Libris Britannia 4/science library(b).zip/science library(b)/INFO/RBHELP31.ZIP/HELPFILE

Text File | 1991-03-15 | 107KB | 2,645 lines

#HELP
NAME
   HELP  - obtain help on DOS commands

SYNOPSIS
   help [-1facpbqh] [-i[n]] [-k|K keyword ...] [keyword ... ]

DESCRIPTION
   help is a program to retrieve and display entries from a help
   file. It can operate in a full screen interactive browsing mode, or a
   command line mode which writes only to standard output and should work
   on generic MSDOS computers.  The helpfiles are pure ascii and can easily
   be edited and extended for local variations in commands.

INTERACTIVE HELP
   If HELP is entered without any commands specified, it enters a
   full screen interactive help browsing mode.  A window is placed on the
   screen with a sorted list of all available help entries.  There is
   always one entry highlighted, and pressing <return> will retrieve help
   entry for this item.  If environment variable PAGER is defined,
   it is assumed to be a program to be used for displaying the help entry,
   otherwise the entry is copied directly to the screen.  Options allow
   the action to be customised for you favourite pager.  A program used
   for the PAGER must be able to read from a pipe.  Selection from
   the list continues until <ESC> is pressed.

   NOTE: use of a PAGER variable may slow the response noticeably,
   unless the PAGER program is placed in RAM disk, and the path set
   to include this. The command processor (COMMAND.COM or other) is not
   used for this (PAGER is executed directly) When interactive mode
   is used, the screen will be saved and restored after use.  In addition,
   the temporary file necessary for this operation may be placed in a RAM
   disk by setting variable TMPDIR or TMP to a suitable location.

The following keys are recognised in interactive mode:
   <return>     select the current item
   <space>

   <up>         move current line up or down, scrolling as needed
   <down>

   <home>       jump to beginning and end of list, respectively
   <end>

   <pageup>     scroll the list one window at a time
   <pagedown>

   A-Z          alphabetic keys will scroll the list to the first
                entry beginning with the letter you type, or the
                following entry if none matches

   F1           pop up a help window describing key actions

   F2           toggle between displaying name, or full synopsis line

   F3           toggle synopsis line on current item only

   F4           extract a list of cross references from the current
                item, and open a new selection window.  This can be used
                recursively

   F10          window goes into move/resize mode.  Use arrow keys to
                move it, shift-arrows to resize left and bottom edges,
                <esc> or F10 to continue (see below)

   <ESC>        Exit the program and restore screen

   Moving/Resizing the Window:
        The window containing the list of keywords can be moved or resized
   by pressing F10.  This ability is for the benefit of other programs
   that call help as a child process, with a custom help file.  The
   window can be moved and resized with the following keys:
     arrow keys:
        move window 1 space at a time in the appropriate direction
     control-arrow keys:
        move window to extreme edge of screen in the appropriate direction
     shift-arrow keys
        resize by dragging right and bottom edges of the window
     control-shift-arrow keys
        resize by moving right and bottom edges maximum possible distance
     ESC
        redraw window in the current position and continue with program
     F10
        redraw window in the current position and continue with program, but
        attempt to "lock" window position so that a subsequent call to this
        program will use the new window position.  This function uses the
        "Interapplication Communication Area" (ICA) in the BIOS data block.
        If any other program is also using the ICA, help will NOT overwrite
        it's contents.  The ICA may contain garbage when the machine is
        first booted, so a small program (clearica.com) is provided to fill
        the ICA with zeroes.  The ICA is not documented in the PS/2 BIOS and
        this function may not work.  Using F10 should not cause problems with
        the PS/2, but clearica may cause problems.  The sub-windows use with
        the F4 (cross reference) command may be moved but not locked.

OPTIONS (apply to interactive mode only)
  -c screen clear between each display.  Use this if you
     specify a pager which does not clear the screen before starting.
  -K key key ... apropos keyword (see below) with interactive browsing.
      The list displayed for selection contains only those items which contain
      one of the keywords in the synopsis.
  -p pauses after each display.  Use this if you specify a pager
     that does not pause at the end of the file (e.g. DOS MORE
  -q quiet mode - flash instead of beeping
  -b bios used for screen output instead of directvideo (use if
     compatiblity problems arise with default action)

COMMAND LINE HELP
   If the format "help command" is used, then the helpfile is searched
   for "command", and if found, it is printed to standard output.
   Multiple commands may be listed and they will be searched for in
   order.

   If the format "help -k keyword" is used, the 1-line synopses for
   each help entry are searched for "keyword" and all those that match
   are copied to standard output.

   The command line help uses pure DOS i/o and should work on any generic
   MS-DOS machine, including non-IBM compatibles.

OPTIONS (apply to non-interactive mode)
   -i Print index of entries in help file.  If followed by a number
      <n>, print <n> keywords per line (default 5).
   -1 Print single file index of entries in help file, with no header
   -k key key ...
      Print synopsis of all entries related to <keyword>. All
      command line arguments after -k are taken to be keywords for
      synopsis search rather than entries to display full text
      for.  The synopsis search is simpleminded, no regular
      expressions or boolean combinations of keywords.
   -f Force rebuild of index files
   -h Display 1 screen summary of program
   -a Ansi_mode. Do NOT enter interactive mode if no commands are
      listed (for use on machines for which this causes trouble).  If
      no commands are listed, then "HELP" is looked up instead.

DESCRIPTION of HELPFILES
   The helpfile consists of one or more ascii files, with the index
   words (and aliases) marked as explaied below.  The files are treated
   effectively as though concatenated.  An index is built and stored in
   a separate file whenever help detects that the index is out of
   date with respect to the helpfile.  The helpfile may be edited with
   any text editor.  The file supplied has brief descriptions of most of
   the MSDOS 4.01 and earlier commands.  A 1-line description of every
   help entry is also stored in the index file. This may be searched for
   keywords by using the "apropos" command: help -k keyword

   The commands and keywords are not case sensitive.  All output is
   to standard output which may be redirected to a file or printer.
   Some of the longer entries exceed one screen and may be piped
   through "more" or any other pager.

   The default directory for the help file is "/lib".  This may be
   overridden by setting the environment variable HELPDIR

   The default name for the help file is "helpfile".  This may be
   overridden by setting the environment variable HELPFILE.
   HELPFILE may contain a list of file names separated by ";" and
   HELP will cycle through each in turn. This allows help files for
   different types of programs to be maintained in logical groupings, but
   searched as if they were a single file.  They must all reside in the
   same directory.  If any files are not present, a diagnostic will be
   displayed but the others will be processed.

   The index file for each help file is created by appending .idx to
   the data file name.  The data file should therefore have no
   extension.

The format for the help files is:
     # keyword [,alias ,alias ...] [#xref #xref ...]
     keyword - 1 line description to be used by the -k option
      ...
     any number of lines of text, up to EOF or next # at start of
     line ...

     Where: keyword - primary index for this help entry
            alias   - alternate index terms for this help entry
            #xref - keywords prepended by "#" are cross-references
                    used by the F4 command in interactive mode.
     All items on the index line are space or comma delimited, and the
     line may be up to 134 characters.

   In all of the descriptions of command usage:

   [brackets] indicates optional items.
   "..."      indicates that the previous parameter may be repeated.
   "d:"       represents a valid drive letter (with colon)
   "path"     represents a directory path
   "filename" is a DOS filename (with extension)
   "filespec" is a DOS filename optionally with "*" and "?" wildcards
   "nnn"      is generally a numeric parameter to be supplied

   The help files use the format in the MKS toolkit help, of which
   this was originally a clone.  See the documentation file for more
   information

FILES
   /lib/helpfile       default datafile containing help info
   /lib/helpfile.idx   default index file

   HELPDIR  Environment variable - directory for helpfile
   HELPFILE Environment variable - alternate name(s) for helpfile
   PAGER    Environment variable - program to use for displaying help
            entries
   HELP     Environment variable - if set, is parsed as a command line
            argument before the other arguments.  This can be used to set
            defaults
   COLOR    Environment variable - if set, this is used to set the colours
            for interactive mode.  The format is the same as used by the
            4DOS shell.  COLOR=fg ON bg  e.g. COLOR=BLUE ON YELLOW

BUGS
   It would be useful if the last help entry viewed were to remain on the
   screen at exit.  Since the help program has no control over which pager
   is used, this is not always possible.  It is also not possible to preserve
   the screen when recursive calls are made to the cross-reference feature.
   In general, for any given pager, the best combination of -c and -p
   options will need to be determined empirically.

AUTHORS
     Original Author:
       uwmacc!harvard!killer!wnp (Wolf Paul)

     Environment variable handling by:
       [e-mail] (John Plocher)

     Addition of all -options, interactive mode, multiple helpfiles
       and pretty much rewrote everything.
       [e-mail] (Richard Brittain)
        School of Electrical Engineering, Upson Hall
        Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853

     Code for the popen/pclose routines was taken from a BBS and it
     bears no author name.

     Permission is granted to copy and use the compiled program and
     documentation for any non-commercial use, provided all copyright
     information is retained.

                 Copyright 1990 by Richard Brittain

# ANSI, ANSI.SYS #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
ANSI.SYS - a device driver with extended screen and keyboard features.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: DEVICE = ANSI.SYS [/X]

This device driver allows screen output via DOS calls to make use of
ansi standard escape sequences to manipulate the screen.  This allows
programs to perform full screen display management without needing to
manipulate the video memory directly. It is useful for running
programs developed on terminal-based computers (such as unix systems).
The keyboard may also be remapped so that a keypress can generate any
desired sequence of characters.  By default, no key mapping is done.
Most commercial software does NOT require this driver to be loaded.

/X (version 4.0) allows the duplicate function keys on the 101-key
   extended keyboards to be remapped separately, otherwise they are
   considered identical.

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 #PATH
APPEND - locate files other than .COM .EXE .BAT by a search path

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:
(FIRST USE ONLY)
    APPEND [/X][/E]
or (to specify directories explicitly)
    APPEND d:path[;[d:]path ...]

(SUBSEQUENT USES)
     APPEND d:path[;[d:]path ...]
or (to delete appended paths)
     APPEND [;]
or (to modify action with certain commands - see below)
     APPEND [path] [/X:[OFF|ON]] [/path:[OFF|ON]]

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.
/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 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.
   The following functions are processed by APPEND with or without /X:
   OPEN FILE, OPEN HANDLE, GET FILE SIZE

NOTE: If APPEND has been loaded with /X, before using BACKUP or
RESTORE, APPEND must be issued using null (;).

MSDOS 4.x  The extra parameters /x:off, /x:on are available to toggle
   the setting of this function.  Individual paths may be disabled or
   enabled from APPEND processing with the /path:on, /path:off
   parameters.

NOTE: /X and /E can only be specified on the first invocation of the
   APPEND command. APPEND must be used before ASSIGN if you intend to
   use the ASSIGN command.

The main use of APPEND is to allow applications to access auxiliary
files without needing run from the directory where those files are
stored. The command processor finds the application itself (.COM, .EXE
or .BAT) via the PATH command.  The APPEND paths then allow the
application to locate other files (such as dictionary or configuration
files).

SEE ALSO: PATH

# ASSIGN #SUBST #JOIN
ASSIGN - 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'.
ASSIGN entered without parameters will reset any ASSIGNments.

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 is provided to allow programs written for a specific drive
(usually a: or b:) to be used on other drives.  Commands which require
information about the drive (backup, restore, label, join, subst,
print) should not be used on ASSIGNed drives.  ASSIGN should not be
used except where needed for a particular program.  The SUBST command
is the preferred method of reassigning drives and/or paths.  FORMAT
and DISKCOPY ignore drive reassignments.

SEE ALSO: SUBST

# ATTRIB #BACKUP #XCOPY
ATTRIB - Set or display the ARCHIVE or READ-ONLY attributes on a 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, 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.
   (wildcards may be specified)

/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. The
archive attribute is set whenever a file is modified, and is used by
BACKUP, RESTORE and XCOPY to determine whether to process files based
on their "modified" status.  Other non-MSDOS backup programs also may
examine this attribute.  Backup and copy programs may or may not
remove the archive bit, depending on settings.

SEE ALSO: BACKUP, XCOPY

# AUTOEXEC, AUTOEXEC.BAT #CONFIG.SYS #SHELL
AUTOEXEC.BAT - batch file run whenever the system is booted.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 1.0 and up

USE: AUTOEXEC

If a batch file named AUTOEXEC.BAT exists on the drive used to start
MSDOS, then it is executed by the system when the boot procedure is
completed.  It is also executed if a new primary command processor is
loaded.  The primary use of AUTOEXEC is to run programs which are
required whenever the computer is used, so that you do not have to
enter them each time.  For example, you may wish to load APPEND and
PRINT.  It can also be used to set PATH and PROMPT, any other
environment variables you usually use, and load any RAM-resident
software.

EXAMPLE:
PATH C:\LOCAL\BIN;C:\BIN;C:\DOS C:\TC;C:\DBASE;C:\WP50
PRINT /D:LPT1 /B:512
PROMPT $e[s$e[1;69H$e[7m$t$h$h$h$e[0m$e[u$p$g
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
VER

SEE ALSO: CONFIG.SYS, SHELL

# BACKUP #RESTORE
BACKUP - 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:size] [/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 (files
   with the archive bit set)
/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:size formats the target diskette if it is not already formatted.
   "size" indicates the type of disc for the formatting program. The
   following may be accepted: 160,180,320,360,1200 (kb - 5.25" discs)
   or 720,1440 (kb - 3.5"discs)
/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:.

NOTES: Do not use on drives which have been ASSIGNed, SUBSTituted or JOINed.

SEE ALSO: RESTORE

# BREAK
BREAK - 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.  With no argument BREAK reports the current setting.

When BREAK = OFF, DOS checks for a CTRL-BREAK or CTRL-C only during
standard input operations, standard output operations, print
operations, and auxiliary operations.  When BREAK is on, DOS will
respond to CTRL-BREAK at any time.  Note that some programs may change
this setting themselves.

NOTE: BREAK may be specified in CONFIG.SYS

# BUFFERS
BUFFERS - Sets the number of disk buffers allowed.

COMMAND TYPE: System Configuration      VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: BUFFERS = n[,m] [/x]

n  must be a value from 1 to 99 specifying the number of buffers to be
   used.  The default value is two buffers.

MSDOS 4.x only:
m  is is maximum number of sectors that can be read or written in one
   operation [1-8], default is 1
/x places the buffers in expanded memory (the number of buffers may
   then be up to 10000)

For disk intensive applications such as a database, more buffers are
recommended.  Adding more buffers can speed up certain applications.
However, if you set the number of buffers over 20 it may begin to slow
down applications.

NOTE: This command must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a
normal DOS command.

# CALL
CALL - call a batch file from within another batch file

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE: CALL [d:][path][batchfile [arguments]

d:path batchfile is the batchfile to be executed, followed by any
arguments to be used by the called file.

When the called file terminates, the calling file continues executing.
A batch file may call itself recursively, but there should be a
terminating condition at some point.  Do not use pipes or redirection
in the call statement.

# CHCP #NLSFUNC #COUNTRY
CHCP - Selects the code page that DOS will use for country specific devices

CHCP 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 currently
active code page and all prepared code pages are reported.

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,CD #MKDIR #RMDIR
CHDIR, CD - 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.  The root directory is represented by "\".  A path
beginning with \ is taken to be relative to the root directory, while
any other path is relative to the current directory.  The parent
directory can be abbreviated to ".."

# CHKDSK #RECOVER
CHKDSK - Analyzes the files and directories on a disk

Chkdsk checks the disk directory for self consistency 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 non-contiguous areas
   occupied by the file.  Access to non-contiguous (fragmented) files may be
   significantly slower than to contiguous files.  Perform a backup
   and restore to correct this situation

/F corrects errors found in the directory and in the file allocation
   table. Other errors are noted, but not corrected. The user is
   prompted whether to allow each chain of lost clusters to be
   converted into a valid file.  These files will be named with the
   following naming convention:
   FILEnnnn.CHK where nnnn is a four digit number starting with 0000.

/V displays all paths and filenames on the specified drive.

# CLS
CLS - Clears the screen.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: CLS

# COMMAND #SHELL #CONFIG.SYS
COMMAND - Invokes a secondary command processor.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  COMMAND [d:][path][ctty-dev][/P] [/C string][/E:nnnnn]

d: path is the drive and path that DOS will look in for the COMMAND
   processor.
ctty-dev allows you to specify a different device (such as AUX) for
   input and output.
/P makes the secondary command processor permanent in memory. The autoexec.bat
   file is executed following this command.
/C string passes a string (a DOS command) to the command processor and
   then exits automatically.
/E:nnnnn is an integer that specifies the size (in bytes) of the
   environment. The acceptable range of nnnnn is from 160 to 32768.
   (not available pre DOS 2.x).  In DOS 3.1, the size is in paragraphs
   (units of 16 bytes).  Default size is 160 bytes.

EXAMPLE: COMMAND /C CHKDSK B:
loads a secondary command processor, runs the command CHKDSK on drive B
and returns to the original command processor.

# COMP #FC #DISKCOMP
COMP - Compares the contents of a 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.  Either set may contain wildcards.  If no filename is
specified, *.* is assumed.

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 XXXX
          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.

SEE ALSO: FC, DISKCOMP

# CONFIG, CONFIG.SYS #SHELL #DEVICE #BREAK #BUFFERS #COUNTRY #DEVICE #DRIVPARM #FCBS #FILES #INSTALL #LASTDRIVE #REM #SHELL #STACKS
CONFIG.SYS - setup system configuration and load device drivers at boot time

COMMAND TYPE: System configuration      VERSION: 1.0 and up

If a file CONFIG.SYS exists in the root directory of the disc used to
load MSDOS, it is read by the system during the boot sequence and the
information in it is used to customise the operating system.  It is
also used to specify DEVICE DRIVERS, which are programs used to access
external devices on the computer.  Device drivers can only be loaded
when the system is initialised and so must be listed in CONFIG.SYS.
IF no config.sys file is found, no device drivers are loaded and all
of the system default values are used for the variable parameters.

The possible commands used in CONFIG.SYS are listed below.  They are all
described separately in this help file.
BREAK     set control-break checking
BUFFERS   set number of disc buffers
COUNTRY   set country specific defaults
DEVICE    load a device driver
DRIVPARM  define parameters for block devices
FCBS      specify the number of FCBs that can be open simultaneously
FILES     set the number of open files that can access MSDOS
INSTALL   execute certain MSDOS commands during CONFIG.SYS processing
LASTDRIVE set the maximum number of drives you may access
REM       add comments to CONFIG.SYS
SHELL     specify file to execute on completion on boot sequence
STACKS    supports the dynamic use of data stacks

# COPY #XCOPY #VERIFY #DISKCOPY
COPY - 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.

The + symbol will cause files to be joined together as they are
copied.  For example:  COPY FILE1+FILE2 FILE3 will copy the contents
of FILE1 and FILE2 into FILE3.  Multiple files may be joined in one operation.

The second d: path filename specifies the destination file.

When /A (ascii) 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 following the destination file, an end of file marker
will be added to the end of the file.

When /B (binary) is used with the source filename, the entire file
will be copied (including CTRL-Z).  This is the default.
When /B is used following 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.

Wild Card characters are allowed within or in place of filenames.
wildcards in the destination will be replaced by the corresponding
filename or part of filename from the source file list.

SEE ALSO: XCOPY

# COUNTRY #NLSFUNC #CHCP #CONFIG.SYS
COUNTRY - Selects date, time, currency format for a specific country.

COMMAND TYPE: System Configuration      VERSION: 3.0 and up

USE: COUNTRY = xxx[,[yyy][,[drive:]filename]]

xxx is a 3 digit code which designates a particular country.
yyy is the code page for the country.
filename is a file containing country information (country.sys is used
    if none specified)

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

NOTE: This command must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a
normal DOS command.
Unless otherwise specified, United States settings are used.  This
country specific information is used by DATE, TIME, BACKUP and
RESTORE, and is available to other programs also.

# CTTY
CTTY - Changes the standard console device to an auxiliary device.

Ctty 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 #TIME #AUTOEXEC.BAT
DATE - 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, press ENTER.
If you wish, you may enter the date immediately after DATE in the
format mm-dd-yy.  The format used to display the date is a function of
the country selected in the COUNTRY command in config.sys.  European
formats will be dd-mm-yy.  On input, you may use "-" or "/" as
separators.  This command also sets the hardware clock, if one is
present in your computer (AT only)
If there is no AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the commands DATE and TIME are executed
automatically when the computer is booted.

SEE ALSO: TIME

# DEBUG
DEBUG - run, examine and modify binary files

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 1.0 and up

The debug utility is a debugging program that provides a controlled
testing environment for binary and executable object files.

USE: DEBUG [filename [arguments ...]]

Debug is intended for use by programmers only.  See the MSDOS
TECHNICAL REFERENCE for full details.  Below is a very brief summary
of the available debug commands.

A [address]                     Assemble
C range address                 Compare
D [range]                       Dump
E address [list]                Enter
F range list                    Fill
G [=address [address...]]       Go
H value value                   Hex
I value                         Input
L [address [driv:rec rec]]      Load
M range address                 Move
N filename [filename]           Name
O value byte                    Output
P [=address][number]            Proceed through loop or subroutine
Q                               Quit
R [register-name]               Register
S range list                    Search
T [=address] [value]            Trace
U range                         Unasassemble
W [address [driv:rec rec]]      Write
XA                              Expanded memory allocate
XD                              Expanded memory deallocate
XM                              Expanded memory map pages
XS                              Expanded memory status

# DEL, ERASE
DEL, ERASE - Delete a file (or group of files) from a disk.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: DEL [d:][path] filespec /P

d: path filespec specifies the file(s) to DELete.  wildcards are accepted.
/p prompt before deleting each file.  If the filespec is *.*, DEL will
   always prompt for verification.

ERASE is a synonym for DEL

# DEVICE #ANSI #DISPLAY #DRIVER #KEYBOARD #VDISK #RAMDRIVE #SMARTDRV #EMM386 #HIMEM #XMA2EMS
DEVICE - Allows MS-DOS to load and utilize a device driver.

COMMAND TYPE: System Configuration      VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: DEVICE = [d:][path]filename [arguments]

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.  Any arguments needed by the individual drivers are
specified following the filename.  These are not commands which are
available at the DOS level.

The following device drivers are standard:  (see help on each
individually for more information)

ANSI.SYS      gives screen control using ansi escape sequences
DISPLAY.SYS   use code page switching on EGA, LCD and PS/2 displays
DRIVER.SYS    create logical DOS devices for extra physical disc
              drives
COUNTRY.SYS   loaded automatically by DOS to handle country specific
              tasks
PRINTER.SYS   provides code page switching on printer ports, for
              printers supporting multiple code pages (IBM only)
KEYBOARD.SYS  (DOS 4.x) loaded by DOS to handle country specific
              keyboard interface
VDISK.SYS     (DOS 2.x,3.x) Allows you to use part of memory as a
              virtual disk drive.
RAMDRIVE.SYS  (DOS 4.x) replaces VDISK.SYS for DOS 4
SMARTDRV.SYS  (DOS 4.x) disk cache program to store recently used disc
              sectors in memory for faster access
EMM386.SYS    (DOS 4.x) Allows 80386 machines with extended memory to
              emulate expanded memory (LIM EMS 4.0)
HIMEM.SYS     (DOS 4.x) Extended memory (XMS 2.0) driver to allow
              80286/80386 based machines to access extended memory
XMA2EMS.SYS   (DOS 4.x) Expanded memory manager

# DIR #TREE #CHKDSK
DIR - Lists the files in a directory.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  DIR [d:][path][filespec] [/P][/W]

d: path filespec specifies the drive, path, and filenames to list.
   wildcards * and ? are accepted.
/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.

# DISKCOMP #COMP #FC
DISKCOMP - 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 even if the discs contain 9
   or 15

DISKCOMP will operate on floppy disks only.  DISKCOMP compares on a
sector by sector basis, without regard to file structure.  It ignores
the disc serial numbers.

SEE ALSO: COMP, FC

# DISKCOPY #COPY #XCOPY #BACKUP #VERIFY
DISKCOPY -  Copies the contents of one diskette to another.

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 (with the same number of sectors and sides as the
source disc).  If specified with no parameters, DOS will perform a
single drive copy on the default drive.

DISKCOPY is for use 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.

SEE ALSO: COPY, XCOPY, BACKUP

# DISPLAY, DISPLAY.SYS #NLSFUNC #COUNTRY #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
DISPLAY.SYS - use code page switching on EGA, LCD and PS/2 displays

Display.sys is a device driver which 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,m]])

type specifies the display adapter type.  The display types are MONO,
     CGA, EGA, and LCD.
hwcp specifies the code page supported directly by the hardware.  The
     possible hwcp are 437 (US), 850 (Mult), 860 (Port), 863 (Can-Fr), and
     865 (Nor).
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 and is hardware dependant.  The MONO and CGA cannot
     support prepared pages.  The value of n for these 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         |
          --------------------------------------
          ------------------------------------
         | 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.

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.

# DRIVER, DRIVER.SYS #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
DRIVER.SYS - device driver to allow access of extra disk devices.

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.  Value 0-127
/T:ttt specifies the number of tracks per side.  Value 1-999 (default 80)
/S:ss  specifies sectors per track.  Value 1-99 (default is 9)
/H:hh  specifies the maximum number of heads.  Value 1-99 (default is 2)
/C     specifies that changeline support is available.
/N     specifies that the disk is not removable.
/F:f   specifies the device type.
         0 = 160/180/320/360 kb 5.25"
         1 = 1.2 Mb  5.25"
         2 = 720 kb  3.5"
         7 = 1.44 Mb 3.5"

NOTE: The DRIVER.SYS device driver must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS
file and be used in conjunction with the DEVICE = DRIVER command.

# DRIVPARM #DRIVER #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
DRIVPARM - modify the parameters of an existing physical disc drive

This command allows the modification of parameters associated with
existing block devices, overriding the default MSDOS values.  To add a
new device, use DRIVER.SYS

COMMAND TYPE: System configuration      VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE: DRIVPARM=/d:number [/c][/f:factor][/h:heads][/i][/n][/s:sectors]

/d:number declares the physical drive to be used (acceptable range 0-255)
     where 0=A:, 1=B: etc.
/c   indicates that drive referenced has door-open detection available
/f:factor specifies the form factor (drive type) from the list below
     0 = 160/180/320/360 kbytes      1 = 1.2 Mb
     2 = 720 kb (3.5")               5 = fixed hard disc
     6 = tape drive                  7 = 1.44 Mb (3.5")
     The default values for the following options depend on the value
     given to /f
/h:heads -heads is number of heads (1-99)
/i   specifies an electrically compatible 3.5" drive.  Such a drive is connected
     to the existing floppy disc controller as drive A: or B:.  Use this
     switch if the ROM bios does not support 3.5" drives directly
/n   specifies a none-removable block device
/s:sectors - sectors is the number of sectors per track (1-9)
/t:tracks  - tracks is the number of tracks per side (1-999)

NOTE:  This command can only be used in CONFIG.SYS

SEE ALSO: DRIVER.SYS

# ECHO
ECHO - Control echoing of batch commands to the screen

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]
or   @ECHO OFF

ON  turns ECHO on
OFF turns ECHO off.
message is a text message that will be displayed on the screen.

After turning ECHO off, any batch file commands encountered by DOS
will not be echoed to the screen.

(DOS 3.3, 4.x)  When the @ symbol is used before a REMark or before an
ECHO ON or ECHO OFF command, that command will not be displayed.

# EDLIN
EDLIN - A line editor.  It can be used to create and edit 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. EDLIN creates a file if the
   specified file is not found.

A brief summary of EDLIN commands is given below.  See the MSDOS users
reference manual for full details.

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.

[n]A  APPEND loads lines from the disk and places them at the end of the
      input buffer. [n] specifies the number of lines to append to
      the current file.

[n],[n],[n][,count]C   COPY copies the contents of a line or range of
      lines to another location.  The first two [n]'s specify the
      range of lines to copy.  The third [n] specifies the line to
      copy to. [count] specifies the number of times that the copy
      will be performed.

[n][,n]D   DELETE deletes a line or range of lines. The [n] parameters
      specify the first and last line to delete.

[n]   calls up a line of text for editing.

E     EXIT saves the current file and exits EDLIN.

[n]I  INSERT inserts lines of text in the current file. [n]
      specifies the line number where the insert will begin.

[n][,n]L   LIST displays a line or range of lines. [n][,n] specifies
      the first and last lines to list.

[n],[n],n M   MOVE moves a line or range of lines to a specified line.
      The first two [n]'s specify the first and last lines to
      move. The third line number specifies  where the text will be
      moved to.

[n][,n] P   PAGE allows you to scroll through a file one PAGE (23
      lines) at a time. [n][,n] specifies the first and last
      lines to display.

Q     QUIT exits EDLIN without saving the current file.

[n][,n][?] R s1^Zs2   REPLACE replaces all occurrences of a specified
      string with a second string. [n][,n] specify the range of lines
      to perform the REPLACE on.  The optional ? will request an
      O.K.?  prompt after each replace.  s1 specifies the string to
      search for and s2 is the string to replace it with. A control-Z
      separates the two strings.

[n][,n][?] Sstring   SEARCH searches for a specified string. [n][,n]
      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.

[n] Tfile   TRANSFER loads the contents of a specified file into the file
      currently being edited. [n] specifies the location where the
      file being TRANSFERred (merged) will be placed.  file is the
      file to be TRANSFERred.

[n]W   WRITE writes lines to disk from the file currently being edited.
      [n] specifies the number of lines to write to disk. This
      command is used to free up memory.

# EXE2BIN
EXE2BIN - Converts a file from .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 or .BIN (default) ).

Not all .EXE files can be converted.  EXE2BIN will report if the file
cannot be converted.  COM files are smaller and load faster than their
EXE equivalents.  This command will normally only be used by
programmers.

# EXIT #COMMAND
EXIT - exit the command processor and return to a previous one

EXIT explicitly quits the command processor and returns to the program
which called it.  This is usually used to return to programs which
temporarily created a secondary copy of command.com

SEE ALSO: COMMAND

# FASTOPEN #CONFIG.SYS #INSTALL
FASTOPEN - store location of recently used files for faster access

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.3 and up

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, and
searches this list first when opening a file.  It is most useful for
applications which open and close many files.

USE: FASTOPEN [d:[=n][ ... ] [/X]
or   FASTOPEN [d:[=([n],m)][ ... ] [/X]

d: to specify the drive to process. Any fixed disk drive may be used.
n  the number of directories or file entries to remember for the drive
   given as "d".  The default is 10. (Range is 10-999.)
m  is the number of file extent entries for the drive named (DOS 4.x only)
   If not present, the feature is not provided.
/X indicates the the FASTOPEN cache should be placed in expanded (LIM 4.0)
   memory (DOS 4.x only)

Fastopen works only on fixed discs (up to 4) and will not work with networks.

FASTOPEN can be used only once.  All drives must be defined the first
time FASTOPEN is used.
(DOS 4.x)
FASTOPEN may be executed at boot time using INSTALL in CONFIG.SYS

# FCBS #CONFIG.SYS
FCBS - Specifies the number of file control blocks that may be open

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 = n,m

n specifies the number of files that File Control Blocks can open at one
  time. Acceptable range is are 1-255.
m 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.

File Control Blocks are an outdated method of handling files.  Most
modern software uses file handles.  This command should only be used
if older applications require it.

# FC #COMP #DISKCOMP
FC - compare files and report differences (ascii or binary)

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 4.0 and up

FC compares two files, or sets of files, and reports the differences
between them.  It is more powerful than COMP and may be used with
binary or ascii (text) files.

USE:
(ascii) FC [/a][/c][/L][/Lb n][/n][/t][/w][/nnnn][d:]path1 [d:]path2
(bin)   FC [/b][/nnnn] [d:]path1 [d:]path2

d: is an optional drive specified for either path1 or path2.  Path1 and
   path2 are the path and filenames of the files to compare
/a abbreviate output of ascii comparison - output only lines that begin
   and end each set of differences.
/b binary compare - byte for byte comparison with no attempt to
   resychronise after a mismatch. This is the default for .exe, .com,
   .lib, .obj, .sys, or .bin type files.
/c ignore case in comparing ascii text
/L compare in ascii mode.  This is default except as noted above.
/Lb n  sets the internal bufffer to n lines (default is 100).  Files which
   have more than this number of consecutive mismatched lines will abort
   the comparison.
/n display line numbers (ascii only)
/t do not expand tabs to spaces.  Default is to treat tabs as spaces to 8
   column positions
/w compress whitespace (multiple tabs or spaces) into a single space
   before comparing
/nnn specified the number of lines that must match after a difference
   before FC considers the files resynchronised (default is 2).

SEE ALSO: COMP, DISKCOMP

# FDISK #FORMAT
FDISK - Installs a partition on a hard disk drive for MS-DOS

FDISK partitions a hard disk for use by 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 MSDOS reference
manual.  It should only be neccessary to use FDISK when installing a
new hard disc, or when modifying the partitions on an existing disc.

NOTE: Be careful with this command because you will probably destroy
any data that is on your disk.

# FILES #CONFIG.SYS
FILES - Sets the number of open files that DOS can access at any one time.

COMMAND TYPE: System Configuration      VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: FILES = nn

nn specifies the number of files that can be accesssed via DOS system
calls at one time. The acceptable values are 8 to 255 (default is 8).
Some programs may open more files by bypassing the DOS system
services.

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
FIND - Searches a file for a specific string of text.

The FIND command searches for a text string in a file or group of files.
If no files are given, FIND reads standard input and can be used in a pipe.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  FIND [/V][/C][/N]"string" [[d:][path]filename...]

filename is the file to be searched, with optional drive and path.
   Several files may be listed, but no wildcards are accepted.
/V displays the lines that don't contain the requested string.
/C displays the number of lines that contain a match of the string
/N displays the number of each line that contains a match along with the
   line of text.

"string" is the string of text to search for.  It must be enclosed in
quotes.  To include quotes in the string, use two sets e.g. "this is a
""quoted string"" "

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
(i.e the search is case sensitive).

# FOR
FOR - Repeats a command for several variables in a batch file.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal (batch)          VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  FOR %%var IN (set) DO command

%%var represents a variable that will be sequentially set to each value in
set.  If the FOR command is used in a batch file, %%var must be used, if
the FOR command is used at the DOS level, only one % is required.

set contains the actual values that %%var will represent when the command
is executed.  willdcard file specifiers are allowed in set.

command is the DOS command that will be repeated.  In the command, %%var
will be replaced by the value of the variable.

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 #SYS #LABEL #VOL
FORMAT - Initializes a disk or partition to accept MSDOS files

FORMAT checks for any defective tracks, and prepares the disk to
accept DOS files.  It creates the directory and file allocation tables
(FAT) and assigns a unique volume serial number.  It may also
optionally copy the MSDOS system files to the new disc.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  FORMAT d:[/S][/1][/4][/8][/B] [/n:sectors][/t:tracks][/v:label]
             [/f:size]

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
        (these files may have different names on non-IBM systems)
/1  formats a diskette on 1 side only making it a single sided
    diskette regardless of the drive type used.
/4  formats a 360k (DSDD) diskette in a high capacity drive.  Such disks
    may not always be read reliably by 360k drives because of the narrower
    tracks.
/8  formats a disk using 8 sectors per track.  (Obsolete - required to
    remain compatible with version 1.1 of DOS)
/V  will allow you to add a volume label to the diskette being
    formatted. Volume labels are a way to identify individual
    diskettes.  The label (up to 11 characters) may be specified after /v
    or will be prompted for when formatting is complete.
/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.

(MSDOS 4.x extensions)
/t:tracks  specifies the number of tracks to place on the disc
/n:sectors specifies the number of sectors to place on the disc
/f:size    specifies the size of the diskette.  MSDOS chooses the
           appropriate number of tracks and sectors.  Allowable values are
           160k 180k 320k 360k 720k 1200k 1440k (may be specified with
           "k", "kb" or neither).  This cannot be used the /t or /n

By default, FORMAT will use the drive specification to determine the type
of disc according to the the physical drive addressed by that letter.  If
it is a non-removable hard disc, FORMAT will request confirmation before
proceeding.

EXAMPLE: FORMAT C: /S /V
FORMATS drive C:, copies the SYSTEM files to drive C:, and prompts the
user for a VOLUME LABEL.

NOTE: FORMAT destroys any existing data on the disk, and ignores any
drive reassignments made via the ASSIGN command.

# GOTO
GOTO - Transfers control of a batch file to a labelled line

The command after the line containing the appropriate label is executed.
The label cannot be on a line with any command.

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:  :begin
           format a: /s
           if errorlevel 0 goto end
           echo An error occurred during formatting
          :end
           echo End of batch file

# GRAFTABL #COUNTRY #NLSFUNC #CHCP
GRAFTABL - Loads foreign language characters into memory. (For CGA)

GRAFTABL enables an extended character set to be displayed in graphics mode
when using a CGA adaptor.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.0 and up

USE: GRAFTABL [xxx] [/status] [?]

The optional parameters apply only to MSDOS 3.3 and later

xxx  code page number - possible values are 437, 860, 863, 865 where
     437 United States  860 Portugal  863 Canada (Fr.)   865 Nordic
/STATUS displays the number of the selected country code page.
?    displays instructions on how to use GRAFTABL

# GRAPHICS
GRAPHICS - enable graphics screen dump to IBM printers (CGA,EGA and VGA)

The GRAPHICS command will make it possible to print graphics displays
to the printer when the SHIFT and PrtScn keys are pressed. To work
properly, the printer must be a compatible printer type.  The screen
graphics display must be CGA,EGA, VGA or 8514/A.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: GRAPHICS [type] [profile][/r][/b][/lcd][/printbox:id]

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.
GRAPHICS - IBM personal graphics printer, Proprinter or Quietwriter
COMPACT  - IBM Compact printer. GRAPHICS - IBM Graphics Printer.
THERMAL  - IBM PC convertible thermal printer

profile  (DOS 4.x only) is the name of a file containing information on
         all supported printers.  If not supplied, graphics.pro is used.
/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 in color.  This switch is only valid on
   multi-color printers.  The default is to not print the background
   color.
/lcd will print using the LCD aspect ration rather than the CGA aspect ratio
/printbox:id selects the print box size.  "id" should be "ST" or "LCD"

In the high resolution modes the image will be printed on the printer
sideways.  The default printer type is GRAPHICS if none is supplied on
the command line

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
IF - Performs conditional execution of commands in batch files.

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 TYPE: Internal (batch)          VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: IF [NOT] condition command

"command" is the DOS command or program to be executed when the condition is
met. "condition" can be one of the following:

    errorlevel number
or  string1 == string2
or  EXIST filename

errorlevel number, where number is the exit code of the previously
executed program.
Some possible errorlevel numbers are:
0 = Normal completion                  1 = No files found
3 = Terminated by CTRL-BREAK or ESCAPE 4 = Terminated because of error

Some programs may return other errorlevel codes than these. 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 after %variable substitution.  The strings may not contain
separators (,;= or spaces) To test for a null %variable, use IF
"%var"==""

EXIST filename is true if the specified file exists.  A drive and path
may be specified.

EXAMPLE: IF NOT EXIST DATA.FIL ECHO Cannot find data file

# INSTALL #CONFIG.SYS #FASTOPEN #KEYB #NSFUNC #SHARE
INSTALL - Execute FASTOPEN, KEYB, NLSFUNC or SHARE during boot processing

COMMAND TYPE: System configuration      VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE:  INSTALL=[d:][path]filename [parameters]

INSTALL allows certain DOS commands to be executed during system
initialisation. "filename" must be one of FASTOPEN.EXE, NLSFUNC.EXE,
KEYB.EXE, SHARE.EXE, followed by any neccessary arguments.  This is
useful for ensuring that these commands are executed once only.  If
they were placed in AUTOEXEC.BAT they might be accidentally repeated
multiple times.

NOTE: This command must be used only in CONFIG.SYS and is not a normal
DOS command

SEE ALSO: CONFIG.SYS, FASTOPEN, KEYB, SHARE, NLSFUNC

# JOIN #SUBST #ASSIGN
JOIN - Logically links a disk drive to a directory on another drive.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.1 and up

USE:  JOIN [d: d:path]
or    JOIN d: /D

d:      specifies the drive to be JOINed to a directory on another drive.
d:path  specifies the directory that the previous drive will be JOINed
        to. The path must specify a root level directory only, and
        must be empty.

/D disconnects a previous JOIN on the specified drive.

JOIN entered with no parameters will display the drives and
directories that are currently JOINed.  Commands which only make sense
on a physical drive will not work on a JOINed drive (e.g. format,
chkdsk, label)

EXAMPLE:  JOIN E: C:\RAMDISK
This will allow a ram disk created as drive E: to be treated as a
subdirectory of the hard drive C:

SEE ALSO: SUBST, ASSIGN

# KEYB #COUNTRY #NLSFUNC #KEYBOARD.SYS #MODE #CHCP #CONFIG.SYS #KEYBUK #KEYBGR #KEYBFR #KEYBIT #KEYBSP
KEYB - Loads a keyboard handler to support foreign keyboards.

KEYB is a program that replaces the keyboard program resident in ROM
BIOS to support non U.S. English keyboards.  It permits you to enter
characters that are not part of the standard QWERTY keyboard set, such
as accented and umlauted characters.  The actual keys pressed to
generate such characters depends on the type of keyboard in use.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.3 and up

USE: KEYB [xx[,[yyy],[[d:][path]filename]]][/id:nnn]

xx  specifies the two character country 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 to support a country language. The default is
   KEYBOARD.SYS
/id:nnn (DOS 4.x and later) specifies the keyboard type in use. nnn is a
   3-digit code as shown in the table above

NOTE: The keyboard programs on versions prior to DOS 3.3 are not
compatible and should not be executed under DOS 3.3.
KEYB which is available starting with DOS 3.3 replaces KEYBxx which
was available with earlier versions.

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.  KEYB entered without parameters
will report the current keyboard settings and code pages in use.

SEE ALSO: COUNTRY, NLSFUNC, KEYBOARD.SYS, MODE, CHCP

# KEYBOARD, KEYBOARD.SYS #KEYB #COUNTRY #NLSFUNC #CHCP #MODE
KEYBOARD.SYS - translation table for foreign keyboard codes

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.

# KEYBUK, KEYBGR, KEYBFR, KEYBIT, KEYBSP #KEYB #KEYBOARD #NLSFUNC #MODE
KEYBxx - replace keyboard handler with support for a foreign keyboard

Replaces the current keyboard program with a program which will
support a foreign language keyboard.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.0 to 3.2 only

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.

This command has been replaced by the KEYB command in DOS 3.3 and higher.

SEE ALSO: KEYB, KEYBOARD, NLSFUNC, MODE

# LABEL #DIR #FORMAT #VOL
LABEL - 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.

The volume label is reported by the DIR and VOL commands to show you
which diskette you are using.  The label may contain spaces, but not
tabs or any of the following characters "*?/.,;:+=<>[]()&^"

# LASTDRIVE #CONFIG.SYS
LASTDRIVE - 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.
LASTDRIVE is intended for use in a network environment.

NOTE: This command must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a
normal DOS command.

# LINK #EXE2BIN
LINK - link .obj files and libraries to produce executable programs

COMMAND TYPE: External                          VERSION: 1.0 and up

The LINK command is used to combine object module format files (.obj)
produced by high level language compilers such as FORTRAN, C or
PASCAL, or from assemblers such as MASM, with libraries of precompiled
routines, and produce executable program files (.EXE).  LINK is
intended for use by programmers only.  See the MSDOS TECHNICAL
REFERENCE for full details

SEE ALSO: EXE2BIN

#MEM #CHKDSK
MEM - display memory use and amount remaining

MEM displays the amount of memory used (including extended and expanded
memory if used) and memory available. It also lists all programs loaded
and how much memory is used by each.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE: MEM [/program] [/debug]
/program  displays programs loaded in memory
/debug    displays programs and also device drivers

You cannot specify /program and /debug at the same time.  If memory
above 1Mb is installed as extended memory, then that is reported.  If
a LIM 4.0 expanded memory manager is present, then expanded memory is
reported also.

# MKDIR, MD #RMDIR #CD
MKDIR, MD - Creates a subdirectory.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: MKDIR [d:]path

d:path specifies the drive and path where the subdirectory will be
       located.  Path must be 63 characters long or less.

NOTE: MKDIR and MD are identical commands

SEE ALSO: RMDIR, CD

# MODE #COUNTRY #NLSFUNC #CHCP #KEYB
MODE - set mode of operation for printers, comm ports, display, keyboard

MODE is used to display or set the mode of operation for a printer,
asynchronous adapter, or graphics monitor.  It also can redirect
parallel printer output to the asynchronous adapter, prepare devices
for code page switching, and change the keyboard auto-repeat rate.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

The various possible uses of mode will be explained in groups
depending on the devices affected. NOTE: The exact options available
for MODE vary with different DOS versions.  Refer to your DOS
reference manual for more information

MODE - device status

USE: MODE [device][/status]
device  is the device to display status for (CON, PRN, LPT1, COM1 etc.)
/status is required only for the status of redirected parallel printers
        If no device is specified, MODE reports the status of all
        installed devices

MODE - configure printer

USE: MODE LPT#[:][n][,[m[,R]]

LPT# represents the printer (LPT1,LPT2,LPT3)
n    specifies either 80 or 132 characters per line
m    specifies 6 or 8 lines per inch
R    specifies a retry action to take when the printer is not ready.
     (DOS 3.3 and earlier) only value is "P" - continue trying when
     printer is busy.
     (DOS 4.x) Possible values for R are:
      "E" - return error if printer busy
      "B" keep trying if busy (same as "P" in earlier versions)
      "R" returns "ready" even if printer status says not-ready

Default values are LPT1, 80 columns, 6 lpi

MODE - Monitor display mode

USE: MODE display, n
or   MODE [display],shift
or   MODE con[:][cols=n][lines=m]

display is one of the following options describing the monitor attached.

40   screen width of 40 characters (CGA only)
80   screen width of 80 characters (CGA only)
BW40 disables color on a color monitor and sets screen width to 40
BW80 disables color on a color monitor and sets screen width to 80
CO40 enables color on a color monitor and sets screen width to 40
CO80 enables color on a color monitor and sets screen width to 80
MONO selects a monochrome monitor (fixed width of 80 characters)

shift - set to "L" or "R" shifts the display left or right to align
        correctly (CGA only)

(DOS 4.x only)
n -  number of lines on display (values are 25 (all displays), 43
     (EGA/VGA) and 50 (VGA only)
m  - number of columns (values are 40 or 80)

MODE - Set keyboard repeat rate (DOS 4.x only)

USE: MODE con[:] rate=r delay=d
r - autorepeat interval time (1-32)
d - autorepeat start delay time (1-4, corresponding to 0.25, 0.5, 0.75,
    1.0 seconds)

MODE - configure asynchronous adapter (Serial Port)

USE: MODE COM#[:]b[,p[,d [,s[,r]]]]
or   (DOS 4.x and later)
     MODE COM# baud=b[ data=d][stop=s][parity=p][retry=r]

COM# is the asynchronous adapter to select.  The acceptable values for #
     are 1,2,3 or 4 (1,2 only for pre DOS 4.x)
b    selects the speed that the asynchronous adapter will operate at. Only
     the first two digits are given.  Acceptable values are:
       110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600.
p    selects number or parity bits.  Acceptable values for "p" are
       N(none), O (odd), or E (even).
d    is the number of data bits (7 or 8)
s    is number of stop bits (1 or 2)
r    specifies a retry action to take when the serial device is not ready.
     (DOS 3.3 and earlier)
       only value is "P" - continue trying when device is busy.
     (DOS 4.x) Possible values for r are:
       "E" - return error if device busy
       "B" keep trying if busy (same as "P" in earlier versions)
       "R" returns "ready" even if device status says not-ready

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 with continuous
retry.

MODE - Redirect printing to a serial port

USE: MODE LPT#[:] [= COMn]

LPT# is the parallel port number to be redirected.
COMn is the asynchronous adapter that the output will be redirected to.
     If not given, then any prior redirection of LPT1 is disabled.

EXAMPLE: MODE LPT1: = COM1
redirects output from LPT1 to COM1.  Any future attempts to print to
LPT1 will be automatically routed to COM1.  This example assumes that
COM1 has been initialised using a previous MODe command.

MODE - Set device code pages (DOS 3.3 and later)

USE: MODE device CODEPAGE PREPARE = ((cp) [d:][path]filename)
or   MODE device CODEPAGE SELECT = cp
or   MODE device CODEPAGE [/STATUS]
or   MODE device CODEPAGE REFRESH

NOTE: The following abbreviations may be used
 cp  - CODEPAGE     PREP - PREPARE    SEL - SELECT
 REF - REFRESH      STA  - STATUS

device specifies one of CON, PRN, LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3.
cp     specifies one code page number. The code page must be of the
       following values, 437, 850, 860, 863, 865.
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 PROPRINTER    5202.CPI - IBM Quietwriter III
          EGA.CPI - EGA DEVICES        LCD.CPI - IBM CONVERTIBLE LCD

PREPARE - tells MSDOS to prepare the specified code page for the specified
          device.  You must prepare a code page before it can be used by
          the device.
SELECT -  selects the code page for use by a device.  It must have been
          PREPAREd first.
REFRESH - this reinstates prepared code pages which have been lost due to
          hardware or other errors (such as turning off the printer).
/STATUS - displays current code pages prepared for a device

EXAMPLE: MODE LPT1 cp PREP=(850) 4201.cpI
This example specifies code page of 850 to be prepared for LPT1 and the
character shapes for IBM Proprinter Model 4201

SEE ALSO: KEYB, NLSFUN, COUNTRY

# MORE #TYPE
MORE - Displays input 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 <file
or   command | 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.  More ONLY reads standard input (which may be a pipe
or redirected to come from a file)

EXAMPLE: DIR | MORE
The output from DIR will be piped to MORE and will be displayed one screen
at a time.

# NLSFUNC #CHCP #COUNTRY #KEYB #MODE #INSTALL
NLSFUNC -  support for extended country information and code pages

NLSFUNC 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.

(DOS 4.x)
NLSFUNC may be executed at boot time using INSTALL in CONFIG.SYS

EXAMPLE: NLSFUNC C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
This example loads the NLSFUNC command and specifies the location of
the COUNTRY.SYS file in a directory called DOS.

SEE ALSO: CHCP, MODE, COUNTRY, KEYB

# PATH #APPEND
PATH - Sets the path of directories that DOS will search for programs

The current directory is always searched first.

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. The paths are separated by ";" and the maximum
     length is 127 characters.
PATH     with no arguments will report the current path.
PATH ;   will delete the current path.

COMMAND.COM uses PATH to search for commands and programs.  The
current directory is always searched first, followed by the
directories in the PATH command, in the order specified.  Executable
files have extensions .COM, .EXE, and .BAT .  Within each directory
the search order is COM, EXE, BAT.  The path is stored in the
environment string PATH.

# PAUSE
PAUSE - 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 Insert next disc in drive A
When this PAUSE command is executed, the following message will appear.

Insert next disc in drive A
Strike any key to continue ...

The message Strike a key when ready is automatically displayed
whenever the PAUSE command is used.  The comment line will not appear
if ECHO is off.  At a PAUSE point, a batch file may be terminated by
pressing CTRL-C or CTRL-BREAK.

# PRINT #PRINTER
PRINT - Prints text (ascii) files in the background mode.

PRINT will place filenames in the queue for background printing

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  PRINT [/D: device] [/B:bufsize] [/U:busy] [/M:maxtick]
      [/S:timeslice] [/Q:qsize][/C][/T][/P]  [[d:][path][filename]...]

FIRST USE ONLY:
/D:device     specifies the device to PRINT to. Default is PRN; other
              valid devices are LPTx (x=1,2,3) and COMx (x=1-4)
/B:bufize     specifies the size of the buffer (in bytes). Default is 512,
              range is 512-1634
/U:busy       specifies the number of clock ticks that PRINT will wait
              while the print device is busy or unavailable. Default is 1
/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.
              Default is 2
/S:timeslice  specifies the interval of time used by the MSDOS scheduler
              for the PRINT command.  Values from 1 to 255 will be
              accepted. Default is 8.
/Q:qsize      specifies the number of PRINT files that may be in the queue.
              Values from 4 to 32 are acceptable. Default is 10

SUBSEQUENT USE
/C            selects the cancel mode. Removes preceding filename and all
              following filenames from the queue.
/T            terminates the entire PRINT procedure. All files currently
              being PRINTed will be cancelled.
/P            sets the print mode. The preceding filename and any files
              following /P will be added to the PRINT queue.

d: path filename... is a list of files to PRINT.  wildcards are accepted.
              The maximum length of a path and filename is 64 characters,
              hence it may be neccessary to change directories before
              issuing the command.

EXAMPLE: PRINT *.DOC /C
will cancel all files with an extension of DOC from the print queue.

EXAMPLE: PRINT TEST.DOC /C T.DOC /P
cancels TEST.DOC and adds T.DOC to the print queue.

# PRINTER, PRINTER.SYS #CHCP #NLSFUNC #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
PRINTER.SYS - Support for code page switching on IBM printers.

This is a device driver to support code page switching on certain
types of printers. Printers supported are Proprinter Model 4201 and
IBM Quietwriter III Printer Model 5202.

USE: DEVICE=[d:][path][PRINTER.SYS LPT#[:] = (type[,[hwcp[,...]][,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:
       4201 - IBM Proprinter Model 4201 or 4202 XL
       5202 - IBM Quietwriter III Model 5202
       4208 - IBM 4207 or 4208, Proprinter X24 or XL24
hwcp specifies the code page image built into the hardware (437, 850, 860,
     863, or 865).  For some printers multiple code pages may be
     specified. 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.  This figure is dependant on the
     printer hardware

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 able to hold one code page prepared by
the MODE command, while the LPT2: driver can have one code page
prepared.

# PROMPT #ANSI.SYS
PROMPT - 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

If ANSI.SYS has been installed, then ansi sequences may be included to
use reverse video or other special effects in the prompt

EXAMPLE: PROMPT $p$g
will cause the prompt line to display the current directory and the >
character.

# RECOVER #CHKDSK
RECOVER - 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.

If a filename is specified, only that file will be recovered.  If only
a drive is specified, all files on that disc will be recovered.
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
where nnnn is a sequential number starting at 001. These files will be
placed in the root directory.  Since this directory can only hold a
limited number of files, files may be lost when using this command.
It is safer to recover the files individually.

# REM
REM - Displays a remark during the execution of a batch file.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal (batch)          VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: REM [comment]

If ECHO is on, the entire line is echoed to the screen during
execution of the batch file.  A comment is generally used to display
messages during execution or to remind the programmer what the parts
of the batch files are for.  Blank REM lines can also be used in a
batch file to improve readability.

EXAMPLE: REM This is a test!
will display the message:
     REM This is a test!

(DOS 4.x and later) REM may also be used in CONFIG.SYS

# REN, RENAME #COPY #REPLACE
RENAME - Renames a file (or group of files).

RENAME changes the name of a file or group of files.  REN and RENAME
are the same command.  willdcard characters ?  and * are allowed in
the filenames.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  REN] [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 *.C *.BAK  changes the name of all files ending with .C to
the same name, but with .BAK as the extension.

NOTE: RENAME may not move a file into another directory.  There are
programs available which can do this, without copying the file.

# REPLACE #RENAME #COPY #XCOPY
REPLACE - 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.  It is used to update sets of files in a
target directory from those in a source directory.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.2 and up

USE:  REPLACE [d:][path]sourcefile [d:][targetpath][/A][/P][/R][/S][/W]

d: path sourcefile specifies the filenames on the source disk that will
   replace the files on the destination disk.
d: targetpath specifies the destination drive and directory of the files
   that are to be replaced.
/A causes REPLACE to add only the files that do not already exist on
   the destination disk.  /A cannot be used with /S or /U
/P causes REPLACE to prompt you whether or not you want to replace each
   file.
/R causes REPLACE to replace the read only files as well as unprotected files
/S causes REPLACE to search all subdirectories on the destination path
   for matching files.  Matching files found in any subdirectory will
   be REPLACEd.  /S and /A can not be used together.  subdirectories in the
   source path are never searched.
/W causes REPLACE to wait for you to insert a disk before searching for
   source files.

EXAMPLE: REPLACE A:TEST.BAS 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:

SEE ALSO: COPY, XCOPY

# RESTORE #BACKUP
RESTORE - Restores backed up files from one disk to another.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

RESTORE is used to restore files that were copied using the BACKUP
command.  Options control which files are to be restored.

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 subdirectories.  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.

(DOS 3.3 and later)
/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
            specified 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.

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.

SEE ALSO: BACKUP

# RMDIR,RD #MKDIR #CD
RMDIR, RD - Remove a subdirectory.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: RMDIR [d:]path

d: path specifies the subdirectory to remove.

The subdirectory to be removed must be empty or RMDIR will not be
allowed.  RD is identical to RMDIR.

SEE ALSO: MKDIR, CD

# SELECT #FORMAT #SYS
SELECT - Installs DOS on a new disk.

SELECT also creates a config.sys file and autoexec.bat file and
installs the keyboard and country codes. CAUTION!!! This command
formats the disk.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.0 and up

(DOS 3.x)
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.
yy  selects the keyboard code.

(DOS 4.x)
USE:  SELECT MENU

Insert the install disk in drive A, make it the default drive, then type
SELECT MENU and follow the directions.  SELECT is completely menu driven
from this point.

SEE ALSO: KEYB for complete list of country and keyboard codes

# SET
SET - Sets or displays the command processor's environment

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 EDITOR=ZW
After this command has been executed, an application program could
examine the environment string and determine that EDITOR has been set
equal to ZW This information might be used by the application program
to start up the user's favourite editor on a file.

# SHARE #INSTALL
SHARE - Loads extra support for file sharing and locking

This command is used primarily by network applications.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.0 and up

USE:  SHARE [/F:space] [/L:locks]

/F:space allocates file space in bytes for the area used to
    record information necessary for file sharing (default 2048).
/L:locks allocates space for the number of locks that you want.
  (default 20)

SHARE is used by MSDOS to prevent multiple programs from attempting to
write to the same file at once.  Once installed, all read and write
requests are validated.

(DOS 4.x and later)
SHARE may be executed at boot time using INSTALL in CONFIG.SYS

# SHELL #COMMAND #CONFIG.SYS
SHELL - Allows another command processor (shell) to be used

The SHELL command specifies the program to be loaded when the system
is booted.  It allows another program to be used in of COMMAND.COM.

COMMAND TYPE: System Configuration      VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE:  SHELL = [d:][path]filename [parameters ...]

d: path filename specifies the file that will be loaded in place of
   COMMAND.COM.  Any parameters specified will be passed to this file
   when it is executed.

MSDOS sets the COMSPEC environment variable to the filename specified
in SHELL. This is used to reload the command processor whenever it is
neccessary.

NOTE: This command must be placed in the CONFIG.SYS file and is not a
normal DOS command.

# SHIFT
SHIFT - Allows use of more than 10 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.

# SMARTDRV, SMARTDRV.SYS #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
SMARTDRV.SYS - a disc cache in extended or expanded memory (for hard discs)

COMMAND TYPE: System configuration      VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE: DEVICE=[d:][path]SMARTDRV.SYS [size] [a]

d:path is an optional path to the SMARTDRV.SYS file
size   is the amount of memory to use for the cache (in kb).  The default
       is 256k in extended memory, or all of available expanded memory.
/a     specifies that the cache should be placed in expanded memory (or in
       extended memory being used as expanded memory)

A disc cache is an area of memory used to store recently accessed
sectors of a hard disc.  If subsequent read requests refer to those
same sectors, they are simply transferred within memory, which is much
faster than reading from the disc.  SMARTDRV.SYS provides a cache in
extended or expanded memory only (it cannot be placed in convenional
memory).  It will greatly improve performance for applications which
use many small files, such as some database applications

NOTE: This command should be placed in CONFIG.SYS and is not a normal DOS
command

# SORT
SORT - 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.

# STACKS #CONFIG.SYS
STACKS - supports the dynamic use of data stacks

COMMAND TYPE: System configuration      VERSION: 4.0 and up

USE: STACKS=n,s

n   number of stacks (0-64)
s   size of each stack (0-512) in bytes

When there is a hardware interrupt, MSDOS can switch stacks and allocate a
new one from the number specified in the STACKS command.  If STACKS=0,0 is
specified, no stack switching occurs at interrupt time.

DEFAULTS:
   IBM PC/XT/PC-portable    0,0
   IBM AT and PS/2 family   9,128

NOTE: This command should be placed in CONFIG.SYS and is not a normal DOS
command

# SUBST #ASSIGN #JOIN
SUBST - Refer to a directory as a virtual drive

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.1 and up

USE: SUBST [d:] [d:path] [/D]

d:     specifies the drive letter that you will use as a substitute
       for a particular drive and path.  This cannot be the default drive.
d:path specifies the drive letter and path that you will refer to with a
       the new drive name.
/D     deletes a substitution.  You must also specify the drive letter of
       the drive whose substitution you want to delete.

Without any arguments, SUBST reports all currently SUBSTituted drives.

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 give
identical results.

EXAMPLE: SUBST J: /D
will delete the substitution created in the previous example.

# SYS #FORMAT #SELECT
SYS - Transfers the operating 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 hidden files that are copied by
the SYS command. SYS does not copy the command processor COMMAND.COM

(DOS 3.3 and earlier)
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.
This restriction does not apply to DOS 4.0 and later.

With compatible but non-IBM systems, the MSDOS system files may have
other names.

# TIME #DATE
TIME - 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 24 hour time format (0 to 23).
mm  specifies minutes.  (0 to 59)
ss  specifies seconds.  (0 to 59)
xx  specifies hundredths of a second. (0 to 99) This is optional

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 15:20
sets the time to 3:15

# TREE #DIR
TREE - Displays all directories and subdirectories on a disk

It can also list all files in each directory and subdirectory, in a
tree structured diagram.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: TREE [d:][path] [/F] [/A]

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

(DOS 4.x and later)
path sets a starting path for the TREE command, rather than using the root
     directory
/A   tells TREE to use ascii characters instead of the IBM extended
     graphics characters.  This is useful for printing on a printer which
     cannot handle the IBM graphics set.  The older versions of tree
     always used ascii characters only.

SEE ALSO: DIR

# TYPE #MORE
TYPE  - Lists the contents of a file to the screen

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.  To view a long file, use MORE to pause at the end of each
screenful

SEE ALSO: MORE

# VDISK, RAMDRIVE, VDISK.SYS, RAMDRIVE.SYS #DEVICE #CONFIG.SYS
VDISK, RAMDRIVE - sets up a virtual (RAM) 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.  MSDOS supplies a device driver to create this virtual
disc.  Versions up to 3.3 were called VDISK.SYS.  Version 4 calls it
RAMDRIVE.SYS

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.0 and up

(DOS 3.0-3.3)
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.

(DOS 4.0 and later)
USE: DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS [bbb] [sss] [ddd] [/E] [/A]

bbb is the size of the virtual disk in kbytes.  Values between 16K and the
    memory available in your machine will be accepted.  The default is 64k
sss is the sector size in bytes. 128, 256, 512 and 1024 are accepted. The
    default is 512.  A smaller sector size will utilize space much better,
    but a larger sector will improve performance.
ddd is the number of root directory entries that the virtual disk can
    hold. Values between 4 and 1024 are accepted. The default is 64
/E  will place the virtual disc in extended memory (memory above 1
    megabyte). This  cannot be specified with /A
/A  will place the virtual disc in LIM expanded memory.  This cannot be
    specified with /E

NOTE: The VDISK.SYS or RAMDRIVE.SYS device drivers must be placed in the
CONFIG.SYS file and be used in conjunction with the DEVICE = DRIVER
command.
NOTE: The contents of a virtual disc will be lost when you reset or turn
off the computer

# VER
VER - Displays the version of DOS that you are currently using.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: VER

# VERIFY #COPY #XCOPY #DISKCOPY
VERIFY - Turns disk write verification on or off.

COMMAND TYPE: Internal                  VERSION: 2.0 and up

USE: VERIFY [ON] [OFF]

ON  will turn VERIFY ON
OFF will turn VERIFY OFF.

With no argument, VERIFY will report the current setting of VERIFY.
When VERIFY is ON, DOS will check to see if data written was written
correctly.  With VERIFY ON, all disk operations (copy, xcopy, diskcopy
etc. will be slower)

# VOL #LABEL #FORMAT
VOL - 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.  The default
drive is assumed if none is specified.

SEE ALSO: LABEL

# XCOPY #COPY #VERIFY #DISKCOPY
XCOPY - Copies groups of files.  Subdirectories can be included.

XCOPY copies groups of files based on various switches.  It can copy
entire subdirectory trees and is much more powerful than COPY.

COMMAND TYPE: External                  VERSION: 3.2 and up

USE:  XCOPY [d:][path]filename1 [d:][path][filename2] [/A][/D][/E]
            [/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]
or    XCOPY [d:] path [filename1] [d:][path][filename2] [/A][/D][/E]
            [/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]
or    XCOPY d:[path] [filename1] [d:][path][filename2] [/A][/D][/E]
            [/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]

d: path filename1 specifies the source drive, path, and filename.
d: path filename2 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 subdirectories 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:.

SEE ALSO: COPY