] y[...]]
Requests for drive 'x' are routed to
drive 'y'.
EXAMPLE: ASSIGN A=C^
After issuing this command, any requests
for drive A: will access drive C:.
e.g. DIR A: will list the files on
drive C:.
ASSIGN entered without parameters will
reset any ASSIGNments.
ATTRIB
COMMAND NAME:^ ATTRIB
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows you to manually
set the ARCHIVE or READ-ONLY attributes
on any file.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ ATTRIB [+R|-R][+A|-A][d:][path]
[filename][/S]
+R^ sets the file attribute to
READ-ONLY.
-R^ removes the READ-ONLY file
attribute and allows updating of the
file.
+A^ sets the archive bit.
-A^ resets the archive bit.
d: path filename^ specifies the file
whose attributes will be changed.
/S^ to process all files in the
specified directory and its
subdirectories. (This switch is valid
for DOS 3.3 and later versions).
EXAMPLE: ATTRIB +R HELP.COM^
The above example sets the file
'HELP.COM' to a READ-ONLY status.
BACKUP
COMMAND NAME:^ BACKUP
DESCRIPTION:^ Backs up files from
one disk to another.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ BACKUP d:[path][filename]
d:[/S][/M][/A][/D:mm-dd-yy]
[/T:hh:mm:ss][/F]
[/L[:[d:[path]filename]]]
d:\path\filename^ specifies the
source drive (the drive that contains
the files that you want to back up).
The second d:^ specifies the
destination drive (the drive to back up
the files to).
/S^ includes all subdirectories in the
backup.
/M^ backs up files that have been
modified since the last backup.
/A^ backs up additional files to a
diskette with back up files already on
it. Without this option, all files on
the backup diskette will be destroyed.
/D:mm-dd-yy^ backs up files that have
been modified since a specific date.
NOTE:^ The following options /T,
/F, and /L^ are new to DOS 3.3. Do not
try them with earlier versions.
/T:hh:mm:ss^ backs up files that have
been modified on or after the specified
time on the date specified.
/F^ formats the target diskette if it
is not already formatted.
/L^ creates a log. If a file name is
not specified, the default is
BACKUP.LOG, and the file is stored in
the root directory of the source drive.
If a log file exists, the information is
appended to the end of that file. The
first record of the file contains:
The date of the backup
The time of the backup
Subsequent records contain:
Diskette number of the backed up file.
Full path and file name of each backed
up file.
Files created using the BACKUP command
must be RESTOREd to be useful.
EXAMPLE: BACKUP C:\*.* A:/S^
This example will back up all files (in
all subdirectories) on drive C: to drive
A:.
BREAK
COMMAND NAME:^ BREAK
DESCRIPTION:^ Enables or disables
extended CTRL-BREAK checking.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ BREAK = [ON|OFF]
ON and OFF^ are the allowable
settings. The default setting is
BREAK = OFF.
When BREAK = OFF, DOS checks for a
CTRL-BREAK only during standard input
operations, standard output operations,
print operations, and auxiliary
operations.
EXAMPLE: BREAK = ON^
This example sets the extended BREAK
checking to on. When BREAK is on, DOS
will respond to CTRL-BREAK at any time.
BUFFERS
COMMAND NAME:^ BUFFERS
DESCRIPTION:^ Sets the number of
disk buffers allowed.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ BUFFERS = xx
xx^ must be a value from 1 to 99
specifying the number of buffers to be
used. The default value is two buffers.
For disk intensive applications such as
a database, more buffers are recom-
mended. Adding more buffers can speed
up certain applications. There is a
limit, however, if you set the number of
buffers over 20 it will begin to slow
down applications.
EXAMPLE: BUFFERS = 12^
Sets the number of buffers used by the
system to 12.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
CHCP
COMMAND NAME:^ CHCP
DESCRIPTION:^ Selects the code page
that DOS will use and selects that code
page for as may devices as possible.
This is a system level command, while
MODE is a device level command.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 3.3 and up
USE:^ CHCP [nnn]
[nnn]^ specifies the desired code
page. If omitted, the operating system
code page is displayed.
NOTES:^
1. The NLSFUNC command must be loaded
prior to issuing the CHCP command. See
the NLSFUNC command for more
information.
2. If a device driver has not been
prepared for the requested code page,
CHCP cannot select the code page for
that device. Refer to the MODE command
in this chapter.
3. This command may need to access
the COUNTRY.SYS file. If the file
cannot be found, a FILE NOT FOUND
message is displayed. Using the
COUNTRY= statement in the CONFIG.SYS
file or the NLSFUNC command, you can
tell DOS where to find COUNTRY.SYS.
CHDIR
COMMAND NAME:^ CHDIR
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays or changes
the current working directory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ CHDIR [d:][path]
or^
CD [d:][path]
d: path^ specifies the new drive and
directory that will be made current.
If no parameters are used then the
current drive and directory are
displayed.
EXAMPLE: CD \DOS^
Sets the working directory to a
directory named DOS if it is available.
CHKDSK
COMMAND NAME:^ CHKDSK
DESCRIPTION:^ Analyzes the files and
directories on a disk and displays the
total and available disk and RAM memory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ CHKDSK [d:][path][filename]
[/F][/V]
d: path filename^ specifies a filename
to check. If a filename is specified,
CHKDSK will report the number of
noncontiguous areas occupied by the
file.
/F^ corrects errors found in the
directory and in the file allocation
table, other errors are noted, but not
corrected.
/V^ displays the paths and filenames
on the specified drive.
If CHKDSK finds invalid or lost
clusters, you will be asked if you want
to convert the lost clusters to files.
If you used the /F switch and answer yes
to the prompt then the lost clusters
will be converted to files.
These files will be named with the
following naming convention:
FILExxxx.CHK^
where xxxx^ is a four digit number
starting with 0000.
EXAMPLE:^ CHKDSK C: /F^
gives a status report of drive C: and
fixes any errors found in the directory
or the file allocation table.
EXAMPLE:^ CHKDSK C:*.*^
gives a status report of drive C: and
lists any files that contain non-
contiguous areas (files that are spread
out around the disk).
If you have a large number of non-
contiguous areas, it could slow the
system speed considerably. Performing a
BACKUP and RESTORE of all files will
correct this problem.
CLS
COMMAND NAME:^ CLS
DESCRIPTION:^ Clears the display.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ CLS
EXAMPLE: CLS^
clears the screen.
COMMAND
COMMAND NAME:^ COMMAND
DESCRIPTION:^ Invokes a secondary
command processor.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ COMMAND [d:][path][/P]
[/C string][/E: xxxxx]
d: path^ is the drive and path that
DOS will look in for the COMMAND
processor.
/P^ makes the secondary command
processor permanent in memory. If you
use the /P switch you cannot return to
the original command processor.
/C string^ passes a string (a DOS
command) to the command processor and
then exits automatically.
/E:xxxxx^ is an integer that specifies
the size of the environment. The
acceptable range of xxxxx is from 160 to
32768.
EXAMPLE: COMMAND /C CHKDSK^
loads a secondary command processor,
passes the command CHKDSK to DOS, and
returns to the original command
processor.
COMP
COMMAND NAME:^ COMP
DESCRIPTION:^ Compares the contents
of one file (or group of files) to
another.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ COMP [d:][path][filename]
[d:][path][filename]
The first d: path filename^ specifies
the first set of files to be compared.
The second d: path filename^ specifies
the second set of files to be compared.
COMP^ compares files byte for byte.
Any bytes that do not match are
displayed. A typical error message would
look like:
Compare error at OFFSET 3B^
File 1 = 17^
File 2 = 26^
After 10 errors, COMP will abort.
EXAMPLE: COMP A:HELP.* C:^
compares the contents of all files with
the filename of HELP and any extension
on drive A: to files on drive C: with
matching filenames.
COPY
COMMAND NAME:^ COPY
DESCRIPTION:^ Copies a file (or group
of files) to the same or another disk.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ COPY [/A][/B][d:][path]
filename [/A][/B][d:][path]
[filename] [/A][/B][/V]
or^
COPY [/A][/B][d:][path] filename
[/A][/B][+[d:][path]
filename [/A][/B]] [d:][path]
[filename] [/A][/B][/V]
or^
COPY [/A][/B][d:][path] filename
[/A][/B][+[[,,]d:][path]filename
[/A][/B]...] [d:][path][filename]
[/A][/B][/V]
The first d: path filename^ specifies
the source file.
Using the +^ symbol will cause files
to be joined together as they are
copied. For example:
EXAMPLE: COPY FILE1 + FILE2 FILE3^
will copy the contents of FILE1 and
FILE2 into FILE3.
The second d: path filename^ specifies
the destination file.
When /A^ is used with the source
filename, it will be copied up to the
first end of file marker (Ctrl-Z).
The rest of the file will not be copied.
When /A^ is used with the destination
file, an end of file marker will be
added to the end of the file.
When /B^ is used with the source
filename, the entire file will be
copied (including CTRL-Z).
When /B^ is used with the destination
filename, no end of file marker will be
added to the end of the file.
/V^ verifies that the data is copied
correctly.
The +^ symbol will concatenate or
combine files as it copies.
EXAMPLE:
COPY FIRST + SECOND NEWFILE^
This command will copy the contents
of the files FIRST and SECOND into the
file NEWFILET.
WILD CARD CHARACTERS:^ Wild Card
characters are allowed within or in
place of filenames.
There are two wild card characters, ?^
and *^, that may be used with the copy
command. The characters ?^ and *^
are very handy for copying groups of
files with a single command.
Using the ?^ character within a
filename indicates that any character
can occupy that position in the
filename.
EXAMPLE: COPY FIR??.DAT B:^
This command will include files such as
FIRST.DAT^
FIRMS.DAT^
FIR01.DAT^
Using the *^ character within a
filename indicates that any character or
group of characters can occupy that
position.
EXAMPLE: COPY *.DAT B:^
This command will include any file with
the extension DAT. The following files
would be included.
TEST.DAT^
FIRST.DAT^
HELP.DAT^
COUNTRY
COMMAND NAME:^ COUNTRY
DESCRIPTION:^ Selects the date,
time, and currency formats to use for a
specific country.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ COUNTRY = xxx
xxx^ is a 3 digit code which
designates a particular country.
The following codes and corresponding
countries are listed below.
AUSTRALIA 061^
BELGIUM 032^
CANADA/FRENCH 002^
DENMARK 045^
FINLAND 358^
FRANCE 033^
GERMANY 049^
ITALY 039^
ISRAEL 972^
MIDDLE EAST 785^
NETHERLANDS 031^
NORWAY 047^
PORTUGAL 351^
SPAIN 034^
SWEDEN 046^
SWITZERLAND 041^
U. KINGDOM 044^
USA 001^
EXAMPLE: COUNTRY = 001^
Sets the COUNTRY code for USA.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
CTTY
COMMAND NAME:^ CTTY
DESCRIPTION:^ Changes the standard
input and output device to an auxiliary
device, or restores the keyboard and
screen as the standard input and output
devices.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ CTTY device
The available devices are:
AUX: ASYNCHRONOUS PORT^
COM1: ASYNCHRONOUS PORT^
COM2: ASYNCHRONOUS PORT^
CON: KEYBOARD INPUT and SCREEN^
OUTPUT^
EXAMPLE: CTTY COM1^
After this command is performed, all
standard input and output will be sent
to and taken from the primary
asynchronous port.
DATE
COMMAND NAME:^ DATE
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays or sets the
system date.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DATE [mm-dd-yy]
If DATE is entered with no parameters,
the current date will be displayed and
you will be prompted to enter a new
date. If the date is correct, simply
press ENTER.
If you wish, you may enter the date
immediately after DATE in the format
mm-dd-yy.
mm^ is a two digit month designation.
dd^ is a two digit day designation.
yy^ is a two digit year designation.
EXAMPLE: DATE 03-15-90^
Sets the system date to March 15, 1990.
DEL
COMMAND NAME:^ DEL
DESCRIPTION:^ Deletes a file (or
group of files) from a disk.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DEL [d:][path] filename
d: path filename^ specifies the file
to DELete.
EXAMPLE: DEL A:TEST.DAT^
Deletes the file TEST.DAT from drive A:
DEVICE
COMMAND NAME:^ DEVICE
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows MS-DOS to load
and utilize a device driver.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DEVICE = [d:][path]filename
d: path filename^ specifies the file
to use as a device driver.
All DEVICE drivers must be included in
the CONFIG.SYS file to operate properly.
Three DEVICE drivers are standard.
ANSI.SYS^
DRIVER.SYS^
VDISK.SYS^
ANSI.SYS^ gives you access to extended
keyboard and screen control.
The format for installing ANSI.SYS is:
DEVICE = ANSI.SYS^
DRIVER.SYS^ allows access of a disk
device.
The format for installing DRIVER.SYS is:
DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS /D:ddd[/T:ttt]^
[/S:ss][/H:hh][/C][/N][/F:f]^
/D:ddd^ specifies the physical drive
number. Values of 0 to 255 are
accepted.
/T:ttt^ specifies the number of tracks
per side. Values of 1 to 999 are
accepted.
/S:ss^ specifies the number of sectors
per track. Values of 1 to 99 are
accepted.
/H:hh^ specifies the maximum number of
heads. Values of 1 to 99 are accepted.
/C^ specifies that changeline support
is required.
/N^ specifies that the disk is not
removable.
/F:f^ specifies the device type.
VDISK^ sets up a virtual disk.
Virtual disks actually make your
computer's memory act like a disk drive.
As a result, a virtual disk will be much
faster than an actual disk.
The format for installing VDISK.SYS is:
DEVICE=VDISK.SYS[comment][bbb]^
[comment][sss][comment][ddd][/E[:m]]^
comment^ is a message containing
normal
text characters.
bbb^ is the size of the virtual disk
in Kbytes. Values between 1K and the
memory available in your machine will be
accepted.
sss^ is the sector size in bytes.
128, 256, and 512 are the sizes that
will be accepted.
Smaller sector sizes will utilize space
better. Larger sector sizes will
improve performance.
ddd^ is the number of files that the
virtual disk can hold. Values between 2
and 512 are accepted.
/E^ will force VDISK to use the
extended memory (memory above 1
megabyte).
EXAMPLE: DEVICE=VDISK.SYS 200 256 64
^
sets up a virtual disk with 200K storage
space, 256 bytes per sector, and 64
directory entries.
NOTE:^ All of these device drivers
must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file
and be used in conjunction with the
DEVICE = DRIVER command. These are not
commands which are available at the DOS
level.
DIR
COMMAND NAME:^ DIR
DESCRIPTION:^ Lists the files in a
directory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DIR [d:][path][filename]
[/P][/W]
d: path filename^ specifies the drive,
path, and filenames to list.
/P^ will PAUSE the listing each time a
screen full of file names appears. You
will be asked to press a key when you
are ready to continue. This keeps the
files from scrolling by faster than you
can read them.
/W^ will list the files in a WIDE
format. Only the file names will be
listed and they will be listed five
across. You can fit a much larger
directory on the screen this way.
EXAMPLE: DIR *.BAS /W^
lists all files on the current disk with
the extension .BAS using the WIDE
format.
WILD CARD CHARACTERS:^ Wild Card
characters are allowed within or in
place of filenames.
There are two wild card characters, ?^
and *^, that may be used with the DIR
command. The characters ?^ and *^
are very handy for listing groups of
files with a single command.
Using the ?^ character within a
filename indicates that any character
can occupy that position in the
filename.
EXAMPLE: DIR FIR??.DAT^
This command will list files such as
FIRST.DAT^
FIRMS.DAT^
FIR01.DAT^
Using the *^ character within a
filename indicates that any character or
group of characters can occupy that
position.
EXAMPLE: DIR *.DAT^
This command will list any file with
the extension DAT. The following files
would be included.
TEST.DAT^
FIRST.DAT^
HELP.DAT^
DISKCOMP
COMMAND NAME:^ DISKCOMP
DESCRIPTION:^ Compares the contents
of one diskette to another.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DISKCOMP [d:[d:]] [/1][/8]
d: d:^ are the two disk drives to be
compared.
/1^ compares the first side of the
disk only, even if the disk is double
sided.
/8^ compares eight sectors per track
instead of nine.
DISKCOMP will operate on floppy disks
only.
EXAMPLE: DISKCOMP A: B: /1^
compares the contents of the disk in
drive A: (track by track) to the
contents of the disk in drive B: using
only the first side.
DISKCOPY
COMMAND NAME:^ DISKCOPY
DESCRIPTION:^ Copies the contents of
one diskette to another. The
destination diskette will automatically
be formatted if necessary.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ DISKCOPY [d:[d:]][/1]
The first d:^ is the source disk for
the DISKCOPY.
The second d:^ is the destination disk
for the DISKCOPY.
/1^ copies only the first side of the
disk.
If the destination disk has not been
formatted, then DISKCOPY will format as
it copies.
DISKCOPY is performed on floppy disks
only. An attempt to use DISKCOPY with a
fixed disk will not work.
DISKCOPY makes a mirror image copy of
a diskette on to another diskette. As a
result, any flaws or fragmented files
will also be copied over. The COPY or
XCOPY commands would work much better
under these circumstances.
EXAMPLE: DISKCOPY A: B:^
creates a mirror image copy of the disk
in drive A: on to the disk in drive B:.
DISPLAY.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ DISPLAY.SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows you to use code
page switching on the IBM PC convertible
LCD screen, EGA, and IBM Personal
System/2 displays.
USE:^ DEVICE=[d:][path] DISPLAY.SYS
CON[:] = (type[,[hwcp][,n]])
or
DEVICE=[d:][path] DISPLAY.SYS CON[:] =
(type[,[hwcp][,(n,m)]])
type^ specifies the display adapter
type. The display types are MONO, CGA,
EGA, and LCD.
NOTE:^ If you are using ANSI.SYS and
DISPLAY.SYS, the DEVICE=ANSI.SYS
statement must appear before the
DEVICE=DISPLAY.SYS statement in the
CONFIG.SYS file.
NOTE:^ The display type EGA supports
the Enhanced Graphics Adapter and IBM
Personal System/2. The IBM Personal
System/2 video support is not
functionally equivalent to EGA video
support.
hwcp^ specifies the code page
supported directly by the hardware. The
possible hwcp are 437, 850, 860, 863,
and 865.
n^ specifies the number of additional
codes that can be supported. This value
is referred to as the number of prepared
code pages. The allowable range of
additional code pages n must be between
0 and 12.
NOTE:^ The MONO and CGA cannot
support prepared pages. The value of n
must be 0.
Each prepared code page requires a
buffer in DISPLAY.SYS which hold the
corresponding character fonts.
m^ specifies the number of sub-fonts
supported for each code page. These
sub-fonts vary for different adapters
and display modes. If the value of m is
not specified then the default is the
maximum number of sub-fonts:
┌───────────┬────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Devices │ Font Size │ Default m │
├───────────┼────────────┼─────────────┤
│EGA │ 8x8 8x14 │ 2 │
├───────────┼────────────┼─────────────┤
│IBM PS/2 │ 8x8 8x16 │ 2 │
├───────────┼────────────┼─────────────┤
│Convertible│ 8x8 │ 1 │
└───────────┴────────────┴─────────────┘
^
The following table is a compiled list
of parameters for DISPLAY.SYS:
┌───────┬───────┬──────┬─────┬───────┐
│ Device│Default│ n │ m │Default│
│ Type │ n │ │ │ m │
├───────┼───────┼──────┼─────┼───────┤
│ CGA │ 0 │ 0 │ 0 │ 0 │
├───────┼───────┼──────┼─────┼───────┤
│ MONO │ 0 │ 0 │ 0 │ 0 │
├───────┼───────┼──────┼─────┼───────┤
│ EGA & │ 1 │ 1-12 │ 1-2 │ 2 │
│ PS/2 │ │ │ │ │
├───────┼───────┼──────┼─────┼───────┤
│ LCD │ 1 │ 1-12 │ 1 │ 1 │
└───────┴───────┴──────┴─────┴───────┘
^
The number of additional code page
values may cause a buffer to be used to
hold the image data. The size of this
buffer is dependent on the display type.
EXAMPLE: DEVICE=C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS
CON:=(EGA, 437, 2)^
This example installs the code page
switching support for the CON: device.
It also tells the CON: driver that the
display is an Enhanced Graphics Adapter
with the 437 code page built in. The
CON driver holds up to two pages
prepared by the use of the MODE command.
DRIVER.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ DRIVER.SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ DRIVER.SYS allows
access of a disk device.
COMMAND TYPE:^ EXTERNAL
VERSION: 3.2 and up
USE:^ DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS /D:ddd
[/T:ttt][/S:ss][/H:hh][/C]
[/N][/F:f]^
/D:ddd^ specifies the physical drive
number. Values of 0 to 255 are
accepted.
/T:ttt^ specifies the number of tracks
per side. Values of 1 to 999 are
accepted.
/S:ss^ specifies the number of sectors
per track. Values of 1 to 99 are
accepted.
/H:hh^ specifies the maximum number of
heads. Values of 1 to 99 are accepted.
/C^ specifies that changeline support
is required.
/N^ specifies that the disk is not
removable.
/F:f^ specifies the device type.
NOTE:^ The DRIVER.SYS device driver
must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file
and be used in conjunction with the
DEVICE = DRIVER command.
ECHO
COMMAND NAME:^ ECHO
DESCRIPTION:^ Enables or disables
the screen display of DOS commands
during the execution of batch files.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ ECHO [ON|OFF][message]
ON | OFF^ turns ECHO on or off.
message^ is a text message that will
be displayed on the screen.
EXAMPLE: ECHO OFF^
After turning ECHO off, any batch file
commands encountered by DOS will not be
echoed to the screen.
A new option available with DOS 3.3 is
the @^ symbol. When the @ symbol is
used before a REMark or before an ECHO
ON or ECHO OFF command, that command
will not be displayed.
EXAMPLE:^ @ECHO OFF^
In the above example, ECHO OFF is not
displayed because of the @ symbol.
EDLIN
COMMAND NAME:^ EDLIN
DESCRIPTION:^ EDLIN is a line
editor. It can be used to create, edit,
and display ASCII files.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ EDLIN [d:][path] filename [/B]
d: path filename^ specifies the name
of the file to create or edit. If the
/B^ parameter is not used, EDLIN will
stop loading the specified file when the
first end of file marker (Ctrl-Z) is
encountered. If /B^ is used, the
entire file will be loaded.
EXAMPLE: EDLIN HELPTEXT^
Opens the file HELPTEXT for editing if
it already exists or creates a file if
HELPTEXT can't be found.
EDLIN will perform a number of editing
commands. The commands and formats are
summarized below.
Many commands will allow you to specify
line numbers. You may use the symbol
.^ in place of the current line number
and #^ in place of the line number of
the last line in the buffer.
A - APPEND ^loads lines from the
disk and places them at the end of
the input buffer.
USE: ^[n]A
[n]^ specifies the number of lines to
append to the current file.
C - COPY ^copies the contents of a
line or range of lines to another
location.
USE: ^[line],[line],line[,count]C
The first two [line]'s^ specify the
range of lines to copy. The third
[line]^ specifies the line to copy to.
[count]^ specifies the number of times
that the copy will be performed.
D - DELETE ^deletes a line or range
of lines.
USE: ^[line][,line]D
The [line]^ parameters specify the
first and last line to delete.
EDIT ^calls up a line of text for
editing.
USE: ^[line]
[line]^ specifies the line to edit.
E - END ^saves the current file and
exits EDLIN.
I - INSERT ^inserts lines of text in
the current file.
USE ^[line] I
[line]^ specifies the line number
where the insert will begin.
L - LIST ^displays a line or range
of lines.
USE: ^[line][,line] L
[line][,line]^ specifies the first and
last lines to list.
M - MOVE ^moves a line or range of
lines to a specified line.
USE: ^[line],[line],line M
The first two [line]'s^ specify the
first and last lines to move. The third
occurence of line^ specifies the line
number where the text will be moved to.
P - PAGE ^allows you to scroll
through a file one PAGE (23 lines) at a
time.
USE: ^[line][,line] P
[line][,line]^ specifies the first and
last lines to display.
Q - QUIT ^exits EDLIN without
saving the current file.
EDLIN is continued on the next page.
Press CTRL-PgDn^ to display the next
page.
EDLIN
Continued from the previous page. Press
CTRL-PgUp^ to display the previous
page.
R - REPLACE ^replaces all occurrences
of a specified string with a second
string.
USE: ^
[line][,line][?] R[string1][^Zstring2]
[line] and [,line]^ specify the range
of lines to perform the REPLACE on. The
optional ?^ will request an O.K.?^
prompt after each replace. string1^
specifies the string to search for and
string2^ is the string to replace it
with.
S - SEARCH ^searches for a specified
string.
USE: ^[line][,line][?] Sstring
[line] and [,line]^ specify the range
of lines to perform the SEARCH on. The
optional ?^ will request an O.K.?^
prompt after each replace. string^ is
the string to search for.
T - TRANSFER ^loads the contents of a
specified file into the file currently
being edited.
USE: ^[line] Tfilespec
[line]^ specifies the location where
the file being TRANSFERred (merged) will
be placed. filespec^ is the file to
be TRANSFERred.
W - WRITE ^writes lines to disk
from the file currently being edited.
This command is used to free up memory.
USE: ^[n] W
[n]^ specifies the number of lines to
write to disk.
ERASE
COMMAND NAME:^ ERASE
DESCRIPTION:^ Removes a file (or
group of files) from a disk.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ ERASE [d:][path] filename
d: path filename^ specifies the file
to ERASE.
EXAMPLE: ERASE A:TEST.DAT^
Deletes the file TEST.DAT from drive A:
EXE2BIN
COMMAND NAME:^ EXE2BIN
DESCRIPTION:^ Converts a file from
the .EXE format to .COM or .BIN formats.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ EXE2BIN [d:][path]filename
[d:][path][filename]
The first [d:][path]filename^
specifies the name of the input file
(.EXE file).
The second [d:][path][filename]^
specifies the name of the output file
(.COM file).
FASTOPEN
COMMAND NAME:^ FASTOPEN
DESCRIPTION:^ DOS locates files by
searching each directory in the path to
the file each time the file is accessed.
On fixed disks with complex directory
structures, this can take a large amount
of time. FASTOPEN stores in memory the
location of directories and recently
opened files. When accessing a file,
FASTOPEN searches the memory list first;
if the file is in the list, it is found
very quickly.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.3 and up
USE:^ FASTOPEN d:[=nnn] ...
d:^ to specify the drive to process.
Any fixed disk drives may be used.
=nnn^ specifies the number of
directories or file entries to remember
for the drive specified as d. If the
value is not provided, the default is
34. (The minimum is 10 and the maximum
is 999.) The sum of all nnn cannot be
greater than 999.
FASTOPEN can be used only once. All
drives must be defined the first time
FASTOPEN is used.
EXAMPLE:^ FASTOPEN C:=100^
This example will cause DOS to remember
up to 100 directories and / or files on
drive C:.
FCBS
COMMAND NAME:^ FCBS
DESCRIPTION:^ Specifies the number
of file control blocks that may be open
at one time by DOS.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ FCBS = m,n
m^ specifies the number of files that
can be opened by file control blocks at
one time. Acceptable values are 1 to
255.
n^ specifies the number files that DOS
cannot automatically close.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
FDISK
COMMAND NAME:^ FDISK
DESCRIPTION:^ Installs a partition
on a hard disk drive for MS-DOS and
prepares it for formatting.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ FDISK
FDISK is a menu driven program. If you
have any questions as to what any
particular options do, you should refer
to your GUIDE TO OPERATIONS.
NOTE:^ Be careful with this command
because you will probably destroy any
data that is on your disk.
FILES
COMMAND NAME:^ FILES
DESCRIPTION:^ Determines the number
of files that can be open at any one
time.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ FILES = xx
xx^ specifies the number of files that
can be open at one time. The acceptable
values are 8 to 255.
EXAMPLE: FILES = 15^
after this command is placed in the
CONFIG.SYS file, up to 15 files may be
open at one time.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
FIND
COMMAND NAME:^ FIND
DESCRIPTION:^ Searches a file for a
specific string of text.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ FIND [/V][/C][/N]"string"
[[d:][path]filename...]
/V^ displays the lines that don't
contain the requested string.
/C^ displays the number of lines that
contain a match of the requested string.
/N^ displays the number of each line
that contains a match of the requested
string along with the line of text.
"string"^ is the string of text to
search for.
If no parameters are entered, all lines
that contain a match of the requested
string will be displayed.
The string must be an exact match. For
example TEST and test will not be a
match.
d: path filename^ is the file to be
searched.
You may search for a string through
several files using one command by
listing them in succession.
EXAMPLE:^ FIND "test" file1 file2 ^
would display all lines contained in
file1, file2, and so on that contain the
string "test".
If you need to search for a string
containing a double quote, simply use
two quotes in succession. In other
words, to find "test", you would enter:
FIND ""test""^
FOR
COMMAND NAME:^ FOR
DESCRIPTION:^ Repeats a command for
several variables in a batch file.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ FOR %%variable IN(set) DO
command
%%variable^ represents a variable that
will be sequentially set to each value
in set^. If the FOR command is used
in a batch file, %%variable^ must be
used, if the FOR command is used at the
DOS level, only one %^ is required.
set^ contains the actual values that
%%variable^ will represent when the
command is executed. Wildcard
characters are allowed in set.
command^ is the DOS command that will
be repeated.
EXAMPLE:^
FOR %%g IN(*.TXT) DO TYPE %%g^
when this command is encountered in a
batch file, all files with the extension
.TXT will be TYPEd (displayed on the
screen).
FORMAT
COMMAND NAME:^ FORMAT
DESCRIPTION:^ Initializes a disk or
partition, checks for any defective
tracks, and prepares the disk to accept
DOS files.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ FORMAT [d:][/S][/1][/8][/V][/B]
[/4]
d:^ is the drive to be formatted.
/S^ copies the system files from the
source disk to the destination disk and
makes the disk bootable. There are
three system files:
IBMBIO.COM^
IBMDOS.COM^
COMMAND.COM^
/1^ formats a diskette on 1 side only
making it a single sided diskette
regardless of the drive type used.
/8^ formats a disk using 8 sectors per
track. To remain compatible with
version 1.1 of DOS, this will be
required.
/V^ will allow you to add a volume
label to the diskette being formatted.
Volume labels are a way to identify
individual diskettes.
/B^ formats a diskette using 8 sectors
per track and allocates space for system
files to be transferred later (using the
SYS command). Using the /B option will
allow you to install any version of the
DOS system files.
/4^ formats a double sided diskette in
a high capacity drive.
EXAMPLE: FORMAT C: /S /V^
FORMATS drive C:, copies the SYSTEM
files to drive C:, and prompts the user
for a VOLUME LABEL.
GOTO
COMMAND NAME:^ GOTO
DESCRIPTION:^ Transfers control of a
batch file to the command after the line
containing the appropriate label.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ GOTO :label
In a batch file, a label is a word
preceded by a colon (:). These lines
are ignored when the batch file is
executed.
EXAMPLE: :START^
DIR^
GOTO START^
will create a never ending loop of
directories printed to the screen. Each
time GOTO START is encountered, the
routine starting at :START is executed.
GRAFTABL
COMMAND NAME:^ GRAFTABL
DESCRIPTION:^ Loads additional
foreign language characters into memory.
For use with the color graphics adapter.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ GRAFTABL
EXAMPLE: GRAFTABL^
loads additional characters into memory
allowing them to be used in the graphics
mode.
NOTE:^ Beginning with DOS 3.3, there
are several extra options available with
GRAFTABL.
USE:^
GRAFTABLE [437|860|863|865| /STATUS]
437^ United States
860^ Portugal
863^ Canada (Fr.)
865^ Norway and Denmark
/STATUS^ displays the number of the
selected country code page.
GRAPHICS
COMMAND NAME:^ GRAPHICS
DESCRIPTION:^ The GRAPHICS command
will make it possible to dump graphics
displays to the printer when the SHIFT
and PrtSc keys are pressed. To work
properly, the printer must be a
compatible printer type.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ GRAPHICS [printer type][/R][/B]
printer type^ can be one of five types
of printers.
COLOR1^ - IBM Color Printer with a
black ribbon.
COLOR4^ - IBM Color Printer with red,
green, blue, and black ribbon.
COLOR8^ - IBM Color Printer with cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black ribbon.
COMPACT^ - IBM Compact printer.
GRAPHICS^ - IBM Graphics Printer.
/R^ to print black and white on the
printer as they are seen on the
monitor. If you do not specify /R then
black will be printed as white and white
will be printed as black.
/B^ prints the background color. This
switch is only valid on multi-color
printers. The default is to not print
the background color.
In the high resolution modes the image
will be printed on the printer sideways.
EXAMPLE: GRAPHICS GRAPHICS /R^
will load the drivers necessary to print
graphics to the IBM Graphics printer
displaying black as black and white as
white.
NOTE:^ Graphic screen dumps will take
longer than text screen dumps. Text
screen dumps will still be possible
after the GRAPHICS command is executed.
IF
COMMAND NAME:^ IF
DESCRIPTION:^ Performs conditional
execution of commands. If the condition
is met then then the command is
executed.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ IF [NOT] condition command
If the condition is met then the command
will be executed. If the condition is
not met then the command will be
ignored.
If the NOT^ parameter is entered, the
command is executed when the condition
is false.
command^ is the DOS command or program
to be executed when the condition is
met.
condition^ can be one of the
following:
ERRORLEVEL number^
string1 == string2^
EXIST filename^
ERRORLEVEL number^, where number is
the exit code of the previously executed
program.
The possible ERRORLEVEL numbers^ are:
0 = Normal completion^
1 = No files found^
3 = Terminated by CTRL-BREAK or^
ESCAPE^
4 = Terminated because of error^
The ERRORLEVEL number condition will be
true if the last program executed has an
exit code equal to or greater than the
number specified.
string1 == string2^ is true if string1
and string2 are exactly identical. An
uppercase character in one string must
be uppercase in the other string to be a
match.
EXIST filename^ is true if the
specified file exists. A drive and path
may be specified.
EXAMPLE: IF EXIST DATA.DOC WRITE^
checks to see if the file DATA.DOC
exists. If it does, then the command
WRITE.BAT will be executed. If it
doesn't, then the command will be
ignored.
JOIN
COMMAND NAME:^ JOIN
DESCRIPTION:^ Logically links a disk
drive to a directory on another drive.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.1 and up
USE:^ JOIN
or^
JOIN d: d:\directory
or^
JOIN d: /D
d:^ specifies the drive to be JOINed
to a directory on another drive.
d:\directory^ specifies the directory
that the previous drive will be JOINed
to.
/D^ disconnects a previous JOIN.
JOIN entered with no parameters will
display the drives and directories that
are currently JOINed.
EXAMPLE: JOIN A: C:\WORKAREA^
joins drive A: to the directory
C:\WORKAREA.
KEYB
COMMAND NAME:^ KEYB
DESCRIPTION:^ Loads a keyboard
program that replaces the keyboard
program resident in ROM BIOS to support
non U.S. English keyboards.
NOTE:^ The keyboard programs on
versions prior to DOS 3.3 are not
compatible and should not be executed
under DOS 3.3.
NOTE:^ KEYB^ which is available
starting with DOS 3.3 replaces KEYBxx^
which was available with earlier
versions.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.3 and up
USE:^
KEYB [xx[,[yyy],[[d:][path]filename]]]
xx^ specifies the keyboard code as
shown below:
UK - United Kingdom^
GR - Germany^
FR - France^
IT - Italy^
SP - Spain^
yyy^ specifies the numeric code page
defining the character set as shown
below:
AUSTRALIA 061^
BELGIUM 032^
CANADA/FRENCH 002^
DENMARK 045^
FINLAND 358^
FRANCE 033^
GERMANY 049^
ITALY 039^
ISRAEL 972^
MIDDLE EAST 785^
NETHERLANDS 031^
NORWAY 047^
PORTUGAL 351^
SPAIN 034^
SWEDEN 046^
SWITZERLAND 041^
U. KINGDOM 044^
USA 001^
d: path filename^ specifies the drive,
path, and filename of the keyboard
definition file (KEYBOARD.SYS) to
support a country language.
After loading a keyboard driver, you may
change from the KEYB program to the US
program by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1^. You
may switch back to the KEYB program by
pressing CTRL-ALT-F2^.
KEYBD.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ KEYBOARD.SYS
The KEYBOARD.SYS file contains tables
which direct the KEYB.COM command to
convert scan codes to ASCII characters.
To change a keyboard, the new keyboard
must support at least one of the
currently prepared code pages for the
CON device. You can change the keyboard
without restarting the computer. (For
example, the KEYB command can be used
multiple times.)
The MODE command is used to prepare the
new code pages required by the new
keyboard layout; only certain keyboards
or code page combinations are allowed.
If a mismatch is created between
keyboard and display, character keys may
not be correctly translated into the
correct code page, and incorrect
characters may be displayed.
The following table shows the valid
combinations of code pages and
keyboards:
┌───────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ CODE │ KEYBOARD │
│ PAGE │ │
├───────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ │ US, UK, FR, GR, IT, SP, │
│ 437 │ LA, SV, SU, NL │
├───────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ │ UK, FR, GR, IT, SP, DK, │
│ 850 │ NL, SU, NO, PO, SV, SF, │
│ │ SG, CF, BE, LA, US │
├───────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 860 │ PO │
├───────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 863 │ CF │
├───────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ 865 │ NO, DK │
└───────┴──────────────────────────┘
^
The KEYB command creates translation
tables for each code page that has been
prepared at the time KEYB is used. It
will activate the code page that has
been requested. If a code page is
desired that is not in that list of
prepared code pages, it must be first
prepared and then KEYB should be issued
again. Refer to the MODE command for
more information.
If a code page has been selected
previous to the KEYB command, and no
code page is specified in KEYB, it will
attempt to activate the selected code
page.
The KEYB command sets the following
ERRORLEVEL code:
0^ - Successful execution and
termination.
1^ - Invalid language, code page, or
syntax.
2^ - Bad or missing keyboard
definition file.
3^ - KEYB could not create a keyboard
table in resident memory.
4^ - An error condition occurred when
communicating with the CON device.
5^ - Code page request has not been
prepared.
6^ - The translation table for
selected code page cannot be found in
the resident keyboard table.
KEYBxx
COMMAND NAME:^ KEYBxx
DESCRIPTION:^ Replaces the current
keyboard program with a program which
will support a foreign language
keyboard.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ KEYBxx
xx^ can be any one of the following:
UK - United Kingdom^
GR - Germany^
FR - France^
IT - Italy^
SP - Spain^
After loading a keyboard driver, you may
change from the KEYBxx program to the US
program by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1^. You
may switch back to the KEYBxx program by
pressing CTRL-ALT-F2^.
You can automatically load a foreign
keyboard driver by using a diskette
created using the SELECT^ command.
EXAMPLE: KEYBFR^
loads the driver necessary to support a
French keyboard.
LABEL
COMMAND NAME:^ LABEL
DESCRIPTION:^ Creates, modifies, or
deletes a diskette's volume label.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ LABEL [d:][volume label]
d:^ specifies the drive which contains
the diskette to be labeled.
volume label^ specifies the label to
be written on the disk. A volume label
can be up to 11 characters long. If you
do not specify a volume label when using
the LABEL command you will be prompted
for one.
EXAMPLE: LABEL C:MYDISK^
will place the label MYDISK on drive
C:.
LASTDRIVE
COMMAND NAME:^ LASTDRIVE
DESCRIPTION:^ Specifies the maximum
number of drives accessible by DOS.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ LASTDRIVE = x
x^ can be any letter from A through Z.
The letter that you enter will represent
the last drive available in the system.
If you enter a letter which is less than
the total number of drives on your
system, the LASTDRIVE command will be
ignored.
EXAMPLE: LASTDRIVE = C^
sets the last drive in the system as
drive C:.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
MKDIR
COMMAND NAME:^ MKDIR
DESCRIPTION:^ Creates a sub-
directory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ MKDIR [d:]path
or^
MD [d:]path
d: path^ specifies the drive and path
where the subdirectory will be located.
Path must be 63 characters long or
less.
EXAMPLE: MKDIR \DOS^
or^
MD \DOS^
creates the subdirectory DOS directly
under the root directory.
MODE
COMMAND NAME:^ MODE
DESCRIPTION:^ Sets the mode of
operation for a printer, asynchronous
adapter, or graphics monitor. It also
can redirect parallel printer output to
the asynchronous adapter.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ MODE LPT#[:][n][,[m][,P]]
or^
MODE n
or^
MODE [n] ,m [,T]
or^
MODE COMn[:]baud[,[parity][,[databits]
[,[stopbits][,P]]]]
or^
MODE LPT#[:] = COMn:
EXAMPLE # 1 - Printer^
MODE LPT#[:][n][,[m[,P]]
LPT#^ represents the printer number
n^ specifies either 80 or 132
characters per line
m^ specifies 6 or 8 lines per inch
P^ tells your computer to continue
trying to print when time-out errors
occur
EXAMPLE: MODE LPT1:80,8^
sets line printer number 1 to 80
characters per line and 8 lines per
inch.
EXAMPLE # 2 - Monitor^
MODE n
or^
MODE [n],m[,T]
n^ is one of the following options
describing the monitor attached.
40^ specifies a screen width of 40
characters (Color graphics adapter only)
80^ specifies a screen width of 80
characters (Color graphics adapter only)
BW40^ disables the color on a color
monitor and sets the screen width to 40
characters
BW80^ disables the color on a color
monitor and sets the screen width to 80
characters
CO40^ enables the color on a color
monitor and sets the screen width to 40
characters
CO80^ enables the color on a color
monitor and sets the screen width to 80
characters
MONO^ selects the monochrome monitor
to be the active monitor
m^ shifts the display left or right.
L for left and R for right.
T^ displays a test pattern to help
align the screen when shifting it left
or right.
EXAMPLE: MODE CO80^
selects the color monitor, enables
color, and sets the monitor to 80
characters per line.
MODE is continued on the next page.
Press CTRL-PgDn^ to display the next
page.
MODE
Continued from the previous page. Press
CTRL-PgUp^ to display the previous
page.
EXAMPLE #3 - Asynchronous Adapter^
(Serial Port)^
MODE COMn[:]baud[,parity[,databits
[,stopbits[,P]]]]
COMn^ is the asynchronous adapter to
select. The acceptable values are 1 or
2.
baud^ selects the speed that the
asynchronous adapter will operate at.
The acceptable values are:
110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800,
and 9600.
You may abbreviate the baud rate by
using the first two digits.
parity^ can be N (none), O (odd), or E
(even).
databits^ can be either 7 or 8.
stopbits^ can be either 1 or 2.
P^ indicates that the asynchronous
adapter will be connected to a printer.
EXAMPLE: MODE COM1:96,N,8,1,P^
selects asynchronous port #1 and sets it
for 9600 baud, no parity, 8 databits, 1
stopbit, and sets it to be used with a
printer.
EXAMPLE #4 - Redirecting Parallel^
Printer Output to an Asynchronous^
Adapter.^
MODE LPT#[:] = COMn
LPT#^ is the parallel port number to
be redirected.
COMn^ is the asynchronous adapter that
the output will be redirected to.
EXAMPLE: MODE LPT1: = COM1^
redirects output from LPT1 to COM1. Any
future attempts to print to LPT1 will be
automatically routed to COM1.
NOTE:^ You must initialize the
asynchronous adapter (using example 3)
before redirecting output.
MODE is continued on the next page.
Press CTRL-PgDn^ to display the next
page.
MODE
Continued from the previous page. Press
CTRL-PgUp^ to display the previous
page.
This section of the MODE command covers
commands available with DOS 3.3 and
later versions.
COMMAND NAME:^ MODE
DESCRIPTION:^ Sets up and controls
code page switching.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
USE:^
MODE device CODEPAGE PREPARE =
((cp) [d:][path]filename)
or
MODE device CODEPAGE PREPARE =
((cplist) [d:][path]filename)
or
MODE device CODEPAGE SELECT = cp
or
MODE device CODEPAGE [/STATUS]
or
MODE device CODEPAGE REFRESH
NOTE:^
CODEPAGE can be shortened to CP
PREPARE can be shortened to PREP
SELECT can be shortened to SEL
REFRESH can be shortened to REF
STATUS can be shortened to STA
To Prepare Code Pages^
MODE device CODEPAGE PREPARE =
((cp) [d:][path]filename)
or
MODE device CODEPAGE PREPARE =
((cplist) [d:][path]filename)
device^ specifies one of CON, PRN,
LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3.
cp^ specifies one code page number.
cplist^ specifies a list of code
pages. The code page must be of the
following values, 437, 850, 860, 863,
865.
If a cplist is a list of code pages, the
code pages must be enclosed in
parentheses ().
d: path filename^ specifies the name
of the file containing the code pages.
The code page information files provided
on the DOS start up diskette have the
extension of CPI.
4201.CPI - IBM PROPINTER
5202.CPI - IBM QUIETWRITER III
EGA.CPI - EGA DEVICES
LCD.CPI - IBM CONVERTIBLE LCD
^
EXAMPLE:^
MODE LPT1 CP PREP=((850,,863) 4201.CPI
^
This example specifies the first code
page of 850, the second code page
remains the same as was previously
prepared for LPT1, the third code page
is specified as 863, and the character
shapes for IBM Proprinter Model 4201 is
specified.
Select or Activate a CODE PAGE^
MODE device CODEPAGE SELECT = cp
cp^ identifies the code page to be
activated. Choose one of the following
codes: 437, 850, 860, 863, 865. The
value of cp must be one found in the
list prepared by the previous option.
Display the active CODE PAGE^
MODE device CODEPAGE [/STATUS]
The active code page and a list of
selectable code pages for an active
device such as CON: or LPT#: is
displayed.
Refresh a CODE PAGE^
MODE device CODEPAGE REFRESH
This command re-establishes the active
code page if it has been lost. Code
pages can be lost in different ways.
One way is to turn off the printer.
After turning a printer off and back on,
a printer may have a different active
code page than the active code page
maintained by the printer driver. It is
then necessary to do a refresh command
to get back the original active code
page.
EXAMPLE:^
MODE LPT1 CP PREP=(860) C:\DOS\4201.CPI
MODE LPT1 CP REFRESH
^
MORE
COMMAND NAME:^ MORE
DESCRIPTION:^ Filters input and
displays it one screen at a time. The
message 'MORE' will appear if more data
is available.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ MORE
This filter is usually used in
conjunction with the | (pipe). The pipe
is used to send the output from a
command and send it to another to be
processed.
EXAMPLE: DIR | MORE^
The output from DIR will be piped to
MORE and will be displayed one screen at
a time.
NLSFUNC
COMMAND NAME:^ NLSFUNC
DESCRIPTION:^ NLSFUNC provides
support for extended country information
and allows you to use the CHCP command
to select code pages for all devices
defined as having code page switching
support. NLSFUNC must be loaded prior
to using the CHCP command.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.3 and up
USE:^ NLSFUNC [[d:][path]filename]
d:path filename^ specifies the
location and name of the country
information file (COUNTRY.SYS). If this
parameter is omitted, the drive path and
filename defined by COUNTRY= command in
the CONFIG.SYS file are used. The file
name must be included if drive or path
are specified.
EXAMPLE:^ NLSFUNC C:\DIR1\COUNTRY.SYS
This example loads the NLSFUNC command
and specifies the location of the
COUNTRY.SYS file in a directory called
DIR1.
PATH
COMMAND NAME:^ PATH
DESCRIPTION:^ Sets the path of
directories that DOS will search when
a command is not found in the current
directory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ PATH [[d:]path[[;[d:]
path]...]]]
d: path; d: path;...^ define the paths
that DOS will search for commands and
programs.
PATH will only find files that can be
executed, such as .COM, .EXE, and .BAT.
EXAMPLE: PATH C:\DOS;C:\BASIC^
After the above command has been
entered, assume we enter the command
TREE. DOS will first search the current
directory. If it doesn't find the
command in the current directory, it
will search the directory C:\DOS. If
TREE is found in the C:\DOS directory
then it will be executed. If it is not
found, then the search will be continued
until the command TREE is found or until
all directories have been searched.
PAUSE
COMMAND NAME:^ PAUSE
DESCRIPTION:^ Suspends execution of
a batch file until a key is pressed.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ PAUSE [comment]
comment^ is an optional comment that
may be entered. It will be displayed
when PAUSE is executed.
EXAMPLE: PAUSE Make sure that
your printer is on.^
When this PAUSE command is executed, the
following message will appear.
Make sure that your printer is on.^
Strike a key when ready...^
The message Strike a key when ready^
is automatically displayed whenever the
PAUSE command is used.
PRINT
COMMAND NAME:^ PRINT
DESCRIPTION:^ Prints text (ASCII)
files in the background mode.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ PRINT [/D: device]
[/B:buffersize] [/U:busytick]
[/M:maxtick] [/S:timeslice]
[/Q:quesize][/C][/T][/P] [[d:]
[path][filename]...]
/D:device^ specifies the device to
PRINT to.
/B:buffersize^ specifies the size of
the buffer (in bytes).
/U:busytick^ specifies the number of
clockticks that PRINT will wait while
the print device is busy or unavailable.
/M:maxtick^ specifies the number of
ticks that PRINT can have to print to
the print device. Values from 1 to 255
will be accepted.
/S:timeslice^ specifies the time-slice
value. Values from 1 to 255 will be
accepted.
/Q:quesize^ specifies the number of
PRINT files that may be in the queue.
Values from 1 to 32 are acceptable.
/C^ selects the cancel mode.
/T^ terminates the entire PRINT
procedure. All files currently being
PRINTed will be cancelled.
/P^ sets the print mode. The preced-
ing filename and any files following /P
will be added to the PRINT queue.
d: path filename...^ is a list of
files to PRINT.
EXAMPLE: PRINT TEST.* /C^
will cancel all files with a filename of
test from the print queue.
EXAMPLE: PRINT TEST.DOC /C T.DOC /P^
cancels TEST.DOC and adds T.DOC to
the print queue.
PRINTER.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ PRINTER.SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows you to use code
page switching on the IBM Proprinter
Model 4201 and IBM Quietwriter III
Printer Model 5202.
USE:^ DEVICE=[d:][path][PRINTER.SYS
LPT#[:] = (type[,[hwcp][,n]])
DEVICE=[d:][path][PRINTER.SYS LPT#[:] =
(type[,[(hwcp1, hwcp2,...)][,n]])
LPT#^ specifies the printer device and
can be entered up to three times, one
for printers LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. The
device name PRN may be used in place of
LPT1.
type^ specifies one of the following
printer types:
IBM Proprinter Model 4201
IBM Quietwriter III Model 5202
^
hwcp^ specifies the code page image
built into the hardware (437, 850, 860,
863, or 865).
For the IBM Quietwriter III Model 5202,
the hwcp can be one code page, such as
437, or it can be a pair of code pages,
such as (437,850). For the IBM
Quietwriter III Model 5202, if two
hardware code pages have been specified,
then no code pages can be prepared, and
the value of n must equal zero.
n specifies the number of additional
code pages that can be prepared. The
value of n determines the number of
buffers PRINTER.SYS will set up to hold
code pages being prepared. The maximum
number of code pages that can be
prepared is 12.
The IBM Proprinter Model 4201 holds its
hardware code page in ROM. When the IBM
Proprinter Model 4201 is started, it
copies the ROM code page into a RAM area
in the printer.
EXAMPLE: DEVICE=PRINTER.SYS LPT1:=
(4201, 437, 1) LPT2:=(5202, 437, 0)
^
This example installs the code page
switching for the LPT1: and LPT2:
devices. It instructs the LPT1: driver
that the printer is a IBM Proprinter
Model 4201 and the LPT2: driver that the
printer is an IBM Quietwriter III Model
5202. Both printers have the 437 code
page built in. The LPT1: driver is abel
to hold one code page prepared by the
MODE command, while the LPT2: driver can
have one code page prepared.
PROMPT
COMMAND NAME:^ PROMPT
DESCRIPTION:^ Changes the DOS
prompt.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ PROMPT [prompt-text]
prompt-text^ may be a text message or
one of several special characters.
The special characters are listed below
along with the prompt that they will
display.
$t - system time^
$d - system date^
$p - current directory^
$v - version number^
$n - default drive letter^
$g - >^
$l - <^
$b - |^
$q - =^
$h - BACKSPACE^
$e - ESCAPE^
$_ - perform a carriage return and^
line feed^
EXAMPLE: PROMPT TEST^
will set the DOS prompt line to TEST.
EXAMPLE: PROMPT $p$g^
will cause the prompt line to display
the current directory and the >^
character.
RECOVER
COMMAND NAME:^ RECOVER
DESCRIPTION:^ Recovers a file or
complete disk that contains bad sectors.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ RECOVER [d:][path]filename
or^
RECOVER d:
d: path filename^ specifies
the drive, path, and filename of the
file or files that you wish to
recover.
The second format, RECOVER d:^ will
recover all files on a disk.
Individually recovered files will simply
be written over the old file (without
the defective sectors).
NOTE:^ When you recover an entire
disk, all files will be renamed and the
files which have been recovered will be
named in the following manner.
FILEnnnn.REC^
nnnn^ is a sequential number starting
at 001.
EXAMPLE: RECOVER A:^
recovers all files on drive A: renaming
them with the FILEnnnn.REC naming
convention.
REM
COMMAND NAME:^ REM
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays a remark
during the execution of a batch file.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ REM [comment]
A comment^ is generally used in a
batch file to display messages during
execution.
EXAMPLE: REM This is a test!^
will display the message:
REM This is a test!^
REN[AME]
COMMAND NAME:^ REN[AME]
DESCRIPTION:^ Renames a file (or
group of files). REN is the abbreviated
form of RENAME. REN and RENAME are the
same command. Wildcard characters ? and
* are allowed in the filenames.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ REN[AME] [d:][path] filename
filename
d: path filename^ specifies the
file(s) to be RENAMEd.
The second filename^ is the new name
for the file(s).
EXAMPLE: REN TEST TEST1.DAT^
changes the name of the file TEST to
TEST1.DAT.
REPLACE
COMMAND NAME:^ REPLACE
DESCRIPTION:^ Replaces files on a
disk or adds files to a disk. REPLACE
is very similar to COPY, but several
additional options are available with
REPLACE.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.2 and up
USE:^ REPLACE [d:][path]filename
[d:][path][/A][/P][/R][/S][/W]
d: path filename^ specifies the
filenames on the source disk that will
replace the files on the destination
disk.
d: path^ specifies the destination
drive and directory of the files that
are to be replaced.
/A^ causes REPLACE to copy only the
files that do not already exist on the
destination disk.
/P^ causes REPLACE to ask you whether
or not you want to replace each file.
You will be prompted as each file is
copied.
/R^ causes REPLACE to replace the read
only files.
/S^ causes REPLACE to search all
subdirectories on the destination disk
for matching files. Matching files
found in any subdirectory will be
REPLACEd. /S and /A can not be used
together.
/W^ causes REPLACE to wait for you to
insert a disk.
EXAMPLE: REPLACE TEST.DAT C:\ /S^
REPLACE will replace any copy of the
file TEST.DAT in any and all directories
on drive C: with the copy on drive A:
(the default drive).
RESTORE
COMMAND NAME:^ RESTORE
DESCRIPTION:^ Restores backed up
files from one disk to another.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ RESTORE d: [d:][path] filename
[/S][/P][/B:mm:dd:yy][/A:mm:dd:yy]
[/M][/N][/L:time] [/E:time]
d:^ specifies the drive that contains
the backed up files (files created using
the BACKUP command).
d: path filename^ specifies the
names of the files that you want to
restore and where you want to put them.
/S^ restores the files in all sub-
directories. If /S is not specified,
only the current directory is restored.
/P^ causes RESTORE to prompt you
before restoring files that have changed
since they were backed up. /P will also
cause RESTORE to prompt you before it
restores a read-only file.
EXAMPLE: RESTORE A: C:\*.* /S^
will restore all files on drive A:
(which had previously been backed up
using BACKUP) to drive C:. All
subdirectories will be restored.
NOTE:^ The following options /B,
/A, /M, /N, /L, and /E^ are new to DOS
3.3. Do not attempt to use them with
earlier versions.
/B:mm-dd-yy^ restores all files
modified on or before the date specified
by mm-dd-yy.
/A:mm-dd-yy^ restores all files
modified on or after the date by mm-dd-
yy.
/M^ restores files modified or deleted
since they were backed up.
/N^ restores files that no longer
exist on the target disk.
/L:time^ restores only those files
that were modified at or later than the
given time.
/E:time^ restores only those files
that were modified at or earlier than
the given time.
RMDIR
COMMAND NAME:^ RMDIR
DESCRIPTION:^ Removes a sub-
directory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ RMDIR [d:]path
or^
RD [d:]path
d: path^ specifies the subdirectory
to remove.
The subdirectory to be removed must be
empty or RMDIR will not be allowed.
EXAMPLE: RD C:\DOS^
removes the subdirectory \DOS from drive
C:.
SELECT
COMMAND NAME:^ SELECT
DESCRIPTION:^ Installs DOS on a new
disk. Also installs the keyboard and
country codes. CAUTION!!!^ This
command formats the disk.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ SELECT [[A:| B:] D:[path]] xxx
yy
[A:| B:]^ specifies either drive A or
drive B as the source drive. The only
valid choices are A or B. If you do not
specify a source drive, drive A will be
used. The source drive should contain a
DOS diskette.
D: path^ selects the drive and path
that the DOS files will be copied to.
If no drive is specified, drive B will
be used. If no path is specified, the
files will be copied to the root
directory.
xxx^ specifies the country code.
Country code tells DOS two things. It
tells DOS which date and time format to
use and it tells DOS which currency
symbol to use.
yy^ selects the keyboard code.
The following table shows the available
country and keyboard codes.
COUNTRY KEYBOARD^
CODE CODE^
AUSTRALIA 061 *^
BELGIUM 032 *^
CANADA/FRENCH 002 *^
DENMARK 045 *^
FINLAND 358 *^
FRANCE 033 FR^
GERMANY 049 GR^
ITALY 039 IT^
ISRAEL 972 *^
MIDDLE EAST 785 *^
NETHERLANDS 031 *^
NORWAY 047 *^
PORTUGAL 351 *^
SPAIN 034 SP^
SWEDEN 046 *^
SWITZERLAND 041 *^
U. KINGDOM 044 UK^
USA 001 US^
*^ The keyboard routine may be
supplied on a separate diskette, or you
may choose any keyboard routine by using
the KEYBxx command.
EXAMPLE: SELECT A: C:\ 034 SP^
performs the SELECT command using drive
A: as the source drive and drive C: as
the destination drive. It also selects
COUNTRY code 034 (Spain) and KEYBOARD
code SP (Spanish).
SET
COMMAND NAME:^ SET
DESCRIPTION:^ Sets the command
processor's environment or displays the
current settings. Application programs
and commands may inspect the environment
string.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ SET [name=[parameter]]
If you enter SET with no parameters, the
current settings will be displayed. If
you enter SET and name with no
parameter, then the current setting for
name will be deleted from the current
environment.
EXAMPLE: SET look_in=C:\datadir^
after this command has been executed, an
application program could examine the
environment string and determine that
look_in has been set equal to
C:\datadir. This information might be
used by the application program to
locate files that it needed.
SHARE
COMMAND NAME:^ SHARE
DESCRIPTION:^ Loads extra support
for file sharing. This command is
used primarily by network applications.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ SHARE [/F: filespace]
[/L: locks]
/F: filespace^ allocates file space in
bytes for the area used to record
information necessary for file sharing.
/L: locks^ allocates space for the
number of locks that you want.
EXAMPLE: SHARE^
loads file sharing support. The default
values of 2048 bytes for filespace
(/F: filespace) and 20 locks (/L: locks)
will be used.
SHELL
COMMAND NAME:^ SHELL
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows another command
processor to be used in place of
COMMAND.COM.
COMMAND TYPE:^ System Configuration
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ SHELL = [d:][path] filename
[parm1][parm2]
d: path filename^ specifies the file
that will be loaded in place of
COMMAND.COM.
NOTE:^ This command must be placed in
the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a normal
DOS command.
SHIFT
COMMAND NAME:^ SHIFT
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows use of more
than 10 replaceable parameters within a
batch file.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal (batch)
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ SHIFT
When more than one replaceable parameter
is used, SHIFT will shift the parameter
list one position to the left.
EXAMPLE:^ Assume that there is a
batch file called COPYFILE.BAT that
copies files from one drive to another.
Also assume that it uses 4 replaceable
parameters, %0, %1, %2, and %3. If you
invoke COPYFILE.BAT using the
replaceable parameters:
COPYFILE *.DAT *.EXE *.COM *.BAT^
then %0 equals *.DAT^, %1 equals^
*.EXE^, %2 equals *.COM^, and %3^
equals *.BAT^. After a SHIFT command
is issued, the list of parameters will
shift one to the left and, %0 will^
equal *.EXE^, %1 will equal *.COM^,
and %2 will equal *.BAT^.
SORT
COMMAND NAME:^ SORT
DESCRIPTION:^ Reads data from a
device, sorts it and writes it.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ SORT [/R][/+n]
/R^ causes SORT to sort in reverse
order. For example, Z comes before A
and 9 comes before 1.
/+n^ causes SORT to sort starting
with column n.
This command is usually used in
conjunction with a pipe ( | ) or
with file redirection ( < or > ).
EXAMPLE: DIR | SORT /+10^
will read a directory, sort the
directory using column 10 (the filename
extension) to sort by, and then display
the directory.
EXAMPLE:^ SORT < UNSORTED > SORTED^
will read the file UNSORTED, sort it and
write the results to the file SORTED.
SUBST
COMMAND NAME:^ SUBST
DESCRIPTION:^ Allows you to refer to
a drive and path specifier with a
different name that you choose.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.1 and up
USE:^ SUBST d: d:path
or^
SUBST d: /D
or^
SUBST
d:^ specifies the drive letter that
you will use as a substitute for a
particular drive and path.
d:path^ specifies the drive letter and
path that you will refer to with a
nickname.
/D^ deletes a substitution. You must
also specify the drive letter of the
drive whose substitution you want to
delete.
EXAMPLE: SUBST J: C:\DOS^
will allow you to treat the directory
C:\DOS as a drive. After executing this
SUBST command, DIR J: and DIR C:\DOS
would net identical results.
EXAMPLE: SUBST J: /D^
will delete the substitution created in
the previous example.
SUBST entered with no parameters will
display all current substitutions.
NOTE:^ The first drive letter
specified (d:) cannot be the default
drive.
SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ Transfers the operat-
ing system to another disk.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ SYS d:
d:^ specifies the drive that you wish
to transfer the system files to.
IBMBIO.COM^ and IBMDOS.COM^ are the
two invisible files that are copied by
the SYS command.
DOS expects IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM to
be the first two files in the directory.
If you get an error using the SYS
command it is probably because one or
both of the first two positions are
already occupied.
EXAMPLE: SYS C:^
transfers the system files (IBMBIO.COM
and IBMDOS.COM) to drive C.
TIME
COMMAND NAME:^ TIME
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays and sets the
system time.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ TIME [hh:mm[:ss[.xx]]]
hh^ specifies the hours using military
time format (0 to 23).
mm^ specifies minutes. Numbers from 0
to 59 will be accepted for minutes.
ss^ specifies seconds. Numbers from 0
to 59 will be accepted for seconds.
xx^ specifies hundredths of a second.
Numbers from 0 to 99 will be accepted
for hundredths of a second.
TIME entered with no parameters will
display the current time and give you
the option to either change the time or
leave it as it is.
EXAMPLE: TIME 12:20:15.90^
sets the time for 12 hours, 20 minutes,
15 seconds, and 90 hundredths of a
second.
TREE
COMMAND NAME:^ TREE
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays all director-
ies and subdirectories on a particular
diskette. It can also list all files in
each directory and subdirectory.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ TREE [d:][/F]
d:^ is the drive whose directory paths
will be listed.
/F^ causes TREE to list the individual
files in each directory as well as the
paths.
EXAMPLE: TREE C: /F^
displays the directory paths of drive C
and also lists all files in each
directory.
TYPE
COMMAND NAME:^ TYPE
DESCRIPTION:^ Lists the contents of
a file to the display.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ TYPE [d:][path]filename
d: path filename^ specifies the drive,
path, and filename of the file to be
TYPEd.
If the file that you TYPE is not
readable, it probably is not a text or
ASCII file.
EXAMPLE: TYPE TEST.TXT^
displays the file TEST.TXT on the
screen. By modifying the command to
TYPE TEST.TXT > PRN, the file will be
sent to the printer.
VDISK.SYS
COMMAND NAME:^ VDISK.SYS
DESCRIPTION:^ VDISK sets up a
virtual disk. Virtual disks actually
make your computers memory act like a
disk drive. As a result, a virtual disk
will be much faster than an actual disk
drive.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.0 and up
USE:^ DEVICE=VDISK.SYS[comment][bbb]
[comment][sss][comment][ddd]
[/E[:m]]
comment^ is a message containing
normal text characters.
bbb^ is the size of the virtual disk
in Kbytes. Values between 1K and the
memory available in your machine will be
accepted.
sss^ is the sector size in bytes.
128, 256, and 512 are the sizes that
will be accepted.
A smaller sector size will utilize space
much better, but a larger sector will
improve performance.
ddd^ is the number of files that the
virtual disk can hold. Values between 2
and 512 are accepted.
/E^ will force VDISK to use the
extended memory (memory above 1
megabyte).
:m^ is the maximum number of sectors
of data that VDISK will transfer at a
time. The possible numbers for :m are 1
through 8.
EXAMPLE: DEVICE=VDISK.SYS 200 256
64^
sets up a virtual disk with 200K storage
space, 256 bytes per sector, and 64
directory entries.
NOTE:^ The VDISK.SYS device driver
must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file
and be used in conjunction with the
DEVICE = DRIVER command.
VER
COMMAND NAME:^ VER
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays the version
of DOS that you are currently using.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ VER
EXAMPLE: VER^
displays the version of DOS that you are
currently using.
VERIFY
COMMAND NAME:^ VERIFY
DESCRIPTION:^ Turns VERIFY on or
off. Verify ensures that data is
recorded correctly.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ VERIFY [ON|OFF]
ON | OFF^ will turn VERIFY ON or OFF.
When VERIFY is ON, DOS will check to see
if data written was written correctly.
EXAMPLE: VERIFY ON^
sets VERIFY to ON.
VERIFY entered with no parameters will
display the current setting of VERIFY.
VOL
COMMAND NAME:^ VOL
DESCRIPTION:^ Displays the VOLUME
LABEL of the specified diskette.
COMMAND TYPE:^ Internal
VERSION:^ 2.0 and up
USE:^ VOL [d:]
d:^ is the drive whose VOLume label
will be displayed.
EXAMPLE: VOL^
displays the VOLume label of the current
drive.
XCOPY
COMMAND NAME:^ XCOPY
DESCRIPTION:^ Copies groups of
files. Subdirectories can be included.
COMMAND TYPE:^ External
VERSION:^ 3.2 and up
USE:^ XCOPY [d:][path] filename
[d:][path][filename] [/A][/D][/E]
[/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]
or^
XCOPY [d:] path [filename]
[d:][path] [filename] [/A][/D][/E]
[/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]
or^
XCOPY d:[path] [filename]
[d:][path][filename] [/A][/D][/E]
[/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]
The first d: path filename^
specifies the source drive, path, and
filename.
The second d: path filename^
specifies the destination drive, path,
and filename.
/A^ copies only those files that have
been modified since the last BACKUP /M
or XCOPY /M.
/D^ copies files whose date is equal
to or later than the date specified. If
you wish to specify a date, the format
is /D:mm-dd-yy or whatever date format
you may have selected using the COUNTRY
or SELECT commands.
/E^ causes XCOPY to create sub-
directories on the destination drive as
it copies.
/M^ copies only those files that have
been modified since the last BACKUP /M
or XCOPY /M. The /M option is identical
to the /A option except XCOPY /M will
reset the flags on those files that have
been modified since the last backup.
/P^ causes XCOPY to prompt you before
copying each file.
/S^ causes XCOPY to copy files in any
subdirectories below the directory that
XCOPY starts in.
/V^ causes XCOPY to VERIFY that the
data recorded was recorded correctly.
/W^ causes XCOPY to wait for you to
insert a disk before beginning.
EXAMPLE: XCOPY C:\ D:\ /S^
will copy all files in all directories
from drive C: to drive D:.
