Software Collection (I)/TOOLS.iso/d07/4.img/CMDREF.IN@/CMDREF.INF

OS/2 Help File | 1992-04-09 | 153.3 KB | 6,004 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Welcome ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This online Command Reference describes the commands and utilities that you can
use from the command prompt with Microsoft Operating System/2. For information
about how to use this Command Reference, use the commands on the Help menu.

This reference is intended to be a reference for experienced users. For
additional information about MS OS/2 and the Presentation Manager environment,
see the following manuals:

To learn how to install MS OS/2 and quickly get started with Presentation
Manager and MS OS/2, see Microsoft Operating System/2 Getting Started.

For a comprehensive description of the Presentation Manager environment, the MS
OS/2 and DOS command interpreters, batch programs, configuration commands, and
device drivers, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

Note  All examples of file and directory names in this reference are for the
      file allocation table (FAT) file system. To use high-performance file
      system (HPFS) file and directory names with the MS OS/2 commands and
      utilities, you must enclose the names in quotation marks, to ensure that
      MS OS/2 correctly interprets any spaces or special characters in the
      names. For example, without the quotation marks, MS OS/2 would interpret
      a plus sign (+) in an HPFS filename in a copy command as an instruction
      to combine two files. For more information about HPFS, see the Microsoft
      Operating System/2 User's Guide.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Notational Conventions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To help you locate and interpret information easily, this reference uses icons,
a standard syntax format and terminology, and specific typographic conventions.
The following sections describe these elements.

 o Icons
 o Syntax
 o Typographic Conventions
 o Viewing Related Topics


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Icons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following icons appear at the top of each description and indicate where
the command or utility described in the adjacent text can be used.

MS OS/2

DOS

Configuration file


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Syntax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Syntax represents the order in which you must type a command or utility name
and any arguments and options that follow it. Elements that appear in bold type
must be typed exactly as they appear in the syntax line; elements that appear
in italic are placeholders representing specific information that you will need
to supply. Unless specified otherwise, you can type commands, arguments, and
options in either uppercase or lowercase letters.

The following is a sample syntax line:

sample [r|-r] [drive:][path] filename [...] [options]

The meaning of each of these elements is as follows:

 Element        Meaning

 sample         Specifies the name of the command or utility.

 [ ]            Indicates items that are optional. To include the optional
                information described within the brackets, type only the
                information, not the brackets themselves.

 |              Separates two mutually exclusive choices in a syntax line; for
                example:

                break [on|off]

                Type only one of these choices (that is, break on or break
                off); do not type the symbol itself.

 drive:         Specifies a drive. You need to specify a drive with a filename
                only if you are using a file that is not on the current drive.

 path           Specifies a complete path, using the following syntax:

                                [\directory][\directory]\directory

                You need to specify a path with a filename only if the file is
                not in the current directory.

 filename       Specifies a file. In the file allocation table (FAT) file
                system, a filename can be up to eight characters long, followed
                by a period (.) and an extension of up to three characters (for
                example, YOURFILE.EXT). In the high-performance file system
                (HPFS), a filename can be up to 254 characters long and can
                include periods and spaces in more than one place (for example,
                the filename YOUR.FILE WITH A LONG.FILENAME), so there is no
                distinction in HPFS between a filename and an extension. An
                HPFS filename can also include certain characters not allowed
                in the FAT file system. The filename argument cannot be a
                device name or a drive letter.

 ...            Indicates that an argument can be repeated several times in a
                command line. Type only the information, not the ellipsis (...)
                itself.

 options        Specifies one or more command options. An option begins with a
                slash--for example, /p.

 Other placeholders used in syntax lines in this reference include the
 following:

 Placeholder    Meaning

 source         Specifies the drive, directory, file, or device that will be
                transferred to a specified destination or used as input to a
                command.

 destination    Specifies the drive, directory, file, or device that source
                will be transferred to.

 string         Specifies a group of characters to be treated as a unit. A
                string can include letters, numbers, spaces, or any other
                characters and is usually enclosed in double quotation marks.
                Some commands, such as find, work with strings of text.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Typographic Conventions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following typographic conventions are used in this reference:

 Convention              Use

 bold                    Command-line commands, utilities, options, and
                         portions of syntax that must be typed exactly as
                         shown.

 italic                  Variables and placeholders that represent information
                         you must provide.

 monospace               Sample command lines, program code, program output,
                         and examples.

 ALL CAPITALS            Filenames, directory names, acronyms, and names of
                         keys on your keyboard.

 Key combinations and key sequences appear in the following formats:

 Notation                Meaning

 KEY+KEY                 A plus sign (+) between keynames means you must press
                         the keys at the same time; for example, "Press
                         ALT+ESC" means that you press the ALT key and hold it
                         down while you press and release the ESC key.

 KEY, KEY                A comma (,) between keynames means you must press the
                         keys in sequence; for example, "Press ALT, SPACEBAR"
                         means that you press the ALT key and release it, and
                         then you press the SPACEBAR and release it.

 DIRECTION KEYS          Arrow keys on your computer keypad are called
                         DIRECTION KEYS. The individual name refers to the
                         direction the arrow on the key points: UP, DOWN,
                         RIGHT, LEFT.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.4. Viewing Related Topics ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Some command and utility descriptions contain related terms, concepts, or
topics that are also described in other areas of the Command Reference. When
these related items appear in a different color on your screen, it means that
you can view additional information about them. To do this, double-click the
item that you want information about, or press TAB to select the item and press
ENTER. Additional information appears in a small window inside the current
topic window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Commands and Utilities by Task ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following sections describe each of the MS OS/2 command-line commands and
utilities. They are categorized by the type of task that you can perform with
them.

 o Modifying the CONFIG.SYS File
 o Setting Up the Operating System
 o Managing Files, Directories, and Drives
 o Running Programs
 o Getting Additional Help
 o Working With Text Files
 o Running Batch Programs
 o Printing
 o Maintaining Your System
 o Performing Advanced Maintenance Tasks
 o Changing Device Settings
 o Reassigning Paths and Drives


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Modifying the CONFIG.SYS File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When you start MS OS/2, your system reads configuration commands from the
CONFIG.SYS file on your start-up disk. The following commands give information
to the operating system about the setup, or configuration, of your particular
system:

 autofail            Turns on or off the mechanism by which MS OS/2 displays a
                     full-screen error message for a hard error or an exception
                     condition.

 break               Determines when MS OS/2 checks for the key combination
                     CTRL+C (or CTRL+BREAK) during a process; used in the DOS
                     session.

 buffers             Specifies the number of disk buffers in memory.

 call                Starts and runs a program in the foreground.

 codepage            Specifies which code pages your system is prepared to use.

 country             Defines country-dependent information, such as time, date,
                     and currency conventions.

 device              Sets up a device driver.

 devinfo             Specifies the information a device needs to use a
                     particular code page.

 diskcache           Enables disk caching and specifies the disk-cache size.

 fcbs                Specifies the maximum number of open file-control blocks;
                     used in the DOS session.

 ifs                 Specifies an installable file system.

 iopl                Determines the input and output privilege levels.

 libpath             Specifies the location of dynamic-link libraries.

 maxwait             Specifies the maximum amount of time any active process
                     must wait before it is run.

 memman              Specifies whether memory swapping and moving is permitted.

 pauseonerror        Specifies whether MS OS/2 is to pause if it encounters an
                     error while processing your CONFIG.SYS file.

 priority            Specifies how a process receives enough priority over
                     other processes to run.

 protectonly         Determines whether MS OS/2 will run a DOS session and a
                     full-screen session.

 protshell           Specifies the MS OS/2 user interface (the protected-mode
                     shell) and the MS OS/2 command interpreter.

 rem                 Includes a remark or descriptive comment in your
                     CONFIG.SYS file.

 rmsize              Determines the amount of memory reserved for DOS
                     (real-mode) applications; used in the DOS session.

 run                 Starts and runs a program in the background.

 set                 Defines an environment variable by naming the variable and
                     giving a value for it.

 shell               Specifies the DOS command interpreter; used in the DOS
                     session.

 swappath            Specifies the location of the disk-swap file and the
                     minimum free space (in kilobytes).

 threads             Specifies the maximum number of threads that can be used
                     at one time.

 timeslice           Sets the amount of time that MS OS/2 allocates to a thread
                     before checking the priority of other threads.

 trace               Turns the system trace on or off.

 tracebuf            Sets the size of the system-trace buffer, where MS OS/2
                     stores information about system events that are being
                     traced.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Setting Up the Operating System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When you first set up your system, you may want to do such things as customize
the MS OS/2 command prompt or set and display the date and the time of day. The
following commands will help you perform these types of tasks:

 ansi                Turns the support on or off for ANSI escape sequences.

 boot                Specifies the operating system (DOS or MS OS/2) your
                     computer is to use the next time you restart it; used only
                     when dual boot is installed on your computer.

 break               Specifies when MS OS/2 is to check for the CTRL+C (or
                     CTRL+BREAK) key combination in the DOS session.

 cache               Directs MS OS/2 to load the cache driver for the
                     high-performance file system, turn lazy writing on or off,
                     and set or display the lazy-writing parameters.

 chcp                Changes the current code page.

 cls                 Clears your screen.

 date                Displays and sets the system date.

 graftabl            Loads the special graphics characters of an extended
                     character set into memory so that your monitor can display
                     these characters if you are using a display adapter in
                     graphics mode.

 keyb                Directs MS OS/2 to use a country-specific keyboard layout
                     other than the United States layout.

 keys                Turns on or off the special functions of the DIRECTION
                     keys and editing keys that enable you to edit commands on
                     the command line.

 prompt              Changes the cmd prompt.

 time                Displays and sets the system time.

 ver                 Displays the MS OS/2 version number.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Managing Files, Directories, and Drives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

MS OS/2 provides several commands that help you manage files, directories, and
drives. These commands, with their alternate forms shown in parentheses, are as
follows:

 attrib              Changes or displays the flags of the file you specify.

 chdir (cd)          Switches to a different directory.

 copy                Copies a file.

 del (erase)         Deletes a file.

 dir                 Displays the contents of a directory.

 diskcomp            Compares to floppy disks track by track.

 diskcopy            Makes a duplicate of a floppy disk.

 eautil              Deletes or copies (splits) the extended attributes from a
                     data file or directory and stores them in a separate file,
                     or copies (joins) the extended attributes back to the
                     original data file or directory.

 format              Prepares a disk or partition so that it can store MS OS/2
                     files.

 label               Assigns a disk a new volume label.

 mkdir (md)          Makes a new directory.

 move                Moves a file or directory.

 rename (ren)        Renames a file or directory.

 replace             Selectively replaces files in the destination directory
                     with new versions of those files from the source
                     directory, or adds new files to the destination directory.

 rmdir (rd)          Removes a directory.

 tree                Displays the path of each directory on a disk and lists
                     all the subdirectories (and, as an option, all the files
                     as well).

 type                Displays the contents of a file.

 verify              Turns write verification on or off.

 vol                 Displays the volume identification of the current drive.

 xcopy               Copies files and directories, including any
                     subdirectories, from one disk to another.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Running Programs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can also use MS OS/2 commands to start programs in cmd. The following
commands are used to start and stop programs, as well as to set up the proper
environment to run a program in:

 detach              Detaches a process to run in the background while you go
                     on to another task.

 dpath               Specifies which directories besides the current directory
                     an application should search in order to find data files.

 exit                Ends the current command interpreter and returns control
                     to the program from which it was started.

 path                Specifies where MS OS/2 is to search for a command file or
                     application if the program is not in the current
                     directory.

 set                 Defines an environment variable by naming the variable and
                     giving a value for it.

 start               Starts an MS OS/2 command interpreter and tells it to
                     carry out the command you specify.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Getting Additional Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To display Help information about a warning or error message that you may see
on your screen, you can use the Help utility.

 help                Displays Help information about MS OS/2 and about error or
                     warning messages displayed in an OS/2 session or in the
                     DOS session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Working with Text Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use the following utilities to perform such tasks as editing, viewing,
sorting, and searching your text files.

 comp                Compares two files or sets of files to see whether they
                     are the same.

 edlin               Lets you create and edit text files in the DOS session.

 find                Searches the file or files you specify, or the input you
                     give it, for a specific string of text and displays all
                     the instances of that string that it finds.

 more                Reads from standard input and displays what it reads, one
                     screenful at a time.

 sort                Sorts lines of input in alphabetical and numeric order and
                     sends the output lines to the screen.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Running Batch Programs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In MS OS/2, you can create a batch program to run several commands from one
program, or one that performs the same tasks on different sets of data. You can
use the following commands to create a batch program:

 call                Calls one batch program from another batch program.

 echo                Turns the echo feature on or off.

 endlocal            Restores the drive, directory, and environment settings
                     that were in effect before the setlocal command was used.

 extproc             Defines an external batch processor for a batch program.

 for                 Performs a command for set of items.

 goto                Causes processing to continue at the line after a
                     specified label.

 if                  Performs a command based on the result of a condition.

 pause               Suspends processing of the batch program temporarily.

 rem                 Adds remarks to a batch program.

 setlocal            Defines drive, directory, and environment variables that
                     are used during batch-program processing.

 shift               Changes the position of the replaceable parameters in
                     batch-programming processing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. Printing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use the following utilities when printing files in MS OS/2:

 print               Sends a file to a device to be printed.

 spool               Starts the printer spooler and Print Manager so that MS
                     OS/2 can print files in the background while doing
                     something else.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.9. Maintaining Your System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use the following utilities to help you with the tasks of maintaining
your system, including maintaining your files, directories, and disks.

 backup              Makes backup copies of files from one disk and stores them
                     on another.

 chkdsk              Checks a disk or partition for errors and displays a
                     summary of how space is used on that disk or partition.

 fdisk               Deletes the primary MS OS/2 partition, the extended
                     partition, and any logical drives from the hard disk you
                     start your system from.

 recover             Reconstructs all the files from a disk that has a damaged
                     directory structure or reconstructs a single file from a
                     disk that has bad sectors.

 restore             Restores backup files that were created by using the
                     backup utility.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.10. Performing Advanced Maintenance Tasks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Using the following utilities, you can perform more advanced maintenance tasks
such as adding device drivers to your system, tracking hardware interrupts and
other system functions, and displaying information about a current process.

 createdd            Prepares a disk that can be used to copy the contents of
                     memory.

 ddinstal            Provides an automated way to install new devices and their
                     device drivers on your system without running the
                     installation program again.

 patch               Inserts a section of program code into an existing MS OS/2
                     program or application to change the way the program runs.

 pstat               Displays information about the status of one or more
                     processes in the system.

 trace               Turns the system trace on or off.

 tracefmt            Displays the contents of the system-trace buffer.

 unpack              Decompresses and copies a compressed file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.11. Changing Device Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use the following utilities to change the settings for the
communications, serial, and other output ports on your computer:

 mode                Sets operating parameters for communication and output
                     devices that you may connect to or add to your computer.

 setcom40            Sets the address of the specified serial port so that a
                     DOS application can find the port and use it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.12. Reassigning Paths and Drives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use the following utilities to change how MS OS/2 accesses data and
drives in the DOS session:

 append              Specifies which directories besides the current directory
                     MS OS/2 should search in order to find an application's
                     data files.

 assign              Assigns the drive letter of one drive to a different
                     drive, so that if you request the first drive you get the
                     second.

 join                Temporarily renames the disk in the first drive as a
                     directory on the disk in the second drive.

 subst               Temporarily substitutes a drive letter for another drive
                     letter and path.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Commands and Utilities by Name ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section lists every MS OS/2 command and utility alphabetically by name.

To display the list of commands and utilities, return to the Contents screen
and click on the plus sign or press the + key.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Ansi ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ansi [on|off]

Turns the support on or off for ANSI escape sequences in an OS/2 session. The
default setting is on.

If you type ansi by itself, the utility displays the current setting.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Append ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

append [/e|;|[drive:]path[;...]] [/path[:on|:off]]

Specifies which directories besides the current directory MS OS/2 should search
in order to find an application's data files.

 /e Stores the appended paths in the environment. You should use the /e option
    by itself, without any drive or path. MS OS/2 accepts this option only the
    first time you use the append utility after starting MS OS/2. If you use
    the /e option a second time, you receive an error message.

 ;  When used by itself (append ;), cancels the existing appended path.
    Semicolons are also used to separate multiple paths.

 [drive:]path

    Specifies the path MS OS/2 searches for an application's data files. You
    can specify more than one path, separating them with semicolons.

 /path[:on|:off]

    Specifies whether MS OS/2 should search the appended directories when the
    filename that an application is looking for already includes a drive letter
    and/or path. If you specify /path:off, MS OS/2 does not search the appended
    directories; if you specify /path:on or simply /path by itself, MS OS/2
    searches the directories. The default setting is /path:on.

 Each time you use the append utility, the new path you specify takes the place
 of the previous path. If you use the /e option the first time you use append,
 each new path is stored in the MS OS/2 environment.

 If you type append by itself, the utility displays the current data path.

 The append utility achieves the same results in the DOS session as the dpath
 command does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To instruct an application to search the REPORTS and NOTES
          subdirectories of the DATA directory on the current drive and the
          REPORTS directory on drive B, type the following:

                    append \data\reports;\data\notes;b:\reports


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Assign ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

assign [drive1=drive2] [...]

Assigns the drive letter of one drive to a different drive, so that if you
request the first drive you get the second.

 drive1

    Specifies the drive letter you want to reassign.

 drive2

    Specifies the drive letter you want to substitute for drive1.

 Do not type a colon (:) after the drive letters.

 You can make more than one drive assignment in a single command line.

 If you type assign by itself, the utility resets all drive letters to their
 original drives.

 Do not use the assign utility unless you need to. You can easily forget that
 you have reassigned a drive letter and end up changing files on an unexpected
 drive. Also, many programs require information about a drive's characteristics
 in order to work properly. If you have reassigned drive letters, these
 programs may not work as you expect.

 The assign utility affects only the DOS session.

 Example  Suppose you want to run an application on your hard disk (drive C)
          and the application requires you to put your program disk in drive A
          and your data disk in drive B. To send all references to drives A and
          B to drive C, type the following:

                    assign a=c b=c


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Attrib (Attributes) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

attrib [r|-r] [a|-a] [drive:][path]filename [/s]

Changes or displays the flags of the file you specify. The flags determine
whether the file is read-only and whether it is affected when you use the
backup , restore , and xcopy utilities. For more information, see the
individual utility descriptions.

 r  Makes the file read-only.

 -r Allows the file to be changed or deleted.

 a  Sets the archive flag of the file.

 -a Clears the archive flag of the file.

 filename

    Specifies the file for which you want to change the flags. You can use
    wildcard characters to affect more than one file.

 /s Changes the flags of all files named filename in subdirectories as well as
    in directories.

 To see the flag settings of a particular file, type only attrib and the
 filename. If the letter A appears in the listing, the archive flag is set for
 the file; if R appears in the listing, the read-only flag is set.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To make all the files read-only in the directory \SCHEDULE\MEETINGS
          on drive C, and in all its subdirectories, type the following:

                    attrib +r c:\schedule\meetings\* /s


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Autofail ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

autofail=yes|no

Turns on or off the mechanism by which MS OS/2 displays a full-screen error
message that requires a choice of actions whenever the system encounters a hard
error or an exception condition. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 yes

    Turns on the autofail mechanism, preventing MS OS/2 from displaying a
    full-screen error message for a hard error or exception condition. MS OS/2
    returns an error code to the program instead. You may still see a
    command-line error message.

 no

    Turns off the autofail mechanism, allowing MS OS/2 to display a full-screen
    error message for a hard error or exception condition. This is the default
    setting.

 A hard error is caused by something external to the software, such as an open
 disk-drive door or an incorrectly formatted floppy disk. An exception
 condition is caused by an instruction that the central processing unit (CPU)
 cannot execute, such as dividing by zero.

 When the autofail mechanism is turned off, the system stops and displays a
 full-screen error message when a hard error or exception condition occurs; you
 must choose an action from a list in the error screen before the system will
 resume processing commands. When the autofail mechanism is turned on, the
 system continues processing the command that caused the error.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Backup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

backup drive1:[path][filename] drive2: [/s] [/m] [/a] [/f[:size]] [/d:date
[/t:time]] [/l:[path]logfile]

Makes backup copies of files from one disk and stores them on another. You can
then use the restore utility to copy these files back to their original
location.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive that contains the files you want to make backup copies
    of.

 filename

    Specifies a single file you want to make a backup copy of. You can use
    wildcard characters to make backup copies of a group of files with similar
    names.

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk on which you want to store the
    backup files. The backup utility places the files in the root directory of
    this disk. If you choose to put the backup copies onto a hard disk, backup
    automatically creates a directory named BACKUP as a subdirectory of the
    root directory and places the files there.

 /s Makes backup copies of the contents of all the subdirectories.

 /m Makes backup copies of only the files that have been changed since the last
    backup operation and turns off the archive flag of the original file. This
    option also makes backup copies of directories if their extended attributes
    have changed. Previous backup copies are deleted unless you also specify
    the /a option.

 /a Adds the backup files being created to the backup files on the destination
    disk without deleting the files that are already there. This option does
    not work if any of the files on the destination disk are backup copies made
    by using the backup utility from MS-DOS version 3.21 or earlier.

 /f[:size]

    Formats the destination disk if it is unformatted. This option does not
    format a nonremovable disk, nor does it format a disk that is already
    formatted. You can specify the memory capacity of the disk, in kilobytes
    (or, for a 1.2-megabyte, 1.44-megabyte, or 2.88-megabyte disk, in
    megabytes), by specifying size. The easiest way to specify size is as the
    number of kilobytes of memory on the disk (360, 720, 1200, 1440, or 2880),
    but you can include the unit of measurement (for example, 360K, 360KB,
    1.2M, 1.2MB) if you prefer. The backup utility formats an unformatted
    destination disk even if you do not specify the /f option.

 /d:date

    Makes backup copies of only the files that were changed on or after the
    date specified.

 /t:time

    Makes backup copies of only the files that were changed at or after the
    time specified. Do not use this option without the /d:date option.

 /l[:logfile]

    Creates a log file in the root directory of the source disk or drive and
    puts a log of the backup operation in that file. You can specify a
    different drive or directory for the log file. If you do not specify
    logfile, the backup utility names the file BACKUP.LOG.

 The backup files are stored in the BACKUP.nnn and CONTROL.nnn files; nnn is
 the number of the disk (starting from 001). As each disk is filled, the backup
 utility prompts you for the next disk.

 The source and destination disks do not have to be of the same type; you can
 back up files from a hard disk to a floppy disk, or from one kind of floppy
 disk to another. If you do not specify the /a option, the backup utility
 erases all the files that are already on the destination disk.

 The backup utility preserves the extended attributes of the files and
 directories that it copies.

 The backup utility does not make backup copies of the following files: OS2LDR,
 OS2KRNL, IBMBIO.COM, IBMDOS.COM, MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS, COMMAND.COM, and CMD.EXE.
 It also does not make backup copies of files that are in use on your start-up
 drive; to make a complete backup of your start-up drive, you must run backup
 from the MS OS/2 installation disks.

 Examples  If you want to make backup copies of all the files in the
           \FILM\CRITIQUE directory on drive C and store them on an unformatted
           disk in drive A, type the following:

                      backup c:\film\critique a: /f

 To make backup copies of the files on drive C, which is your start-up drive,
 and store them on an unformatted disk in drive B, insert the MS OS/2 Install
 disk in drive A, press CTRL+ALT+DEL, and press ESC when the logo appears.
 Insert the disk that contains the BACKUP.EXE file into drive A and type the
 following at the command prompt:

  backup c: b: /f


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.7. Boot ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

[drive:][path]boot [/dos|/os2|/q]

Specifies the operating system (DOS or MS OS/2) your computer is to use the
next time you restart it. You must have dual boot installed on your computer
before you can use the boot utility.

 /dos  Specifies DOS as the operating system to be used the next time you
       restart your computer.

 /os2  Specifies MS OS/2 as the operating system to be used the next time you
       restart your computer.

 /q    Displays the current boot setting.

 Warning  It is not a good idea to use dual boot if you have files or
          directories on your system that use extended attributes. Using DOS
          utilities or applications to manipulate such files or directories may
          delete their extended attributes.

 Example  To instruct your system, when you are running DOS, to use MS OS/2 the
          next time you restart the computer, type the following:

                    c:\os2\boot /os2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.8. Break ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The break command specifies when MS OS/2 is to check for the CTRL+C (or
CTRL+BREAK) key combination in the DOS session. You can use this command from
the command line in the DOS session, or you can specify the command in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

For more information, see the following commands:

 o Break DOS Command
 o Break Configuration Command


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.8.1. Break DOS Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

break [on|off]

Specifies when MS OS/2 is to check for the key combination CTRL+C (or
CTRL+BREAK) in the DOS session. MS OS/2 stops the program or batch file that is
running when it encounters the combination.

Depending on the program you are running, you may press CTRL+C in the DOS
session to stop an activity (for example, to stop sorting a file). Ordinarily,
MS OS/2 checks for CTRL+C only when it is reading from the keyboard or writing
to the screen or the printer. If you type break on, you extend CTRL+C checking
to other activities, such as reading from or writing to a disk. The default
setting in the DOS session is off (unless otherwise set in your CONFIG.SYS file
by the break configuration command).

The break command has no effect on an OS/2 session; MS OS/2 always checks for
CTRL+C in this session.

If you type break by itself, MS OS/2 displays the command's current setting.

Some programs are designed to respond to CTRL+C at any time; the break command
does not affect them.

In the DOS session, when you use CTRL+C to stop the processing of a batch file,
MS OS/2 displays a message that asks you to confirm that you want to stop the
batch process. In an OS/2 session, however, you receive no message; as soon as
you press CTRL+C, the batch file stops.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.8.2. Break Configuration Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

break=on|off

Specifies when MS OS/2 is to check for the CTRL+C (or CTRL+BREAK) key
combination in the DOS session. MS OS/2 stops the program or batch file that is
running when it encounters the combination. To use the break configuration
command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

If break is off, MS OS/2 checks for CTRL+C only when it is reading from the
keyboard or writing to the screen or the printer. When break is on, MS OS/2
also checks for CTRL+C every time it reads from or writes to a disk. The
default setting for break in the DOS session is off.

The break configuration command has no effect on an OS/2 session; MS OS/2
always checks for CTRL+C in this session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.9. Buffers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

buffers=number

Sets the number of buffers in memory, for use by the FAT file system. To use
this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 number

    Specifies the number of buffers available. This must be a number in the
    range 1 through 100. During system installation, the value of the buffers
    command is set to 30. If you remove the buffers command from your
    CONFIG.SYS file, the system sets the value to 3.

 Buffers are work areas MS OS/2 uses to hold data when it is reading from or
 writing to a disk. You can speed up your system's performance by increasing
 the number of buffers available, but when you do so you also reduce the amount
 of memory available.

 Example  To create 20 disk buffers, include the following line in your
          CONFIG.SYS file:

                    buffers=20


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.10. Cache ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

cache [/MaxAge:time] [/DiskIdle:time] [/BufferIdle:time]

or

cache [/lazy:on|/lazy:off]

Directs MS OS/2 to load the cache driver for the high-performance file system
(HPFS), turn lazy writing on or off, and set or display the lazy-writing
parameters. You must have HPFS installed on your computer before you can use
the cache utility. (For more information about installing HPFS, see the ifs
configuration command.)

 /MaxAge:time

    Sets the maximum amount of time (in milliseconds) that a cache block can
    store information before MS OS/2 writes that information to the disk. The
    default time is 5000 milliseconds.

 /DiskIdle:time

    Sets the maximum amount of time (in milliseconds) that the disk can be idle
    before MS OS/2 writes unsaved information in the cache blocks to the disk.
    The default time is 1000 milliseconds. This option affects only cache
    blocks that have had unsaved information in them for the amount of time
    specified by /BufferIdle.

 /BufferIdle:time

    Sets the maximum amount of time (in milliseconds) that a cache block can
    store information before it becomes subject to the effect of the /DiskIdle
    option. The default time is 500 milliseconds.

 /lazy:on|/lazy:off

    Turns lazy writing on or off for all disks or partitions that are formatted
    for HPFS. The default setting is /lazy:on. For more information about lazy
    writing, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 On disks or partitions formatted for HPFS, MS OS/2 can store information in
 temporary 2-kilobyte cache blocks--where the system can locate it
 faster--rather than writing the information directly to the disk. The cache
 options determine when the information in the cache block is written to the
 disk. If lazy writing is not turned on, MS OS/2 writes information directly to
 the disk, rather than storing it in cache blocks.

 If you use the cache utility to turn lazy writing on, the prompt disappears in
 the session in which you are running the utility. To avoid this, use the start
 command to create a new OS/2 session to be used only for running the cache
 utility.

 If you type cache by itself, the utility displays its current setting.

 Example  To start a new session and run the cache utility, turning lazy
          writing on, type the following:

                    start cache /lazy:on


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.11. Call ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two call commands that you can use in MS OS/2. One, which calls one
batch file from another, is used in batch programs in either cmd or command .
The other, which starts and runs a program in the foreground when you start
your system, is a configuration command and is used in your CONFIG.SYS file.

For more information, see the following commands:

 o Call Configuration Command
 o Call Batch Command


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.11.1. Call Configuration Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

call=[drive:][path]filename [arguments]

Starts and runs a program in the foreground when you start your system. If you
want to run a program that requires input from you, use this command rather
than the run command. To use the call command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS
file.

 filename

    Specifies the program you want to start. You must include the extension
    (.COM or .EXE), and you must specify the drive and path if the file is not
    located in the root directory of your start-up drive. The file cannot be a
    batch file.

 arguments

    Specifies any valid options or other variables for the program you are
    calling.

 When you use the call configuration command to run a program, MS OS/2 treats
 everything the program does as a single command; once that command has been
 carried out (that is, once the program has started, received any input needed
 from you, done whatever it does, and ended), MS OS/2 resumes processing the
 CONFIG.SYS file where it left off.

 You can include more than one call command in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 MS OS/2 processes all device commands in your CONFIG.SYS file before it starts
 processing call commands.

 You can use the call configuration command to start monitor programs for other
 sessions, but not for the session from which you are using call.

 Example  To run the chkdsk utility for drive D each time you start your
          system, when CHKDSK.COM is in the OS2 directory on drive C, include
          the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    call=c:\os2\chkdsk.com d:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.11.2. Call Batch Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

call [drive:][path]batchfile [arg]

Calls one batch file from another. You use call in a batch file in order to run
another batch file and then return to the first one. Although call can be used
from the command prompt, it is designed to be placed in a batch file.

 batchfile

    Specifies the name of the batch file (without extension) that you want to
    call from within another batch file.

 arg

    Specifies an argument to the batch file being called.

 When you use the call command, MS OS/2 treats everything in the batch file you
 call as though it were a single command; once that command has been carried
 out (that is, once the second batch file has been run), MS OS/2 resumes
 running the first batch file where it left off.

 You can use the call command to run another batch file that includes a call
 command. In this way, you can call up to 12 batch files in succession without
 returning to a previous file.

 Do not use pipes or redirection symbols with the call command.

 You cannot call DOS batch files (files with the extension .BAT) from an MS
 OS/2 batch file (a file with the extension .CMD) or from cmd , the MS OS/2
 command interpreter.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot call MS OS/2 batch files (files with the extension .CMD) from
 a DOS batch file (a file with the extension .BAT) or from command , the DOS
 command interpreter.

 Example  To run the file CHECKNEW.CMD from another MS OS/2 batch file and pass
          it the /t option, include the following line in the first batch file:

                    call checknew /t


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.12. Chcp (Change Code Page) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

chcp [nnn]

Switches to the specified system code page, which must have been defined
previously in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 nnn Specifies the code page to be used. This argument must be a three-digit
    number from the list under the codepage command.

 If you type chcp by itself, MS OS/2 displays the number of the active code
 page and the numbers of the prepared code pages for that session.

 You can use this command only if code pages have been previously prepared by
 using the codepage command.

 Any program that you run after starting a new code page uses the new code
 page. Programs that started running before you started the new code page still
 use the original code page.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that when you type chcp by itself, MS OS/2 displays only the number of the
 active code page.

 Example  To switch the code page to 860 (Portuguese), type the following:

                    chcp 860


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.13. Chdir (Change Directory) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

chdir [drive:][path]

Changes the current directory. You can abbreviate chdir as cd.

If you type chdir by itself, MS OS/2 displays the name of the current directory
of the current drive.

You cannot use chdir to change drives, but you can use it to change the current
directory of another drive. If you then switch to that drive, you will be in
the directory you specified. Typing chdir plus the letter of another drive
displays the name of the current directory on that drive.

Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

Examples  To change from your current directory to the ENTREE subdirectory,
          type the following:

                    cd entree

To change from your current directory to its parent directory, type the
following:

cd ..

To return to the root directory, type the following:

cd \

If your current directory is POETRY and its parent directory is BOOKS, and you
want to change to the FICTION directory, which is also under BOOKS, type the
following:

cd ..\fiction


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.14. Chkdsk (Check Disk) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

chkdsk [drive:][path][filename] [/c] [/f[:n]] [/v]

Checks a disk or partition for errors and displays a summary of how space is
used on that disk or partition. The chkdsk utility also displays the volume
label, the volume serial number, and the type of file system being used by the
disk or partition.

 drive:

    Specifies the disk drive to check. If you do not specify drive, the chkdsk
    utility checks the current drive.

 filename

    (FAT file system only) Specifies the file to check. You can use wildcard
    characters to specify a group of files. The chkdsk utility reports how many
    of the specified files are stored in noncontiguous sectors.

 /c (HPFS only) Specifies that the chkdsk utility is to correct errors only if
    the file system was in an inconsistent state when you restarted your
    computer; if the file system was in a consistent state, chkdsk simply
    terminates, regardless of what other options you have specified. (The file
    system may be left in an inconsistent state if the system crashes or is
    restarted while there are open files or while the directory structure is
    being updated.) You can specify the level of data recovery by using the
    /f:n option.

 /f [:n]

    Specifies that the chkdsk utility is to correct errors it finds on the
    disk. If you do not specify this option, chkdsk does not correct any
    errors. The n argument is available only for HPFS. It specifies the level
    of data recovery and must be a number in the range 0 through 3; the default
    level is 2. Level 0 is the same as not specifying /f at all. At level 1,
    chkdsk corrects inconsistencies, moves data in reserved sectors to the
    file-system data sectors, and updates all references to the sectors in
    file-system structures. These actions may create orphaned disk space--that
    is, space that was once occupied by corrupt files that have been removed by
    chkdsk but that is still marked "in use" in the disk-usage map. At level 2,
    chkdsk does everything included at level 1 and also recovers any
    recognizable structures from orphaned disk space. At level 3, chkdsk does
    everything included at level 2 and also recovers any recognizable
    structures from anywhere in the disk partition. The higher the level of
    recovery you specify, the more thorough the recovery will be, but the
    longer it will take.

 /v Displays the name of each file in each directory as it is checked.

 If you type chkdsk by itself, the utility displays the status of the disk in
 the current drive. If you specify a filename but no drive (FAT file system
 only), chkdsk displays the status of the disk in the current drive and of the
 individual file.

 If you specify the /f option, the chkdsk utility reports an error if there are
 any open files on the disk. If you do not specify /f and there are open files,
 chkdsk may report that there are lost clusters on the disk. This happens when
 the disk's file-system table has not been updated regarding open files.

 When the chkdsk utility finds lost clusters on a disk, it displays a message
 asking you whether you want the lost clusters recovered. If you did not
 specify /f, answering Yes only shows what chkdsk would have done if you had
 specified /f, and answering No does nothing. If you did specify /f, however,
 answering Yes causes chkdsk to recover the lost clusters and store them in
 files named FILEnnnn.CHK, where nnnn is a consecutive number beginning from
 0001; answering No causes chkdsk to erase the lost clusters. If there are
 extended attributes in the lost clusters, chkdsk does not erase the lost
 clusters when you specify /f and answer No.

 If chkdsk finds errors in extended attributes, it places the recovered
 extended attributes in files named EAnnnn.CHK, where nnnn is a sequential
 number assigned by MS OS/2. You can look at these files by using the type
 command. If you can identify which of your files the extended attributes
 belong to, you can join the extended attributes to the file by using the
 eautil utility.

 Do not try to fix errors while you are using the multitasking features of MS
 OS/2, such as background printing or spooling.

 Warning  Do not run an older version  of the chkdsk utility (earlier than MS
          OS/2 version 1.2) on a disk or partition that contains extended
          attributes. You will lose the extended attributes, and you may
          corrupt the files on the partition.

 Although you can use the chkdsk utility to get information about any drive,
 you cannot use it to fix errors on the drive from which you started your
 system or the drive from which you are running chkdsk. To check your start-up
 drive, you must run chkdsk from the MS OS/2 installation disks. You can do the
 same thing to check the drive from which you would normally run chkdsk, or you
 can copy the chkdsk utility to another drive and run it from there.

 For more information about interpreting chkdsk messages and about fixing
 errors on your start-up disk, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's
 Guide.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session that uses
 the FAT file system, except that the DOS version of the chkdsk utility
 displays the amount of memory used in the DOS session and you cannot run
 chkdsk on an HPFS partition from the DOS session.

 You cannot use the chkdsk utility on drives that you have assigned, joined, or
 substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Example  To check and fix errors on drive C, which is your start-up drive,
          insert the MS OS/2 Install disk in drive A, press CTL+ALT+DEL, and
          press ESC when the logo appears. Insert the disk that contains the
          CHKDSK.COM file into drive A and type the following at the command
          prompt:

                    chkdsk c: /f


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.15. Cls (Clear Screen) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

cls

Clears the screen, leaving only the prompt and the cursor. If you are running
cmd in a window, cls clears the contents of the window, including any
information that is not currently visible.

Works the same in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.16. Cmd (MS OS/2 Command Interpreter) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

cmd [drive:][path] [/s] [/c command(s)|/k command(s)]

Starts a new MS OS/2 command interpreter.

 drive:path

    Specifies the location of CMD.EXE. If you do not specify a drive and/or
    path, MS OS/2 uses the path specified in your environment.

 /s  Instructs the new command interpreter not to set up the signal handler.

 /c command(s)

    Instructs the new command interpreter to perform the command or commands
    specified and then return control to the command interpreter that called
    it. If you specify multiple commands, separate them with an ampersand (&)
    and enclose the list of commands in double quotation marks.

 /k command(s)

    Instructs the new command interpreter to perform the command or commands
    specified and then continue to run. If you specify multiple commands,
    separate them with an ampersand (&) and enclose the list of commands in
    double quotation marks.

 If you type cmd by itself, MS OS/2 starts the new command interpreter in the
 current session.

 When you start a command interpreter, you also create a command environment.
 This environment is a copy of the environment from which you started the
 command interpreter. You can change this new environment without affecting the
 old environment.

 For an alternative way to run cmd and have it start other commands, see the
 start command.

 Example  To start cmd and have it check the disk in drive B and then end, type
          the following:

                    cmd /c chkdsk b:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.17. Codepage ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

codepage=xxx[,yyy]

Selects the code pages that the system will use. To use this command, place it
in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 xxx

    Specifies the first code page. This must be a three-digit number from the
    list that follows.

 yyy

    Specifies the optional second code page. This must be a three-digit number
    from the list that follows.

 If you specify two code pages, you can switch between them by using the chcp
 command.

 Code page, keyboard, and country are interrelated. A code page is a set of
 characters that are available to your system for use on the screen, for
 printing, and for sending to any other sort of output device. Your keyboard
 layout tells your system which characters from the character set correspond to
 which keystrokes; this can be different from country to country. The country
 you are working in (or for which you want to set up your system) determines
 which two code pages you should use. (For a list of country codes and their
 corresponding code pages, see the country command.) You can change keyboard
 layouts without having to change code pages.

 MS OS/2 supports the following code pages:

 Code page   Character set

 437         United States

 850         Multilingual

 860         Portuguese

 863         Canadian French

 865         Nordic

 The United States code page (437) includes most of the characters needed for
 most Western European languages, but the Multilingual code page (850), which
 is also used by systems other than personal computers, is more versatile and
 more complete. You would usually want to specify code page 850 as the second
 code page, no matter what national code page you specified first. For tables
 of the character sets in the four code pages, see the Appendix, "Code Pages
 and Keyboard Layouts."

 If you are setting up a keyboard, screen, or printer to use code pages, you
 must also use the devinfo command to specify the code pages the outside device
 is to use. For more information, see the devinfo command.

 Example  To set up your system to use code pages 437 and 850, include the
          following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    codepage=437,850


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.18. Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

command [drive:][path] [/c command|/p] [/e:size]

Starts a secondary DOS command interpreter in the DOS session.

 drive:path

    Specifies the location of COMMAND.COM. If you do not specify a drive and/or
    path, MS OS/2 uses the path specified in your environment.

 /c command

    Instructs the secondary command interpreter to perform the command
    specified and then return control to the primary command interpreter.

 /p Instructs the secondary command interpreter to stay in memory. This
    disables the exit command; you must restart your system in order to remove
    the secondary command interpreter. Each secondary command interpreter uses
    a portion of your system's available memory, so running a secondary command
    interpreter leaves less memory available for running other programs in the
    DOS session.

 /e:size

    Specifies the size of the DOS environment, in bytes. This number must be in
    the range 160 through 32,768; the system rounds it up to a multiple of 16.
    The default value is 160.

 When you start a command interpreter, you also create a command environment.
 This environment is a copy of the environment from which you started the
 command interpreter. You can change the new environment without affecting the
 old environment. To quit the secondary command interpreter, use the exit
 command.

 Example  To start a secondary DOS command interpreter and have it check the
          disk in drive B and then return to the primary command interpreter,
          type the following:

                    command /c chkdsk b:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.19. Comp (Compare) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

comp [drive:][path][filename1] [drive:][path][filename2]

Compares two files or sets of files to see whether they are the same.

 filename1

    Specifies the name of the first file.

 filename2

    Specifies the name of the second file. If filename2 is the same as
    filename1 except that the file is on a different drive, you can type only
    the drive letter of the second file.

 If you specify only a path or a drive, without any filename, the comp utility
 assumes that you want to compare all the files in that directory or on that
 drive.

 If you type comp by itself, the utility prompts you for the filenames. You can
 use wildcard characters to specify a group of files.

 If the files found in one directory differ in size from the files found in the
 other directory, comp displays a message asking if you want to continue. If
 the files are the same size but their contents differ, comp automatically
 displays the location and contents of each nonmatching byte.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To compare each file with the extension .DOC in the current
           directory on drive C with each file of the same name with the
           extension .BAK on drive B, type the following:

                      comp c:*.doc b:*.bak

 To compare the files in the root directory on drive A with the contents of the
 TEMP directory on drive C, type the following:

  comp a: c:\temp

 To compare the contents of the SALES directory with the current directory,
 type the following:

  comp \sales .


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.20. Copy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

copy source [/a|/b] [ source [/a|/b] [...]] destination [/a|/b] [/v] [/f]

Copies information from a source to a destination. The source is usually a file
or files, but it can also be a drive or directory or the output of a device
(such as the keyboard); the destination can be one or more files or a device.

 source

    Specifies where the information will be copied from. If the source is a
    file, MS OS/2 assumes that the file is in the current directory on the
    current drive, unless you tell it otherwise by specifying a drive and path.
    The source can also be a drive or a directory. You can copy multiple files
    by using wildcard characters. You can copy multiple source files to one
    destination file by specifying multiple source-file names separated by plus
    signs (+). If the source is a device, MS OS/2 takes the input from that
    device and copies it to the destination.

 destination

    Specifies where the information will be copied to. The destination can be a
    single file, or you can use wildcard characters to specify a group of
    files. The destination can also be a directory or a device. If you specify
    only a drive as the destination, MS OS/2 copies to the current directory on
    that drive; if you do not specify a drive, MS OS/2 uses the current drive.
    If the destination is a file that does not already exist, MS OS/2 creates a
    new file; if the file already exists, MS OS/2 writes over the old file.

 /a Treats the source or destination as ASCII text. This option applies to the
    filename preceding it and to all remaining filenames in the command until
    MS OS/2 encounters a /b option, in which case the /b option applies to the
    filename that precedes it. When /a comes after the source, MS OS/2 copies
    everything up to the first CTRL+Z character, which it interprets as an
    end-of-file mark, and does not copy anything after that. When /a comes
    after the destination, MS OS/2 adds an end-of-file character as the last
    character of the destination file. When you are copying multiple files to
    one destination, the default option is always /a.

 /b Treats the source or destination as a binary file. This option applies to
    the filename preceding it and to all remaining filenames in the command
    until MS OS/2 encounters a /a option, in which case the /a option applies
    to the filename that precedes it. When /b comes after the source, MS OS/2
    copies everything and does not interpret any CTRL+Z characters as
    end-of-file marks. When /b comes after the destination filename, MS OS/2
    does not add an end-of-file character to the new file.

 /v Checks whether the sectors the information was copied to can be read.

 /f Specifies that MS OS/2 should not discard the extended attributes of a file
    if the destination file system does not support extended attributes. In
    this case, MS OS/2 does not copy the file.

 When you use the copy command to append files to an existing file without
 changing the existing filename (including its extension), you must specify
 that filename as the first source file, followed by the names of the files you
 want to append.

 When you copy a single file to a new file, the new file has the same date and
 time as the original. When you combine files into a new file, the new file has
 the current date and time.

 When you use the copy command to make a copy of an existing file, MS OS/2
 copies the extended attributes of that file to the new file. When you use copy
 to append files to an existing file, the extended attributes of the existing
 file do not change. When you append files to a new file, the new file uses the
 extended attributes of the first of the appended files.

 If you omit the /f option when you copy a file with extended attributes to a
 file system that does not support extended attributes, MS OS/2 copies the file
 and discards the extended attributes. If the file requires the extended
 attributes, MS OS/2 does not copy the file but displays an explanatory message
 on the screen.

 To copy files that have long filenames from an HPFS disk or partition to a FAT
 disk or partition, you must either give the files new names in the FAT
 filename format (xxxxxxxx.xxx) or use File Manager.

 Works the same in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To copy the file COMPANY.NEW in the current directory on the current
           drive to the CUSTOMER directory on the disk in drive B, type the
           following:

                      copy company.new b:\customer

 To copy all the files in the directory REPORTS on your hard disk (drive C) to
 the disk in drive A, type the following:

  copy c:\reports\* a:

 To combine the files INTRO.RPT, BODY.RPT, and SUM.RPT from the current drive
 and directory and place them in a file called REPORT on the disk in drive B,
 type the following:

  copy intro.rpt + body.rpt + sum.rpt b:report

 If you omit the destination-file name, MS OS/2 combines the files and stores
 them under the name of the first file specified.

 To combine all files from the current drive and directory that have the
 extension .TXT into one file named COMBIN.DOC in the same directory, type the
 following:

  copy *.txt combin.doc

 To combine each file from the current drive and directory that has the
 extension .TXT with the corresponding file that has the extension .REF and
 place the results  into files with the extension .DOC (for example, VIDEO.TXT
 and VIDEO.REF would be combined as VIDEO.DOC), type the following:

  copy *.txt + *.ref *.doc

 To copy what you type at the keyboard (CON) to the file TEXT.TXT, type the
 following:

  copy con text.txt

 After typing your text, press CTRL+Z and then press ENTER to complete the
 command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.21. Country ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

country=xxx[,[drive:][path]filename]

Specifies the country for which MS OS/2 is to set up the system. To use this
command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 xxx

    Specifies the country by using a three-digit country code from the list
    that follows. You must include all three digits, even if the code begins
    with a zero. The default setting is 001 (United States).

 filename

    Specifies the file that contains information on country conventions and
    supported code pages. If you do not specify a drive or path, MS OS/2 looks
    for this file in the root directory of the startup drive. If you do not
    specify filename, MS OS/2 uses the default COUNTRY.SYS file in the root
    directory of the drive from which you started MS OS/2.

 The country you choose determines the MS OS/2 conventions for such things as
 time and date format, decimal separators, and the order in which the sort
 utility sorts ASCII characters. The country you specify with the country
 command also determines which code pages you should specify with the codepage
 command.

 The following list shows the countries or languages that you can specify with
 the country command, the corresponding country codes, and the code pages
 supported for each country:

  Country or language group    Country code               Code pages

  Australia                    061                        437,850

  Belgium                      032                        850,437

  Canada (English)             001                        437,850

  Canada (French)              002                        863,850

  Denmark                      045                        850

  Finland                      358                        850,437

  France                       033                        850,437

  Germany                      049                        850,437

  Italy                        039                        850,437

  Latin America                003                        437,850

  Netherlands                  031                        850,437

  Norway                       047                        850

  Portugal                     351                        850,860

  Spain                        034                        850,437

  Sweden                       046                        850,437

  Switzerland                  041                        850,437

  United Kingdom               044                        850,437

  United States                001                        437,850

 Note  Although not shown in the list, the following code pages are also
       available with special versions of MS OS/2: Arabic, Asia, Hebrew, Japan,
       Korea, People's Republic of China, and Taiwan.

 In the preceding list, the first of the two code pages for each country is the
 default code page for that country. If you do not include the codepage command
 in your CONFIG.SYS file, MS OS/2 uses the system default code page.

 Example  To set up your system for the Netherlands and instruct MS OS/2 to
          look for COUNTRY.SYS in the OS2 directory on the disk in drive A,
          include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    country=031,a:\os2\country.sys


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.22. Createdd (Create Dump Disk) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

createdd drive:

   Prepares a disk that can be used to copy the contents of memory.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk to be used for copying memory
    contents.

 A copy of memory contents may be helpful in identifying system problems. To
 copy memory contents to a disk, insert the disk prepared by using createdd
 into the disk drive and press CTRL+ALT+NUMLOCK twice. If there is more
 information in memory than can fit on one disk, MS OS/2 prompts you to insert
 additional disks. These additional disks need only to have been formatted.
 After a disk is full, you receive summary information for that disk and MS
 OS/2 prompts you to insert another disk. When the copying operation is
 completed, MS OS/2 prompts you to reinsert the disk created by using createdd.
 The system then stops, and you must restart it.

 Do not start the copying operation while the hard disk is being read from or
 written to. This could disrupt directory information on the hard disk, causing
 files to be lost.

 Example  To prepare a disk in drive A for copying memory contents, type the
          following:

                    createdd a:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.23. Date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

date [month-day-year]

Sets the system calendar by specifying the current date.

 month

    Specifies a number in the range 1 through 12.

 day

    Specifies a number in the range 1 through 31.

 year

    Specifies a four-digit number in the range 1980 through 2079. You can
    abbreviate this number by using the last two digits of the year, in the
    range 80 through 79.

 You can use slashes (/) or periods (.) instead of hyphens (-) to separate the
 month, day, and year.

 If you type date by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current date and then prompts
 you for a new date. If you don't want to change the date, just press ENTER.

 If you have used the country configuration command in your CONFIG.SYS file to
 alter the date format (for instance, to specify a date as day-month-year), the
 date command reflects that change.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To set the system date to May 1, 2017, type the following:

                    date 5-1-17


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.24. Ddinstal (Install Device Driver) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ddinstal

Provides an automated way to install new devices and their device drivers on
your system without running the MS OS/2 installation program again. The
ddinstal utility copies the device driver to your system and adds the
appropriate device command to your CONFIG.SYS file.

To install a device by using the ddinstal utility, type ddinstal and press
ENTER. The utility prompts you to insert the disk that contains the device
driver to be installed. Then simply follow the instructions on the screen to
complete the installation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.25. Del (Delete or Erase) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

del [drive:][path]filename [...] [/p]

Deletes a file or group of files. You can type erase instead of del if you
prefer; they both have the same effect.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file to be deleted. You can use wildcard
    characters to delete more than one file in a directory; you can also
    specify more than one file by typing the filenames individually, separated
    by spaces.

 /p Asks you for confirmation before deleting each file.

 You can type del * to delete all the files in the current directory. (You
 cannot, however, delete the directory itself by using del.) To delete all the
 files in another directory, type only del followed by the directory name. To
 prevent you from accidentally deleting important files, MS OS/2 displays a
 message like the following when you type either of the preceding commands:

  C:*.*, Are you sure (Y/N)?

 Warning  Once you have deleted a file from your disk, it is gone; you cannot
          recover it. Be sure you have specified the right file or files, with
          the correct path, before you press ENTER.

 If you are deleting a group of files and MS OS/2 cannot delete one of them
 (for example, if one of the files you specified does not exist), it deletes
 the rest of the files in the group and then displays an error message
 identifying the file it could not delete and the reason.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple filenames. You can,
 however, use wildcard characters to delete more than one file in the same
 directory.

 Example  To delete all the files in the current directory of drive C that have
          the extension .BAK, and to delete the file OLDSTUFF.DOC in the
          directory MEMOS on drive B, type the following:

                    del c:*.bak b:\memos\oldstuff.doc


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.26. Detach ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

detach command [options]

Detaches a process to run in the background while you go on to another task.

 command

    Specifies any MS OS/2 program or command that does not require you to type
    input from the keyboard.

 options

    Specifies any valid options that the program or command can accept in the
    command line.

 When you detach a process, MS OS/2 starts it as an independent process,
 displays the process identification (PID) number, and immediately displays the
 MS OS/2 prompt. You can then type other commands while the detached process is
 running in the background.

 You should not detach programs that require keyboard input.

 You can run programs in the background sequentially by listing their names in
 order, separated by ampersands (&).

 You cannot stop a detached process; it must complete itself on its own. If you
 delete the parent process (quit the command interpreter, for instance), the
 detached process still runs until it is finished.

 If you try to detach a program that should not be run in the background, you
 could ruin files or lose valuable information. The documentation for the
 program should tell you whether it can be detached safely.

 Examples  To create an alphabetically sorted listing of the SORT.IN file and
           put it in a file called SORT.OUT, and to have this process run in
           the background so that you can run another process while it is
           sorting, type the following:

                      detach sort < sort.in > sort.out

 To copy all the files from the current directory on the current drive to drive
 D and then place the directory listing in FILES.LST, and to have these
 processes run in the background, type the following:

  detach copy * d: & dir d: > files.lst


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27. Device ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A device driver tells MS OS/2 how to handle a device that is installed on your
system.

This on-line reference contains descriptions of the following drivers, which
are included on your MS OS/2 installation disk:

 o ANSI.SYS
 o COM0x.SYS
 o EXTDSKDD.SYS
 o MOUSE.SYS
 o MSxxxx0x.SYS
 o POINTDD.SYS
 o VDISK.SYS


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.1. Device ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]filename [arguments]

Instructs MS OS/2 to load the specified device driver. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file that contains the device driver. If this
    file is not in the root directory of the start-up drive, you must include
    the drive and/or path.

 arguments

    Specifies any valid options or other variables for the designated device
    driver.

 Each device connected to your system needs its own device driver, and each
 driver requires a separate device command in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 You generally receive a device driver on a disk when you buy a new device; be
 sure that you place the device driver in the directory you specify with the
 device command.

 MS OS/2 processes device commands in the order in which they appear in your
 CONFIG.SYS file and before it processes any run commands in the file.

 Example  To use the InPort(R) model of the Microsoft Mouse and specify that
          the device driver is in the OS2 directory on your hard disk (drive
          C), include the following lines in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\msinp01.sys
                    device=c:\os2\mouse.sys type=msinp$
                    device=c:\os2\pointdd.sys


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.2. ANSI.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]ansi.sys [/x] [/l] [/k]

Directs MS OS/2 to load the ANSI.SYS device driver. To use this command, place
it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

When the ANSI.SYS device driver is loaded, you can use ANSI escape sequences in
a DOS session to move the cursor, set the color for characters, set the number
of character rows and columns for the screen, and redefine keyboard keys.

Support for ANSI escape sequences is automatically available in an OS/2
session.

 /x Remaps extended keys on 101-key keyboards as independent keys.

 /l Displays the number of rows on the screen that are specified with the mode
    utility. This overrides any display change specified by an application.

 /k Ignores extended keys on 101-key keyboards.

 For a list of the escape sequences used in the ANSI.SYS device driver, see the
 Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 Example  To enable support for ANSI escape sequences and remap extended keys
          in a DOS session, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\ansi.sys /x


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.3. COM0x.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]com0x.sys

Directs MS OS/2 to load the COM0x.SYS device driver, which allows you to use
your system's serial communications port. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the communications-port device driver to load. For an IBM PC/AT
    or compatible computer, x must be 1. For an IBM PS/2 or compatible
    computer, x must be 2.

 Example  To direct MS OS/2 to load the communications-port driver for your IBM
          PC/AT or compatible computer, add the following line to your
          CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\com01.sys

 Note  To use a serial Microsoft Mouse on an IBM PC/AT or compatible computer,
       you must list the mouse drivers in your CONFIG.SYS file before any
       COM01.SYS device driver, as follows:

              device=c:\os2\msser01.sys
              device=c:\os2\mouse.sys type=msser$
              device=c:\os2\com01.sys


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.4. EXTDSKDD.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]extdskdd.sys [/d:drive] [/t:tracks] [/s:sectors]
[/h:heads] [/f:type]

Directs MS OS/2 to load the EXTDSKDD.SYS device driver. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

When the EXTDSKDD.SYS device driver is loaded, you can access a floppy disk by
using a logical drive letter. You can associate the letter with an external
disk drive, or you can associate a second name (an alias) with an internal or
external disk drive and copy to and from that same disk drive.

 /d:drive

    Specifies the physical drive number. The number must be in the range 0
    through 255. The first physical floppy-disk drive (drive A) is drive 0; a
    second physical floppy-disk drive is drive 1; a third physical floppy-disk
    drive, which must be external, is drive 2.

 /t:tracks

    Specifies the number of tracks per side of a block device. The number must
    be in the range 1 through 999; the default value is 80.

 /s:sectors

    Specifies the number of sectors per track. The number must be in the range
    1 through 99; the default value is 9.

 /h:heads

    Specifies the number of disk read/write heads. The number must be in the
    range 1 through 99; the default value is 2.

 /f:type

    Specifies the type of drive. This value must be 0 (160/180K or 320/360K), 1
    (1.2 megabyte), or 2 (720K, the default type).

 Examples  To associate an alias with an internal 1.2-megabyte drive A, include
           the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                      device=c:\os2\extdskdd.sys /d:0 /t:80 /s:15 /h:2 /f:1

 To copy from the external disk drive to that same external drive, include the
 following lines in your CONFIG.SYS file:

  device=c:\os2\extdskdd.sys /d:2
  device=c:\os2\extdskdd.sys /d:2

 The first line associates the next available drive letter with the external
 disk drive. The second line associates an additional drive letter (an alias)
 with that same external drive.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.5. MOUSE.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]mouse.sys type=typename [mode=mode] [qsize=size]

Directs MS OS/2 to load the MOUSE.SYS device driver. To use this command, place
it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

The MOUSE.SYS device driver is a device-independent mouse driver common to all
mice used with any computer running MS OS/2. You must have this driver
installed on your system in order to use a pointing device with MS OS/2. You
must also have a device-dependent mouse driver (MSxxxx0x.SYS) and the pointer
driver ( POINTDD.SYS ) installed.

 type=typename

    Identifies the kind of mouse you are using. This value must be a string of
    characters that ends with a dollar sign ($). For the correct name for your
    mouse, see your mouse manual.

 mode=mode

    Specifies whether you'll be using the mouse in an OS/2 session, the DOS
    session, or both. Acceptable values for mode are p (protected mode, OS/2
    session), r (real mode, DOS session), and b (both); the default value is b.

 qsize=size

    Specifies the size, in bytes, of the queue buffer to be allocated for each
    MS OS/2 session. This number must be in the range 1 through 100; the
    default value is 10.

 Example  To direct MS OS/2 to load the pointer and mouse device drivers so
          that you can use the InPort model of the Microsoft Mouse on an IBM
          PC/AT or compatible computer, add the following lines to your
          CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\pointdd.sys
                    device=c:\os2\msinp01.sys
                    device=c:\os2\mouse.sys type=msinp$

 You must specify the mouse-dependent device driver ( MSxxxx0x.SYS ) before the
 mouse-independent device driver (MOUSE.SYS). If you are using a serial mouse,
 the device =mouse-drivers commands must precede any device=com0x.sys commands
 in your CONFIG.SYS file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.6. MSxxxx0x.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]msxxxx0x.sys [serial=device] [model=style]

Directs MS OS/2 to load a device-dependent mouse driver. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

The MSxxxx0x.SYS device driver is a device-dependent mouse driver specific to
the mouse you are using and the system on which you are running MS OS/2. You
must have a device-dependent mouse driver installed on your system in order to
use a pointing device with MS OS/2. You must also have the device-independent
mouse driver ( MOUSE.SYS ) and the pointer driver ( POINTDD.SYS ) installed.

 serial=device

    Specifies the communications port to which the mouse is connected.
    Acceptable values are COM1 and COM2 for IBM PC/AT and compatible computers,
    and COM1 through COM8 for IBM PS/2 and compatible computers. The default
    value is COM1 for a serial mouse. This option is not used with a parallel
    mouse.

 model=style

    Specifies the model of Microsoft Mouse you are using. Acceptable values are
    099 (mouse with green buttons) and 199 (mouse with gray buttons or serial
    mouse with white buttons). If you have a serial mouse, you must specify the
    model.

 A device-dependent mouse driver can have any name of the form xxxxxx0x.SYS;
 MSxxxx0x.SYS is the form for Microsoft mice.

 To set up a mouse device driver, you must choose the driver that matches your
 mouse hardware and your computer. For information on the mouse driver for your
 mouse, see your mouse manual. The following list shows examples of mouse
 drivers that are available with MS OS/2:

  Driver          Type name       Mouse

  MSSER01.SYS     MSSER$          Serial Microsoft Mouse for IBM PC/AT
                                  and compatible computers

  MSBUS01.SYS     MSBUS$          Bus (parallel) Microsoft Mouse for IBM
                                  PC/AT and compatible computers

  MSINP01.SYS     MSINP$          InPort (parallel) Microsoft Mouse for
                                  IBM PC/AT and compatible computers

  MSPS201.SYS     MSPS2$          Microsoft Mouse configured for IBM PC/AT
                                  and compatible computers

  MSSER02.SYS     MSSER$          Serial Microsoft Mouse for IBM PS/2
                                  computers, Models 50, 60, 70, and 80,
                                  and compatible computers

  MSBUS02.SYS     MSBUS$          Bus (parallel) Microsoft Mouse for IBM
                                  PS/2 computers, Models 50, 60, 70, and
                                  80, and compatible computers

  MSINP02.SYS     MSINP$          InPort (parallel) Microsoft Mouse for IBM
                                  PS/2 computers, Models 50, 60, 70, and
                                  80, and compatible computers

  MSPS202.SYS     MSPS2$          Microsoft Mouse configured for IBM PS/2
                                  computers, Models 50, 60, 70, and 80, and
                                  compatible computers

 Example  To direct MS OS/2 to load the pointer and mouse device drivers so
          that you can use the InPort model of the Microsoft Mouse on an IBM
          PC/AT or compatible computer, add the following lines to your
          CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\pointdd.sys
                    device=c:\os2\msinp01.sys
                    device=c:\os2\mouse.sys type=msinp$

 You must specify the mouse-dependent device driver (MSxxxx0x.SYS) before the
 mouse-independent device driver ( MOUSE.SYS ). If you are using a serial
 mouse, the device =mouse-drivers commands must precede any device=com0x.sys
 commands in your CONFIG.SYS file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.7. POINTDD.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]pointdd.sys

Directs MS OS/2 to load the POINTDD.SYS device driver. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

To use a mouse with MS OS/2, you must set up the POINTDD.SYS driver as well as
the mouse drivers. The POINTDD.SYS driver provides information that MS OS/2
needs in order to draw the mouse pointer.

Example  To use the InPort model of the Microsoft Mouse on an IBM PC/AT or
         compatible computer, you must include the following lines in your
         CONFIG.SYS file:

                  device=c:\os2\pointdd.sys
                  device=c:\os2\msinp01.sys
                  device=c:\os2\mouse.sys type=msinp$


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.27.8. VDISK.SYS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

device=[drive:][path]vdisk.sys [vdisk-size][, sector-size][, entries]

Directs MS OS/2 to load the VDISK.SYS device driver. To use this command, place
it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

When the VDISK.SYS device driver is loaded, it creates a virtual disk
drive--that is, a disk drive simulated in memory. Information stored in memory
can be accessed quickly.

 vdisk-size

    Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the virtual disk drive. The default
    size is 64K.

 sector-size

    Specifies the sector size, in bytes. This number must be 128, 256, or 512;
    the default value is 128.

 entries

    Specifies the number of directory entries. This number must be in the range
    2 through 1024; the default value is 64.

 The maximum size of a virtual disk depends on the amount of available memory
 in your system, up to 4 megabytes. If the virtual-disk size specified is too
 large to fit in memory, the VDISK.SYS device driver will try to make a 16K
 virtual disk. This may result in a virtual disk with a different number of
 directory entries than you specified.

 When you specify a value for the number of directory entries, MS OS/2 rounds
 the value up to the nearest sector-size boundary. For example, if you give a
 value of 43 and your sector size is 512 bytes, MS OS/2 rounds 43 up to 48,
 which is the next multiple of 16 (there are sixteen 32-byte directory entries
 in 512 bytes).

 MS OS/2 recognizes the vdisk-size, sector-size, and entries arguments by their
 positions. If you omit vdisk-size or sector-size, you must type a comma before
 the next argument as a placeholder. (If you include all three arguments, you
 can use spaces instead of commas.)

 You must place the device=vdisk.sys command after any device=extdskdd.sys
 commands in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 Example  To set up a 64K virtual disk with 512-byte sectors and 32 directory
          entries, when VDISK.SYS is in the OS2 directory on drive C, include
          the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    device=c:\os2\vdisk.sys ,512,32


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.28. Devinfo (Device Information) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

devinfo=devtype,subtype,[drive:][path]filename [,ROM=[[( ]xxx[,yyy)]][,...]]

Prepares a device to use code pages. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 devtype

    Specifies the type of device: keyboard, monitor, or parallel printer. See
    the list below for possible values.

 subtype

    Specifies the style or model of the device. For a keyboard, this argument
    would specify the keyboard layout. See the list below for possible values.

 filename

    Specifies the file that contains information about the code pages for that
    device. See the list below for possible values.

 ROM=

    Specifies that code pages are available to a printer, either in the
    printer's read-only memory or in a cartridge. This and the following
    options apply only to parallel printers.

 xxx

    Specifies a code page that is available for a parallel printer. Each code
    page is identified by a three-digit number; for a list of the possible code
    pages, see the codepage command. A printer may support more than one code
    page.

 yyy

    Specifies a font identification number that identifies a font on a parallel
    printer and associates that font with a particular code page. A code page
    may have more than one font associated with it. See your printer manual for
    font identification numbers.

 You must include a separate devinfo command in your CONFIG.SYS file for each
 device connected to your system, including the keyboard and the monitor, if
 you want to be able to switch code pages. The devinfo command specifies the
 kind of device you have connected to your system and the location of the
 code-page or keyboard information for that device.

 The MS OS/2 installation program automatically places certain devinfo commands
 in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 The following list shows the values you can give to devtype, subtype, and
 filename:

  Argument        Keyboard        Monitor         Printer

  devtype         KBD             SCR             PRN, LPT1,
                                                  LPT2, LPT3

  subtype         keyboard        EGA, VGA        4201, 5202
                  code

  filename        KEYBOARD.DCP    VIOTBL.DCP      4201.DCP,
                                                  5202.DCP

 Keyboard code is a code that identifies the keyboard layout for a particular
 country. For a list of the possible keyboard codes, see the keyb utility.

 If you specify a keyboard for a country that has more than one enhanced
 keyboard, include the subcode in this setting but do not include a space
 between the two-letter code and the subcode. For example, to specify the
 French enhanced keyboard 120, use FR120 for the keyboard code.

 Examples  To prepare your keyboard to use the code pages you have specified
           with the codepage command, to use the United Kingdom keyboard
           layout, and to specify that the file containing code-page
           information is in the OS2 directory on your hard disk (drive C),
           include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                      devinfo=kbd,uk,c:\os2\keyboard.dcp

 To prepare an IBM Quietwriter III to use code pages 437 and 850, with multiple
 fonts, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file (type this as a
 single line, even though it appears here on more than one line):

  devinfo=lpt1,5202,c:\os2\5202.dcp,rom=(437,011),
  (437,085),(437,254),(437,159),(850,254),
  (850,159)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.29. Dir (Directory) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

dir [drive:][path][filename] [...] [/p] [/w | /f] [/n]

Displays a list of the files on a disk or in a directory, with information
about the size of each file and when it was created, the number of files in the
directory, and the number of bytes free on the disk.

 path

    Specifies the directory whose listing you want to display.

 filename

    Specifies a particular file whose listing you want to display. If you
    specify a filename, MS OS/2 displays information about that file alone. You
    can use wildcard characters to get information about groups of files with
    similar names--for example, to compare the dates and sizes of several files
    with the same extension.

 /p Displays the listing one screenful at a time.

 /w Lists only the filenames (including their extensions) and displays them
    across the width of the screen in several columns. If you are using a file
    system that recognizes long filenames, the width of the columns is
    determined by the length of the longest filename. This option cannot be
    used with the /f option.

 /f Lists the drive, path, and filename (including extension) for each file
    specified, but does not display any other information about the file. This
    option cannot be used with the /w option.

 /n (FAT file system only) Displays the listing in the format used in HPFS,
    with the filename in the right-hand column and an additional column showing
    the size of each file's extended attributes.

 You can specify several drives, paths, or filenames. For each different drive
 or directory you specify, MS OS/2 displays a separate list of files. If,
 however, you specify more than one file or group of files in the same
 directory, MS OS/2 displays them in a single list for that directory.

 If you type dir by itself, MS OS/2 displays information about all the files in
 the current directory on the current drive.

 If you are displaying directory listings for several directories or disks (or
 for several files specified individually) and MS OS/2 cannot display a listing
 for one of them (for example, if one of the directories does not exist), it
 displays an error message for that file, directory, or disk, and continues
 displaying the rest of the listings.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple directories or filenames.
 You can, however, use wildcard characters in filenames. You cannot use the /f
 and /n options in the DOS session.

 Example  To display a list of all the files in the LETTERS directory on drive
          C and a list of all the files with the extension .LTR in the OFFICE
          directory on drive B, and to display them as short, wide lists across
          the screen, type the following:

                    dir c:\letters b:\office\*.ltr /w


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.30. Diskcache ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

diskcache=n[,m]

Enables disk caching for the FAT file system and specifies the amount of memory
to be set aside for the disk cache. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 n     Specifies the amount of memory, in kilobytes, to be set aside for the
       disk cache. This number must be in the range 64 through 14400.

 m     Specifies the disk-cache threshold value, in sectors. If the data
       exceeds m sectors, MS OS/2 does not store it in the disk cache. This
       value must be in the range 1 through 128; the default value is 7.

 A disk cache is an extra buffer in which MS OS/2 stores information that it
 has recently read from your hard disk. When an application needs to read
 information from the hard disk, it looks first in the disk cache to see if the
 information is there. Since it is much faster to read from the disk cache than
 to read from the hard disk, disk caching can speed up your system. However,
 the disk cache uses part of system memory, so less memory is available to an
 application.

 MS OS/2 uses part of the memory set aside for the disk cache for control
 information. The amount of memory required for control information depends on
 the size of your hard disk.

 To change the size of the disk cache, change the diskcache command in your
 CONFIG.SYS file and then restart your system.

 Example  To set aside 128 kilobytes of memory for disk caching, include the
          following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    diskcache=128


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.31. Diskcomp (Disk Compare) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

diskcomp [drive1:] [drive2:]

Compares two floppy disks track by track.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive letter of the first disk being compared.

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive letter of the second disk being compared.

 Since the diskcomp utility automatically determines the number of sides and
 sectors per track by looking at the format of the first disk, both disks must
 be of the same type (for instance, high-density 5 1/4-inch disks).

 If you specify only one drive, diskcomp compares the floppy disk in drive1
 with the floppy disk in the current drive. If you specify the same drive for
 both drive1 and drive2, diskcomp uses only that drive and prompts you to
 change disks as needed during the comparison. If you type diskcomp by itself,
 the utility uses only the current drive and prompts you to insert the two
 disks, as appropriate. (If the current drive is not a floppy-disk drive, you
 see an error message.)

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 You cannot use the diskcomp utility on drives that you have assigned, joined,
 or substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Example  To compare two high-density floppy disks when you have only one
          high-density disk drive (drive A), type the following:

                    diskcomp a: a:

 The diskcomp utility prompts you to insert each disk in turn, as needed,
 during the comparison.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.32. Diskcopy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

diskcopy [drive1:] [drive2:]

Makes a duplicate of a floppy disk.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive that contains the floppy disk to be copied (the source
    disk).

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive that contains the floppy disk that will become the
    duplicate (the destination disk).

 The two disks must be of the same type (for example, high-density 5 1/4-inch
 floppy disks). If the destination disk is unformatted, diskcopy formats it
 with the same number of sides and sectors per track as the source disk.

 You can copy a disk using only one drive, either by not specifying any drives
 or by specifying the same drive for both source and destination. Diskcopy
 prompts you to insert the two disks as needed. If you type diskcopy by itself,
 the utility uses the current drive.

 Diskcopy writes over the information on the destination disk, even if it does
 not have to format the disk, so any information that is already on the disk is
 lost.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 You cannot use the diskcopy utility on drives that you have assigned, joined,
 or substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Example  To copy the floppy disk in drive A to a floppy disk in drive B, type
          the following:

                    diskcopy a: b:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.33. Dpath (Data Path) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

dpath [;|[drive:]path[;...]]

Specifies which directories besides the current directory an application should
search in order to find data files (files with extensions other than .EXE,
.COM, .BAT, or .CMD).

 ;  When used alone (dpath ;), clears all data-path settings. Semicolons are
    also used to separate multiple data paths.

 path

    Specifies the path of the directory that you want the application to
    search. You can specify more than one path, separating them with semicolons
    (;).

 If you type dpath by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current data path.

 Each time you use the dpath command, the new data path you specify takes the
 place of the previous path. The data path is stored in the MS OS/2
 environment. Only applications that are written to take advantage of dpath
 will use the data path specified.

 The dpath command affects only the current session. To specify a data path for
 all sessions, you must set the DPATH environment variable in your CONFIG.SYS
 file. For information about how to do this, see the set command.

 If you start a new command interpreter from within a session where dpath is
 defined, the new session inherits the dpath setting. You can change this
 setting in the new session without affecting the settings in the parent
 session.

 The dpath command works much the way the path command does, except that dpath
 is used by an application to search for data files, whereas path is used by
 commands and utilities outside of applications.

 The dpath command achieves the same results in an OS/2 session as the append
 utility does in the DOS session.

 Example  To instruct an application to search for data files in the SYMPHONY
          directory and the COUNTRY subdirectory of the BANDS directory on the
          current drive, and in the ROCK subdirectory of the BANDS directory on
          drive B, type the following:

                    dpath \symphony;\bands\country;b:\bands\rock


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.34. Eautil ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

eautil [/s [/r] [/p] | /j [/o | /m] [/p]] filename [holdfile]

Deletes or copies (splits) the extended attributes from a data file or
directory and stores them in a separate file, or copies (joins) the extended
attributes back to the original data file or directory. The eautil utility
enables applications that do not recognize extended attributes to manipulate
files and directories without losing their extended attributes. The utility
also enables you to send files over a network or copy them to systems that do
not recognize extended attributes without losing their extended attributes.

 filename

    Specifies the data file or directory to copy the extended attributes from
    or back to.

 holdfile

    Specifies the file to store the extended attributes in or copy them back
    from. If you do not specify a filename for holdfile when splitting extended
    attributes, the eautil utility creates a file with the same name as
    filename and stores it in a directory named EAS. If you do not specify a
    filename for holdfile when joining extended attributes, eautil looks in the
    EAS directory for a file with the same name as filename.

 When you use the eautil utility to split the extended attributes from a file
 or directory, you use the /s option. When you specify /s, you can also specify
 the /r and /p options.

 /s Copies the extended attributes from filename to holdfile. This is the
    default option.

 /r Replaces the contents of holdfile with the extended attributes currently
    attached to filename. This option is used with the /s option. If holdfile
    already exists, you must specify the /r option in order to copy the
    extended attributes from filename; otherwise, the operation will fail.

 /p When used with the /s option, preserves the extended attributes attached to
    filename. If this option is not set, the eautil utility deletes the
    extended attributes from filename after copying them to holdfile.

 When you use the eautil utility to join extended attributes to a file or
 directory, you use the /j option. When you specify /j, you can also specify
 the /o or /m option and the /p option. If you specify the /j option and there
 are already extended attributes attached to filename, you must specify either
 the /o or /m option or the operation will fail.

 /j Copies the extended attributes from holdfile back to filename.

 /o Overwrites the extended attributes attached to filename, replacing them
    with the extended attributes in holdfile. This option is used with the /j
    option. You cannot specify the /o option with the /m option.

 /m Adds (merges) the extended attributes in holdfile to those in filename.
    This option is used with the /j option. You cannot specify the /m option
    with the /o option.

 /p When used with the /j option, preserves holdfile after the extended
    attributes in it have been copied to filename. If the /p option is not set,
    the eautil utility deletes holdfile after joining the extended attributes
    to filename.

 Note  If your system crashes while you are running the eautil utility, the
       splitting or joining operation may be incomplete. If you were splitting
       extended attributes from a file or directory, you may have complete
       extended attributes in one location and incomplete ones in the other,
       but you won't know whether it is filename or holdfile that contains the
       complete set. To find out, run eautil again, specifying a different name
       for holdfile; then compare the sizes of the two holdfiles. The larger
       file contains the complete extended attributes, and you can delete the
       smaller file.

 If you were joining extended attributes to a file or directory when the system
 crashed, the extended attributes in filename may be incomplete. To remedy
 this, simply run eautil again and use the /o (overwrite) option (even if you
 were using the /m option when the system crashed).

 Examples  To delete the extended attributes from the file REPORT and store
           them in a new file called REPORTEA, so that you can safely copy both
           files to a system running DOS or a version of MS OS/2 earlier than
           1.2 without losing the extended attributes, type the following:

                      eautil /s report reportea

 To copy the extended attributes from the file REPORTEA back to the file REPORT
 after you have copied both files to a system running MS OS/2 version 1.2, type
 the following:

  eautil /j report reportea


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.35. Echo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

echo [on|off|message]

Turns on or off the feature that displays batch-file commands on the screen
while they are being processed, or simply displays the specified message on the
screen. Although the echo command can be used from the command prompt, it is
designed to be placed in a batch file.

 message

    Specifies a line of text to be displayed.

 If you type echo by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current setting.

 Ordinarily, MS OS/2 displays (echoes) commands in a batch file on the screen
 when it receives them. You can turn off this feature by specifying echo off in
 the batch file; none of the subsequent lines appear on the screen until MS
 OS/2 encounters an echo on command. You can also turn off the echoing of any
 individual command in a batch file, including the echo off command, by
 preceding the command with the @ symbol.

 You can display a message from a batch file (whether the echo feature is
 turned on or off) by specifying echo message in the file. If you want to
 display a message of more than one line, you must start each line with echo.

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension).

 Example  To turn the echo feature off and then have a batch file display the
          message "This batch file formats and checks new disks.", type the
          following in the batch file:

                    @echo off
                    echo This batch file formats and checks
                    echo new disks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.36. Edlin (Line Editor) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

edlin [drive:][path] filename

Lets you create and edit text files.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file you want to create or edit.

 The edlin utility is a line-oriented text editor with a set of single-letter
 commands. Each line of text is preceded by a number, which you use to
 reference that line in the text file. Edlin accepts up to 254 characters per
 line.

 Once started, the edlin utility displays an asterisk as a prompt. You type
 commands at the prompt to insert, delete, change, copy, or move lines within
 the file. If you are working in a file, you can return to the asterisk prompt
 by pressing CTRL+C. In addition to using the edlin commands, you can also use
 the MS OS/2 editing keys to edit individual lines.

 You can use the following symbols to reference a line number or range of line
 numbers:

 Symbol   Meaning

 #        Specifies the line after the last line in the file.

 .        Specifies the current line.

 + or -   Specifies a line relative to the current line; for example, +3 means
          three lines past the current line.

 The following list summarizes the edlin commands:

 Command        Purpose

 line           Edits the line number or numbers specified.

 a              Appends lines from disk to memory.

 c              Copies lines.

 d              Deletes lines.

 e              Ends the editing session and saves edits.

 i              Inserts lines of text.

 L or l         Lists a range of lines.

 m              Moves a range of text to a specified line.

 p              Pages through a file 23 lines at a time.

 q              Ends the editing session without saving edits.

 r              Replaces text.

 s              Searches for text.

 t              Transfers the contents of another file into the file being
                edited.

 w              Writes specified lines from memory to disk.

 For details about using the edlin utility, see your DOS manual.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.37. Endlocal ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

endlocal

Restores the drive, directory, and environment settings that were in effect
before the setlocal command changed them. Use this command only in a batch
file.

You can use multiple setlocal commands in a batch file without including
corresponding endlocal commands; each succeeding setlocal overrides the
previous one, in effect acting as an endlocal command for the previous setlocal
command. If there is no endlocal command after the last setlocal command in a
batch file, MS OS/2 restores the original drive, directory, and environment
settings when the batch file ends.

You can use this command only in OS/2 batch files (files with the extension
.CMD).

Example  To use setlocal in a batch file to set an alternative search path for
         certain commands to use, and to reset the original path after those
         commands are finished, type the following lines in the batch file:

                  setlocal
                  path c:\test;a:\temp
                    .
                    .
                    .
                  endlocal


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.38. Erase ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

See del .


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.39. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

exit

Ends the current command interpreter and returns control to the program from
which it was started.

If you have used cmd to start another MS OS/2 command interpreter, the exit
command ends that command interpreter and returns you to the parent command
interpreter. If you type exit from the parent command interpreter, the OS/2
session ends.

Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
that in the DOS session exit ends the current DOS command interpreter ( command
), unless it is the parent command interpreter. You cannot end the parent
command interpreter.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.40. Extproc (External Batch Processor) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

extproc [drive:][path]filename [options]

Defines an external batch processor for a batch file. Use this command only in
a batch file.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file that contains the external batch processor.
    The filename must include the extension. You can also include a drive and a
    path, if necessary.

 options

    Specifies any valid options for the new batch processor.

 By putting this command as the first line of your batch file, you cause MS
 OS/2 to start a different batch processor and use that to run the batch file.

 You can use this command only in OS/2 batch files (files with the extension
 .CMD).

 Example  To run a batch file by using a batch processor called BORNE.EXE,
          which is in the BATCH directory on your hard disk (drive C), instead
          of by using cmd , type the following as the first line of your batch
          file:

                    extproc c:\batch\borne.exe


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.41. Fcbs (File Control Blocks) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

fcbs=x,y

Specifies the number of file control blocks (FCBs) MS OS/2 can have open at one
time and the number of those it cannot automatically close when too many FCBs
are open. To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the maximum number of file control blocks that can be open at one
    time. This number must be in the range 1 through 255; the default value is
    16.

 y  Specifies the number of file control blocks that MS OS/2 cannot close
    automatically. This number must be in the range 0 through 255 and must be
    less than or equal to x; the default value is 8.

 If a program tries to open more than x files by using file control blocks, MS
 OS/2 closes one of the open files in order to make room for each new one. MS
 OS/2 tries to close the least recently used file first, but the fcbs command
 protects the first y files against being closed.

 This command affects only the DOS session.

 File control blocks are an old method of managing files. You should use the
 fcbs command only if a DOS application requires you to do so.

 Example  To specify that MS OS/2 can open only four files by using file
          control blocks and that it cannot close the first two of those files,
          include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    fcbs=4,2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.42. Fdisk /d (Delete Disk Partition) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

fdisk /d

Deletes the primary MS OS/2 partition, the extended partition, and any logical
drives from the hard disk you start your system from.

You must run this utility from the MS OS/2 Install disk.

To create or delete partitions without deleting the primary MS OS/2 partition
on your start-up drive, use the Fixed Disk Utility application found in the
Utilities group.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.43. Find ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

find [/v] [/c] [/n] "string" [[drive:][path][filename] [...]]

Searches the file or files you specify, or the input you give it, for a
specific string of text and displays all the instances of that string that it
finds.

 /v Displays all lines that do not contain string.

 /c Displays only the total number of lines found that contain string.

 /n Displays each line that contains string, with a number in front of it that
    indicates its position within the file.

 string

    Specifies the group of alphanumeric characters you want to search for. You
    must enclose the string in double quotation marks (" "). Since the find
    utility is case-sensitive, you must type uppercase and lowercase letters
    exactly as you want the utility to search for them. If you are searching
    for a string that contains double quotation marks, you must precede each
    double quotation mark in the string with a backslash (\).

 filename

    Specifies the file in which to search for string. If the file is not in the
    current directory of the current drive, you must also specify a drive
    and/or path. You cannot use wildcard characters when specifying filenames,
    but you can specify several files in one find operation. If you do not
    specify a filename, find searches standard input.

 If you specify /c with /v, the find utility displays the number of lines that
 do not contain string. If you specify /c with /n, find ignores /n.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To search for the string "I told him no, but did he listen?" in the
          files CHAPTER1.DOC and CHAPTER2.DOC on drive A, and to display the
          lines that contain the string along with their relative line numbers,
          type the following on one line:

                    find /n "I told him no, but did he listen?"
                    a:\chapter1.doc a:\chapter2.doc


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.44. For ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

for [%]%x in (item [...] ) do command

Performs a command for a set of files or other items that you specify. Although
the for command can be used from the command prompt, it is designed to be
placed in a batch file.

 %%x

    Specifies the variable that will be affected by command. The values of item
    are substituted sequentially for this variable. You can use any single
    letter or number for x.

 item

    Specifies a file or other item that you want to substitute for %%x so that
    command will affect it. You can specify multiple items, separated by
    spaces. These items are substituted sequentially for %%x. You can use
    wildcard characters in item names, and you can use replaceable parameters
    as items.

 command

    Specifies the command you want to perform on the items you have specified.
    This argument can be any MS OS/2 command or utility. You can also include
    any valid arguments for the command or utility that you specify.

 The for command substitutes the first item for the placeholder %%x and
 performs a command on that item; then for substitutes the second item for %%x
 and performs the command again; and so on until no items remain. If you use
 wildcard characters in an item name, the %%x is replaced once for each
 matching filename. For more information about replaceable parameters, see the
 Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 If you use for directly from the command line, use only one percent sign in
 front of x (%x). In a batch file, however, you must use two percent signs, to
 distinguish this for variable from a replaceable parameter, which can be a
 number (%0-%9) or a string (%variable%).

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension), except that command must be a DOS command or
 utility.

 Example  To delete in turn each of the three files REPORT, MEMO, and ADDRESS,
          type the following in a batch file:

                    for %%f in (report memo address) do del %%f


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.45. Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

format drive: [/4] [/t:tracks] [/n:sectors] [/v:label] [/f:size]
[/fs:filesystem]

Prepares a disk or partition so that it can store MS OS/2 files.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk you want to format. This
    information is required.

 /4 (FAT file system only) Formats a 5 1/4-inch, double-sided, low-density disk
    in a high-density drive. If you are using a low-density drive, you may not
    be able to reliably read disks formatted with this option.

 /t:tracks

    (FAT file system only) Formats a 3 1/2-inch disk to the number of tracks
    specified by tracks. The size of the specified drive determines the default
    value for tracks.

 /n:sectors

    (FAT file system only) Formats a 3 1/2-inch disk to the number of sectors
    specified by sectors. The size of the specified drive determines the
    default value for sectors.

 /v:label

    Specifies the volume label--a name used by programs to identify the disk.
    The label can be up to 11 characters. If you do not specify this option,
    the format utility prompts you for a volume label after formatting is
    complete. If the label includes blank spaces, you must enclose the label in
    double quotation marks.

 /f:size

    (FAT file system only) Specifies the memory capacity of a disk, in
    kilobytes (or, for a 1.2-megabyte, 1.44-megabyte, or 2.88-megabyte disk, in
    megabytes). You can use this option instead of the /4, /t, and /n options,
    to simplify the process of formatting a floppy disk. The easiest way to
    specify size is as the number of kilobytes of memory on the disk (360, 720,
    1200, 1440, or 2880), but you can add an abbreviation (for example, 360K,
    360KB, 1.2M, 1.2MB) if you prefer.

 /fs:filesystem

    Specifies the file system for which to format the disk or partition. This
    can be any file system supported by MS OS/2. To format a disk or partition
    for the high-performance file system, specify hpfs as the filesystem
    argument. When you use the /fs:hpfs option, the format utility adds the
    /autocheck:drive option to the end of the IFS=C:\OS2\HPFS.IFS /c:64 line in
    your CONFIG.SYS file. Whenever you subsequently restart your system, the
    /autocheck option causes MS OS/2 to run chkdsk /f for any HPFS drives that
    were shut down improperly.

 You must use the format utility to format all new disks so that MS OS/2 can
 use them. The format utility creates the directory and the file-system tables
 on the disk and assigns the disk a unique serial number. Format uses the drive
 type to determine the default format for the disk.

 You cannot format a disk that is in use, nor can you format your start-up disk
 or the disk that you started the format utility from.

 You cannot format a floppy disk for HPFS.

 Warning  The format utility erases all information that is already on the
          disk, so be sure you specify the correct drive.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot format a disk or partition for HPFS from the DOS session.

 You cannot use the format utility with drives that you have assigned, joined,
 or substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Example  To format a floppy disk in drive A and give it the label OLD LETTERS,
          type the following:

                    format a: /v:"old letters"


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.46. Goto ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

goto label

Directs MS OS/2 to go to a particular line in a batch file and continue
processing commands from that point. Use this command only in a batch file.

 label

    Specifies the location in the batch file where MS OS/2 should continue
    processing commands. Label can be any string you choose, but the goto
    command uses only the first eight valid characters to identify the label.
    Spaces, tabs, and certain common separators such as the equal sign (=) and
    the semicolon (;) are not valid characters in a label; it is best to use
    only letters and numbers.

 The specified label should appear on a line by itself, preceded by a colon
 (:); this line is ignored in batch processing, except as a marker for the goto
 command. The label line can be either before or after the goto command in the
 file.

 The goto command simply ignores invalid separators if they appear in the label
 line, but when it encounters a space or a tab, it stops reading the label. The
 following label lines, then, are equivalent:

  :lab
  :lab el
  :--lab el
  :==lab
  ==:;;lab el

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension).

 Example  To format the disk in drive A and either go to the end of the file if
          no errors occur or display an error message if the formatting isn't
          completed successfully, type the following in a batch file:

                    @echo off
                    format a:
                    if not errorlevel 1 goto end
                    echo An error occurred during formatting.
                    :end
                    echo End of batch file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.47. Graftabl (Graphics Table) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

graftabl [xxx|?|/status]

Loads the special graphics characters of an extended character set into memory
so that your monitor can display these characters if you are using a display
adapter in graphics mode.

 xxx

    Specifies the code page that defines the extended character set. This
    argument must be a three-digit number from the list that follows; the
    default code page is 437 (United States).

 ?  Displays the number of the active code page and a list of the available
    code pages.

 /status

    Displays the number of the active code page. You can abbreviate /status as
    /sta.

 The following code pages can be loaded by using the graftabl utility:

 Code     Character set

 437      United States

 850      Multilingual

 860      Portuguese

 863      Canadian French

 865      Nordic

 Warning  If you type graftabl by itself, the utility displays the number of
          the active code page, but it also automatically loads the default
          code page (437). Therefore, if you have a different code page loaded,
          typing graftabl by itself will identify that code page but also
          change it.

 Example  To enable MS OS/2 to display the special graphics characters of the
          Portuguese extended character set, type the following:

                    graftabl 860


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.48. Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

help [on|off |messageid | [document] topic]

Displays Help information about MS OS/2 and about error or warning messages
displayed in an OS/2 session or in the DOS session, or starts a Presentation
Manager application that lets you view topics within an on-line reference
document.

 on

    Displays a Help line at the top of your screen. This line tells you how to
    get help and how to get back to Desktop Manager. The help on command
    replaces your current prompt setting with the Help line and the current
    drive letter.

 off

    Removes the Help line from your screen. This is the default setting.

 messageid

    Identifies the particular Help message that you want more information
    about. The message identification number consists of three letters--for
    example, SYS--followed by a four-digit number. For system messages, you can
    also specify the number without the letters and leading zeros (for example,
    SYS0002 can be specified as 2).

 document

    Specifies the file that contains the reference document you want to view.
    If you do not specify a document, the help utility uses the OS/2 Command
    Reference. If you do not specify the filename extension, help uses the
    extension .INF.

 topic

    Specifies the topic you want to view information about. For the OS/2
    Command Reference, this can be the name of a command or utility, or any
    other topic listed in the table of contents. If you specify document but do
    not specify topic, the help utility displays the table of contents of
    document. If you type only the first part of a topic name, help displays
    the first topic that matches the partial name.

 If you type help by itself, the utility displays a list of Help options and
 information.

 The MS OS/2 installation program places the following line in your CONFIG.SYS
 file:

  set bookshelf=c:\os2\book

 The help utility searches for the document file in the directory specified in
 the BOOKSHELF environment variable. If you do not explicitly name the
 document, help searches each document in the directory for the topic. You can
 add other directories to the BOOKSHELF environment variable.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To get more information about the error message "SYS0002: File not
           found", type the following:

                      help sys0002

 MS OS/2 then displays the following information:

  SYS0002: The system cannot find the file specified.
  EXPLANATION: The file named in the command
  does not exist in the current directory or search path
  specified. Or, the file name was entered incorrectly.
  ACTION: Retry the command using the correct file name.

 To view the description of the mode command in the OS/2 Command Reference,
 type the following:

  help mode

 To view the description of MyTopic in the document file for an application
 named MyApp, which is in the directory MYDIR on your hard disk (drive C), type
 the following:

  help c:\mydir\myapp.inf mytopic


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.49. If ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

if [not] condition command

Directs MS OS/2 to carry out the given command only if the specified condition
is met. If you include the word not, MS OS/2 carries out the command only if
the condition is not met. Although the if command can be used from the command
prompt, it is designed to be placed in a batch file.

 condition

    Specifies one of three conditions that determine whether MS OS/2 carries
    out the command:

     errorlevel number

    When a program finishes, it sends an exit code to MS OS/2. If the exit code
    returned by the last program you ran was greater than or equal to number,
    MS OS/2 carries out the command.

     string1==string2

    If the first string is exactly the same as the second string, MS OS/2
    carries out the command. Uppercase or lowercase is significant. The strings
    must not include separators such as commas, semicolons, equal signs, and
    spaces.

     exist [drive:][path] filename

    If the filename exists in the specified directory, MS OS/2 carries out the
    command. You can specify a drive and a path before filename; otherwise, MS
    OS/2 looks for filename in the current directory.

 command

    Specifies the command to carry out if the given condition is met.

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension).

 Example  To display the message "Can't find data file" if the file BOOK.DAT
          does not exist in the current directory, type the following in a
          batch file:

                    if not exist book.dat echo Can't find data file


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.50. Ifs (Install File System) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ifs=[drive:][path]filename [/c[ache]:nnnn]

Installs the driver for an installable file system and specifies the amount of
memory to be reserved for disk caching. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file that contains the file-system driver. If
    this file is not in the root directory of the start-up drive, you must
    include the drive and/or path.

 /c[ache]:nnnn

    (HPFS only) Specifies the amount of memory, in kilobytes, to be set aside
    for disk caching by the installable file system. You can abbreviate /cache
    as /c. The value of nnnn must be a number in the range 64 through 2048 and
    should be a multiple of 2, since HPFS divides the cache into 2-kilobyte
    blocks. If you specify an odd number when you are installing the HPFS
    driver, MS OS/2 rounds it down to the next even number. The default cache
    size is either 64K or 10 percent of the total available memory, whichever
    is greater.

 The ifs command should precede any device command in your CONFIG.SYS file,
 except device commands that load device drivers required by the installable
 file system.

 Example  To set aside 500 kilobytes of memory for HPFS disk caching, include
          the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    ifs=c:\os2\hpfs.ifs /c:500


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.51. Iopl (Input/Output Privilege) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

iopl=yes|no|program[,...]

Specifies whether MS OS/2 can give data input/output privilege to a process
that requests it in an OS/2 session. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 yes

    Allows MS OS/2 to give input/output privilege to a process.

 no

    Prevents MS OS/2 from giving input/output privilege to a process. This is
    the default setting.

 program

    Specifies the program that will be granted input/output privilege on
    request. You can specify more than one program, separating the names with
    commas.

 Some MS OS/2 applications need direct access to hardware such as the display
 adapter. The iopl command specifies whether they can receive that access.
 Examples of applications that require input/output privilege are the Microsoft
 CodeView(R) debugger, Microsoft Word, and some printer drivers.

 You should use the iopl command only if an application requires you to do so.

 This command has no effect on applications that are running in the DOS
 session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.52. Join ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

join [[drive1: drive2:path]|[drive1: /d]]

Temporarily renames the disk in the first drive as a directory on the disk in
the second drive. While a "join" is in effect, you cannot use the drive letter
of the first drive to identify it.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive you want to join to a directory on drive2.

 drive2:path

    Specifies the drive and path of the directory to which you want to join
    drive1. The directory must be a subdirectory of the root directory of
    drive2. If the directory already exists, it must be empty; if it does not
    exist, MS OS/2 creates it.

 /d Deletes an existing "join." You must specify drive1 to identify which
    "join" is to be deleted, but you must not specify drive2:path with the /d
    option.

 The entire directory structure of the disk in drive1 appears to be in the
 directory you have specified on the disk in drive2.

 The following utilities do not work on a drive that you have joined to a
 directory on another drive:

 chkdsk            format

 diskcomp          label

 diskcopy          recover

 fdisk

 If you type join by itself, the utility displays a list of the joined
 directories currently in effect.

 The join utility affects only the DOS session.

 Example  To join drive B to the directory PROJECTS on drive A, type the
          following:

                    join b: a:\projects


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.53. Keyb (Keyboard) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

keyb [code [subcode]]

Directs MS OS/2 to use a country-specific keyboard layout other than the United
States layout.

 code

    Specifies the keyboard layout by country, using a two-letter code from the
    list that follows.

 subcode

    Specifies a keyboard layout for countries that have more than one layout,
    using a three-digit subcode from the list that follows.

 The following keyboard layouts are available:

  Code                         Keyboard                   Subcode

  BE                           Belgium                    120

  CF                           Canada (French)            058

  DK                           Denmark                    159

  FR                           France                     189, 120

  GR                           Germany                    129

  IT                           Italy                      141, 142

  LA                           Latin America              171

  NL                           Netherlands                143

  NO                           Norway                     155

  PO                           Portugal                   163

  SF                           Switzerland (French)       150F

  SG                           Switzerland (German)       150G

  SP                           Spain                      172

  SU                           Finland                    153

  SV                           Sweden                     153

  UK                           United Kingdom             166, 168

  US                           United States              103

 Subcodes are associated only with enhanced keyboards. Because France, Italy,
 and the United Kingdom have more than one enhanced-keyboard layout available,
 MS OS/2 uses the subcode to identify the specific layout to use.

 To use the keyb utility, you must have a devinfo command for your keyboard in
 your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information, see the devinfo command.

 The keyb utility affects all programs and all sessions.

 If you type keyb by itself, the utility displays the current keyboard layout
 and code-page setting.

 Examples  To use a German keyboard layout, type the following:

                      keyb gr

 To return to using the US keyboard layout, type the following:

  keyb us


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.54. Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

keys [on|off |list]

Turns on or off the special functions of the DIRECTION keys and editing keys
that enable you to edit commands on the command line. You can retrieve any
command that is in the command-line buffer, edit it, and use it at the command
prompt.

 on

    Turns on the special functions of the DIRECTION and editing keys used to
    edit commands on the command line and opens the command-line buffer so that
    each subsequent command is added to the buffer. This is the default
    setting.

 off

    Turns off the special command-line-editing functions of the DIRECTION and
    editing keys and closes the command-line buffer so that subsequent commands
    are not added to the buffer.

 list

    Lists the contents of the command-line buffer. The buffer contains a list
    of the last several commands you typed at the command prompt, numbered from
    oldest (1) to most recent.

 At installation time, MS OS/2 sets an environment variable, KEYS=ON; if you
 subsequently type keys off or keys on, the environment variable changes to
 reflect the new command. The keys command you type affects only the current
 OS/2 session.

 When keys is on, the DIRECTION and editing keys have the following effects:

 Key            Editing function

 ESC            Clears the current command line and returns the cursor to the
                position immediately following the prompt.

 HOME           Returns the cursor to the position immediately following the
                prompt.

 END            Places the cursor in the position immediately following the
                last character you typed (even if that character is a space).

 INS            Turns insert mode on and off. The cursor appears as a half box
                in insert mode. As you insert characters, existing characters
                to the right of the cursor move to the right. At the beginning
                of each new command line, insert mode is turned off.

 DEL            Deletes the character marked by the cursor. As you delete
                characters, existing characters to the right of the cursor move
                to the left.

 LEFT           Moves the cursor left one character.

 RIGHT          Moves the cursor right one character.

 UP             Moves to the previous command listed in memory and brings that
                command to the command line.

 DOWN           Moves to the next command listed in memory and brings that
                command to the command line.

 BACKSPACE      Moves the cursor back (left) one character and deletes that
                character. Existing characters to the right of the cursor move
                to the left.

 CTRL+LEFT      Moves the cursor left to the first character of the previous
                word.

 CTRL+RIGHT     Moves the cursor right to the first character of the next word.

 CTRL+END       Deletes all characters from the current cursor position to the
                end of the command line.

 CTRL+HOME      Deletes all characters from the beginning of the command line
                up to (but not including) the current cursor position.

 ENTER          Sends the information on the command line to the command
                interpreter, adds it to the list of commands in memory, and
                turns off insert mode.

 Keys on remains in effect until you type keys off. MS OS/2 adds commands to
 the command-line buffer only while the keys command is active, but it retains
 the buffer in memory until you end the session. Typing keys off does not empty
 the buffer; if you type keys on again in the same session, MS OS/2 adds any
 subsequent commands to the existing commands in the buffer.

 The command-line buffer cannot be larger than 64K, but it might be smaller if
 there is not enough memory to extend the list. When the buffer is full, MS
 OS/2 discards the oldest command to make room for the newest.

 Only commands you type at the keyboard are added to the command-line buffer.
 Commands in a batch file or commands that are part of redirected input are not
 added.

 If you type keys by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current setting.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.55. Label ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

label [drive:][label]

Assigns a disk a new volume label.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk to which you want to give a new
    volume label.

 label

    Specifies the new volume label for the disk in the specified drive. The
    label can be up to 11 characters, including spaces. Do not use any of the
    following characters in a volume label:

    * ? / \ | . , ; : + = < > [ ] & ^ "

    If you do not specify a drive, MS OS/2 assigns label to the disk in the
    current drive.

 Programs use the volume label, which is simply a name for the disk, to
 identify the disk. The dir command displays the volume label in addition to
 information about a disk's contents.

 If you type label by itself, the utility displays the volume label of the disk
 in the current drive and prompts you to either type a new label or press ENTER
 to retain the current label.

 Works the same in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Do not use the label utility on drives that you have assigned, joined, or
 substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Example  To give the volume label OLD STUFF to the disk in drive A, type the
          following:

                    label a:old stuff


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.56. Libpath (Library Path) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

libpath=[drive:]path[;[drive:]path][...]

Specifies the directories MS OS/2 is to search for dynamic-link libraries. To
use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive where dynamic-link libraries are located. If you do not
    specify a drive, MS OS/2 searches the disk in the current drive.

 path

    Specifies the directory to search for dynamic-link libraries. You can
    specify more than one directory, separating the names with semicolons (;).

 The MS OS/2 installation program places the following line in your CONFIG.SYS
 file:

  libpath=c:\os2\dll;c:\

 MS OS/2 does not automatically search the current directory for dynamic-link
 libraries; you can specify the current directory by substituting a period (.)
 for the first drive:path argument.

 Example  To instruct MS OS/2 to look for dynamic-link libraries in the current
          directory and in the directory DYNLIB on your hard disk (drive C),
          include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    libpath=.;c:\dynlib


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.57. Log ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

log=on | off [/m:minfree] [/w:filesize] [/b:buffersize] [/f:filename]

Turns system-event logging on or off. When logging is on, MS OS/2 records
system events in the system log file. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 on Starts system-event logging.

 off Stops system-event logging. This is the default setting.

 /m:minfree

    Specifies the minimum amount of disk space, in kilobytes, to be left free
    (that is, not used for system-event logging) on your hard disk. The default
    value is 512.

 /w:filesize

    Instructs MS OS/2 to wrap entries to the log file, if necessary, in order
    to limit the size of the file to filesize kilobytes. If you specify /w and
    the log file is full, MS OS/2 adds new entries to the beginning of the
    file, overwriting the existing entries. If you do not specify /w, MS OS/2
    adds all new entries to the end of the log file, increasing the size of the
    file as necessary. The default size of the log file is 64K.

 /b:buffersize

    Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the buffer to be used for logging
    system events. The maximum size is 64K; the default value is 4.

 /f:filename

    Specifies the name of the log file. The filename must not include an
    extension; the logging facility automatically supplies the extension .DAT.
    The log-file name should have the form LOGxxxx.DAT, where xxxx stands for a
    four-digit number; the default filename is LOG0001.DAT.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.58. Maxwait (Maximum Wait) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

maxwait=x

Sets the maximum time a process must wait before MS OS/2 increases its
priority. To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the number of seconds a process must wait before it is given a
    higher priority. This number must be in the range 1 through 255; the
    default value is 3.

 When an active process has waited x seconds without running, the MS OS/2
 scheduler increases the priority of the process for one execution cycle (time
 slice). For more information about time slices, see the timeslice command.

 The maxwait command has no effect if the priority command is set to absolute.

 Example  To instruct MS OS/2 to give priority to processes after they have
          waited 2 seconds, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    maxwait=2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.59. Memman (Memory Management) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

memman=[swap|noswap][,][move|nomove][,][swapdos|noswapdos]

Specifies whether MS OS/2 can swap memory segments between memory and disk and
whether it can temporarily move segments. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 swap

    Allows swapping of segments.

 noswap

    Prevents swapping of segments.

 move

    Allows moving of segments.

 nomove

    Prevents moving of segments.

 swapdos

    Allows swapping of memory segments from the DOS session. If you specify
    swapdos, MS OS/2 automatically sets the swap and move options.

 noswapdos

    Prevents swapping of memory segments from the DOS session.

 You can use a space instead of a comma to separate the arguments of a memman
 command.

 The MS OS/2 installation program places a memman command in your CONFIG.SYS
 file. If you start MS OS/2 from a hard disk, the default setting is
 memman=swap,move,swapdos; if you start from a floppy disk, the default setting
 is memman=noswap,move,swapdos. If you have disabled the DOS session by
 specifying protectonly=yes in your CONFIG.SYS file, the installation program
 does not place the swapdos argument in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 If you allow MS OS/2 to swap, then it can move segments too, but the reverse
 is not automatically true.

 MS OS/2 may not swap the DOS session if you use the mode utility to configure
 a serial port or if you switch to another session while a DOS program is
 reading from or writing to a file.

 For more information about swapping and moving memory segments, see the
 Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 Example  To prevent MS OS/2 from swapping or moving data segments while you
          are running a time-dependent application, include the following line
          in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    memman=noswap,nomove

 To prevent swapping of memory segments from the DOS session and swapping and
 moving of other memory segments, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS
 file:

  memman=noswapdos


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.60. Mkdir (Make Directory) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

mkdir [drive:][path]directoryname [[drive:][path]directoryname [...]]

Creates a directory. You can abbreviate mkdir as md.

 directoryname

    Specifies the name of the new directory. Unless you specify a different
    drive and/or path, MS OS/2 creates the new directory as a subdirectory of
    the current directory.

 You can create more than one directory at a time by specifying multiple
 directory names. MS OS/2 creates each directory for which you do not
 specifically indicate a drive and path as a subdirectory of the current
 directory.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple directory names.

 Example  To create the directory CLIENT, and the subdirectory PETE under it,
          on drive A, type the following:

                    mkdir a:\client a:\client\pete


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.61. Mode ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Sets operating parameters for communication and output devices that you may
connect to or add to your computer. These devices include parallel and serial
printers, modems, and screens. The mode utility enables you to change settings
by using a command line instead of physically setting switches in your
computer.

The mode utility has several discrete purposes. The following sections explain
the different ways in which you can use the utility.

 o Mode: Configuring a Parallel Printer
 o Mode: Configuring a Serial Port
 o Mode: Setting Up the Screen
 o Mode: Setting Floppy-Disk Verify Capability


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.61.1. Mode: Configuring a Parallel Printer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

mode LPTn[:] [chars][,[lines][,p]]

Controls the line and character spacing of the output on a parallel printer.

 n  Specifies the number of the parallel port the printer is connected to (1,
    2, etc.). (You can use PRN in place of LPT1; they are equivalent.) The
    colon is optional. This information is required.

 chars

    Specifies the number of characters per line. This number can be either 80
    or 132; the default value is 80. If you enter nothing for this parameter,
    the mode utility does not change the current number of characters per line.

 lines

    Specifies vertical spacing, the number of lines per inch. This number can
    be either 6 or 8; the default value is 6. If you enter nothing for this
    parameter, the mode utility does not change the current vertical spacing.
    You must type the comma before lines, even if you did not specify a new
    value for chars. If you do not specify a value for chars, do not include a
    space after LPTn[:].

 p  Turns on "infinite retry," which causes MS OS/2 to keep trying to send
    output to the printer if a time-out error occurs. With this option, part of
    the mode utility remains resident in memory. You must type both commas
    before p, even if you did not specify new values for chars and lines. If
    you do not specify this option, infinite retry is turned off. If you do not
    specify a value for chars, do not include a space after LPTn[:].

 If your system gets stuck in a time-out loop, where it keeps trying to send
 output to the printer but cannot succeed, you can exit from the loop by
 pressing CTRL+C.

 The mode utility will affect your printer only if the spooler has been turned
 off in Print Manager.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To configure the printer connected to your computer's second
          parallel-printer port (LPT2) to print at 80 characters per line and 8
          lines per inch, type the following:

                    mode lpt2 80,8


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.61.2. Mode: Configuring a Serial Port ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

mode COMm[:] [baud[,parity][,databits][,stopbits]]
[,to=state][,xon=state][,idsr=state][,odsr=state] [,octs=state][,dtr=state]
[,rts=state][,buffer=state]

Sets the parameters for communication with a serial printer or other device
that uses a serial port. This is the port you use for asynchronous
communication.

 m  Specifies the number of the serial port you want to use (1, 2, etc.). The
    colon is optional. This information is required.

 If you omit any of the following four arguments, the mode utility uses the
 most recent settings. (The first time you use the utility, mode uses the
 default settings; thereafter, it uses the most recent settings.) The mode
 utility recognizes these arguments by their positions, so if you leave out an
 argument, you must still type the comma that precedes the next one.

 baud

    Specifies the first two digits of the transmission rate in bits per second:
    110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 3600, 4800, 7200, 9600, or 19200.
    This argument is required, unless you are merely checking the current
    settings.

 parity

    Specifies how the system uses the parity bit to check for errors in
    transmission. The possible values are N (no parity), O (odd parity), E
    (even parity), M (mark; parity bit always 1), and S (space; parity bit
    always zero); the default value is E.

 databits

    Specifies the number of data bits in a character. This number can be 5, 6,
    7, or 8; the default value is 7.

 stopbits

    Specifies the number of stop bits that define the end of a character. This
    number can be 1, 1.5, or 2. If the baud rate is 110, the default value for
    stopbits is 2; otherwise, the default value is 1. If you specify 1.5 for
    stopbits, you must specify 5 for databits.

 You can list the following options in any order after the stopbits argument,
 separating them with commas. The default settings listed for these options
 apply only when you first start your computer; thereafter, the default setting
 for an option is its previous setting.

 to=on|off

    Specifies whether infinite time-out processing is enabled (on) or disabled
    (off). The default setting is off.

 xon=on|off

    Specifies whether the XON/XOFF protocol for data-flow control is enabled
    (on) or disabled (off). The default setting is off.

 idsr=on|off

    Specifies whether input handshaking that uses the DSR (Data Set Ready)
    circuit is enabled (on) or disabled (off). The default setting is on.

 odsr=on|off

    Specifies whether output handshaking that uses the DSR (Data Set Ready)
    circuit is enabled (on) or disabled (off). The default setting is on.

 octs=on|off

    Specifies whether output handshaking that uses the CTS (Clear to Send)
    circuit is enabled (on) or disabled (off). The default setting is on.

 dtr=on|off|hs

    Specifies whether the DTR (Data Terminal Ready) circuit is enabled (on) or
    disabled (off), or whether DTR handshaking is enabled (hs). The default
    setting is on.

 rts=on|off|hs|tog

    Specifies whether the RTS (Request to Send) circuit is enabled (on) or
    disabled (off), whether RTS handshaking is enabled (hs), or whether RTS
    toggling is enabled (tog). The default setting is on.

 The following option applies only to communications hardware or drivers
 capable of extended hardware buffering.

 buffer=on|off|auto

    Specifies whether extended hardware buffering is enabled (on), disabled
    (off), or controlled automatically by the device driver (auto). The default
    setting is auto for device drivers that support extended hardware
    buffering; the default setting is off for device drivers that do not. (If a
    serial port does not support extended hardware buffering, the mode utility
    does not display or change the setting for this option.) On a system where
    both the hardware and the device drivers do support extended hardware
    buffering, buffer=off can seriously slow down system performance; buffer=on
    gives you the best possible performance on such a system, but this setting
    may not be compatible with some devices that have particularly strict
    requirements for the timing of events. Unless you are certain that your
    hardware supports extended hardware buffering and that you are using device
    drivers that also  support it, do not change this option.

 If you type mode COMm by itself, the utility displays the current settings for
 the specified serial port.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot use mode COMm by itself; you cannot use the to=state,
 xon=state, idsr=state, odsr=state, octs=state, dtr=state, rts=state, or
 buffer=state options; and there is an additional option, p.

 p  Specifies a time-out value of about thirty seconds for DOS programs that
    directly control the hardware. You must use the setcom40 utility to tell
    the program the address of the serial port before you use the port. The p
    option must always be last on the command line.

 Some programs require the additional information that you can specify with the
 MS OS/2 version of the mode utility. If you are going to use one of those
 programs, you must configure your serial port from the OS/2 command prompt.

 Example  To set the baud rate to 300, set the parity to odd, leave the number
          of data bits set to 7, and set the number of stop bits to 2, for your
          computer's first serial port, type the following:

                    mode com1: 300,o,,2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.61.3. Mode: Setting Up the Screen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

mode display[,rows]

Sets the way text is displayed on your screen, including the number of
characters per line, the number of lines per screen, and whether the text is in
color.

 display

    Specifies the kind of display adapter you are using: 40, 80, 132, BW40,
    BW80, BW132, CO40, CO80, CO132, or MONO. The adapter type determines which
    of these values are valid. For each of these options, 40, 80, and 132
    indicate the number of characters per line. BW means that color has been
    disabled even though you have a color graphics adapter; CO means that color
    has been enabled. MONO specifies a monochrome display adapter, which always
    has 80 characters per line.

 rows

    Specifies the number of rows (lines) on the screen: 25, 43, 50, or 60. The
    adapter type determines which of these values are valid. The default
    setting when you first start your computer is 25; thereafter, the previous
    setting is the default setting.

 When you use the mode utility to change the way text is displayed on the
 screen, it affects only the current session.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To set a screen adapter so that it uses color, 80 characters per
          line, and 43 lines per screen (assuming the display adapter can
          handle such settings), type the following:

                    mode co80,43


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.61.4. Mode: Setting Floppy-Disk Verify Capability ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

mode dskt [ver=on|off]

Specifies whether MS OS/2 should verify that data is correctly written to a
floppy disk. The default setting is ver=off.

If you type mode dskt by itself, the utility displays the current setting.

This command affects all sessions.

Works the same way in the DOS session it does in an OS/2 session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.62. More ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

more < source

Reads from standard input and displays what it reads, one screenful at a time.

 source

    Specifies the source of the input. You can redirect input from a file or
    from an MS OS/2 command or utility. For more information about redirection,
    see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 You can use more to view the contents of a long file or the results of a
 command screenful by screenful. After each screenful, more displays the
 following at the bottom of your screen:

  --More--

 You can press any key to display the next screenful.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To view the contents of the file IDEAS.OLD one screenful at a time,
           type the following:

                      more < ideas.old

 To sort the file IDEAS.OLD alphabetically and view the output one screenful at
 a time, type the following:

  sort < ideas.old | more

 If you use this example in the DOS session, the pipe creates temporary files
 in which to store information. For this reason, you cannot use the DOS pipe
 feature if the current disk or directory is full or the disk is
 write-protected.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.63. Move ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

move [drive:][path1]source [path2][destination]

Moves a file or directory from one directory to another on the same drive.

 source

    Specifies the file or directory to be moved. You can use wildcard
    characters to specify a group of files, but you can move only one directory
    at a time. If you do not specify a drive or directory for source, MS OS/2
    searches for it in the current directory on the current drive.

 destination

    Specifies where the file or directory is to be moved. If you are moving a
    file, the destination can be either a file or a directory. The destination
    must always be on the same drive as the source.

 You can change the name of a file or directory as you move it, by specifying a
 new name in destination. If you are moving multiple files and you want to
 change their names, you must specify multiple destination-file names by using
 the same wildcard characters you used in the source-file names.

 Note  In the high-performance file system (HPFS), you can use the move command
       to change the case of a filename or directory name by moving the file or
       directory to itself. For example, you can change the filename
       "mytaxfile.txt" to "MYTAXFILE.TXT" by using the uppercase version of the
       name as the destination argument. (The quotation marks around the
       filenames are required when you are using HPFS. For more information
       about HPFS, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.)

 When you use the move command to relocate a file or directory, MS OS/2 will
 not write over an existing file or directory that has the same name. If you
 specify an existing filename as the destination, MS OS/2 displays an error
 message and does not carry out the command. If you specify an existing
 directory name as the destination, MS OS/2 moves the source file or directory
 into that directory; if the source was a directory, it becomes a subdirectory
 of the destination directory.

 Moving a file or directory does not change its date or time.

 Examples  To move all the files with the extension .DOC from the current
           directory to the directory \REPORTS\OLD on the current drive and
           change their extensions to .OLD, type the following:

                      move *.doc \reports\old\*.old

 To move the directory LETTERS from the current directory and make it a
 subdirectory of the directory \BUSINESS\SEPT89 on the current drive, type the
 following:

  move letters \business\sept89


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.64. Patch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

patch [drive:][path]filename [/a]

Inserts a section of program code into an existing MS OS/2 program or
application to change the way the program runs. Any file that can be written to
can be patched.

 filename

    Specifies the file to patch.

 /a Specifies the automatic operation mode. With the /a option, filename must
    be a file containing instructions for patching one or more files
    automatically.

 The patch utility has two modes of operation: automatic and interactive.
 Interactive mode is the default mode. In this mode, you supply the path of the
 file you want to patch on the patch command line. Patch then prompts you for
 the offset at which a patch is to be made and for the patch contents. (Patch
 can change bytes at any position in a file or add bytes to the end of a file.)
 You must type both the offset and the patch contents in hexadecimal notation.

 After you supply the hexadecimal offset, the patch utility displays the 16
 bytes at that offset. You can then change any or all of the 16 bytes. If you
 decide not to make any changes, you can press the ESC key.

 The cursor is initially positioned on the first byte. To change this byte,
 type one or two hexadecimal digits. To leave the byte unchanged and move to
 the next byte, press the SPACEBAR. Press BACKSPACE to move the cursor back if
 you make a mistake. If you move the cursor past the last byte displayed, the
 patch utility displays the next 16 bytes. This cycle continues until you press
 ENTER.

 When you press ENTER, the patch utility saves the patch information and asks
 if you want to make any more patches. If you respond with "Y", patch again
 prompts you for an offset. After you have entered all the patches you want to
 make and responded with "N" at the "more patches" prompt, patch displays the
 patches on the screen and asks if they should be applied. If you respond with
 "Y", patch writes all the saved patch requests to disk in the same order in
 which you entered them.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Warning  You should use the patch utility only if you understand the need for
          a patch, how to make the patch, and the effect the patch will have on
          program operation. Before you use the patch utility, be sure to make
          backup copies of the files to which the patches will be applied.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.65. Path ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

path [;|[drive:]path[;...]]

Specifies where MS OS/2 is to search for a command file or application if the
program is not in the current directory.

 ;  When used alone (path ;), clears all search-path settings. Semicolons are
    also used to separate multiple paths.

 path

    Specifies the path of the directory that MS OS/2 is to search for command
    files. If you do not specify a drive, MS OS/2 uses the current drive.

 If any name in one of the paths you set contains a semicolon (;), you must
 enclose each path you specify in double quotation marks (").

 If you type path by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current search path.

 The path command affects only the current session. To specify a path for all
 OS/2 sessions, you must set the PATH environment variable in your CONFIG.SYS
 file. For information about how to do this, see the set command. For the DOS
 session, set the PATH environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To instruct MS OS/2 to search for a command file in the directories
          BIN and WORD on drive C and the subdirectory WORD of the APPS
          directory on drive A, type the following:

                    path c:\bin;c:\word;a:\apps\word


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.66. Pause ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

pause [comment]

Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message that asks the user
to press any key to continue. Use this command only in a batch file.

 comment

    Specifies the message you want to have appear before the line "Press any
    key when ready...". The message can be any combination of characters. The
    echo feature must be on for comment to appear on the screen.

 You can use this command to make a batch program pause any time the user has
 to do something, such as read a message or insert a disk, before continuing
 with the program.

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension).

 Example  To have your batch program pause and prompt the user to insert a new
          disk in drive A before continuing, type the following at the
          appropriate point in the batch file:

                    pause Please put a new disk into drive A.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.67. Pauseonerror ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

pauseonerror=yes|no

Specifies whether MS OS/2 is to pause if it encounters an error while
processing your CONFIG.SYS file during system start-up. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

If pauseonerror is set to yes (the default setting), then whenever MS OS/2
encounters an error while processing your CONFIG.SYS file, it stops, displays
an error message, and prompts you to press ENTER to continue the start-up
process. If you have set pauseonerror to no, MS OS/2 displays an error message
when it encounters an error, but it does not stop.

Example  To instruct MS OS/2 to process your CONFIG.SYS file without pausing
         when it encounters errors, include the following line in your
         CONFIG.SYS file:

                  pauseonerror=no


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.68. Print ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

print [/d:device] [/b] [drive:][path]filename [...]

or

print [/d:device] [/t |/c]

Sends a file to a device to be printed.

 /d:device

    Specifies the printer to use. The default device is LPT1.

 /b Instructs MS OS/2 not to interpret CTRL+Z characters in the file as
    end-of-file characters.

 filename

    Specifies the file to print. If you specify more than one file, the files
    are printed in the order you type them on the command line.

 /t Stops all printing and removes all files from the print queue, if the
    spooler is active for the specified device.

 /c Stops printing the file being printed and removes it from the print queue,
    if the spooler is active for the specified device.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot use the /t and /c options.

 Example  To print the file PENCIL.TST, which is in the current directory on
          the current drive, on the printer connected to your computer's third
          parallel port (LPT3), type the following:

                    print /d:lpt3 pencil.tst


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.69. Priority ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

priority=absolute|dynamic

Specifies how a process receives enough priority over other processes to run.
To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

In MS OS/2, processes (threads) are divided into three categories according to
their priority: general, time-critical, and low. The general-priority category
is further divided into foreground, background, and interactive subcategories.
Normally, MS OS/2 automatically adjusts the priority levels of general-priority
processes as circumstances change (for example, when a foreground process
becomes a background process).

 absolute

    Prevents the system from dynamically changing the priority of processes in
    the general-priority category. The absolute setting allocates
    central-processing-unit (CPU) time according to the process's current
    priority.

 dynamic

    Instructs MS OS/2 to try to determine which process needs CPU resources
    most in any given interval of time (time slice). The dynamic setting gives
    more CPU time to the process that is running in the foreground. This is the
    default setting. For more information about time slices, see the timeslice
    command.

 You should use the priority command only if an application requires you to do
 so.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.70. Prompt ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

prompt [string]

Changes the prompt for the current MS OS/2 command interpreter. This change
affects only the current session.

 string

    Specifies the new prompt. You can specify any character string you want, or
    you can use any of the $x character combinations from the list that follows
    to customize your prompt. (You can combine text and these character
    combinations in any order.) Any spaces that you type appear as part of the
    prompt.

 The following character combinations are available for use in customizing your
 prompt:

 Combination    Action

 $$             Displays the dollar-sign character ($).

 $_             Begins a new line on the screen.

 $a             Displays an ampersand (&).

 $b             Displays the pipe symbol (|).

 $c             Displays a left parenthesis [(].

 $d             Displays the current date.

 $e             Specifies the beginning of an ANSI escape code.

 $f             Displays a right parenthesis [)].

 $g             Displays the greater-than sign (>).

 $h             Represents the backspace character; this erases the previous
                character from the prompt.

 $i             Displays the Help line.

 $l             Displays the less-than sign (<).

 $n             Displays the current drive letter.

 $p             Displays the current drive letter and path.

 $q             Displays the equal sign (=).

 $t             Displays the current time.

 $v             Displays the MS OS/2 version number.

 If you type prompt by itself, MS OS/2 resets the prompt to the system default
 prompt. In an OS/2 session, the system default prompt is the current drive
 letter and the name of the current directory, in brackets.

 The prompt command affects only the current session. To specify a prompt for
 all OS/2 sessions, you must set the PROMPT environment variable in your
 CONFIG.SYS file. For more information about how to do this, see the set
 command. For the DOS session, set the PROMPT environment variable in your
 AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot use $a, $c, and $f and the system default prompt is the
 current drive letter, followed by a greater-than sign (>).

 Example  To change your prompt so that it displays the time on one line and
          the current drive and directory on the next, followed by a space and
          a greater-than sign, type the following:

                    prompt The time is $t$h$h$h$h$h$h$_$p $g

 The new prompt has the following form:

  The time is 13:37
  C:\OS2 >

 Notice that the $h characters erased the seconds and hundredths of seconds
 from the time display.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.71. Protectonly ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

protectonly=yes|no

Specifies whether MS OS/2 is to enable the DOS session. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

The MS OS/2 installation program places the protectonly=no command in your
CONFIG.SYS file so that you can run the DOS session. To set up your system to
run the Presentation Manager and OS/2 sessions only, change this line to
protectonly=yes.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.72. Protshell (Protected Shell) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

protshell=[drive:][path]filename [arguments]

Specifies the user interface MS OS/2 is to use and the command interpreter to
use in an OS/2 session. To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 filename

    Specifies the file that contains the user interface. If this file is not in
    the root directory of the start-up drive, you must include the drive and/or
    path.

 arguments

    Specifies the drive, path, and filename of the MS OS/2 initialization files
    and command interpreter. For more information about these arguments, see
    the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 The MS OS/2 installation program places the following line in your CONFIG.SYS
 file:

  protshell=c:\os2\pmshell.exe c:\os2\os2.ini
  c:\os2\os2sys.ini c:\os2\cmd.exe

 This command instructs MS OS/2 to use the Presentation Manager user interface
 and to use the cmd command interpreter in OS/2 sessions.

 The protshell command has no effect on the DOS session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.73. Pstat (Process Status) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

pstat [/c|/s|/l|/m|/p:pid]

Displays information about the status of one or more processes in the system.

 /c Displays information about each of the current processes and threads.

 /s Displays system-semaphore information for each thread in the system.

 /l Displays the names of the run-time linked libraries for each process in the
    system.

 /m Displays the named-shared memory information for each process in the
    system.

 /p:pid

    Displays information about a particular process, identified by its process
    identification number (pid).

 If you type pstat by itself, the utility displays all the information for all
 the options.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.74. Recover ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

recover [drive:]|[drive:][path] filename

Reconstructs all the files from a disk that has a damaged directory structure
or reconstructs a single file from a disk that has bad sectors.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive containing the disk with the files you want to try to
    reconstruct. If you specify only a drive, the recover utility tries to
    reconstruct the entire contents of the disk in that drive, giving the
    reconstructed files names of the form FILEnnnn.REC, where nnnn is a
    four-digit number. In this case, the files being reconstructed lose their
    extended attributes. The recover utility reconstructs the extended
    attributes, if possible, and stores them in a separate FILEnnnn.REC file.

 filename

    Specifies the file you want to try to reconstruct. If you do not specify a
    drive or path, the recover utility uses the current directory on the
    current drive. You cannot use wildcard characters in filename. If the file
    has extended attributes, recover tries to reconstruct all of them along
    with the file, but if it cannot do so, it puts whatever extended attributes
    it can reconstruct into a file named EA0001.REC.

 MS OS/2 recovers a file by reading it, sector by sector, skipping the bad
 sectors.

 All files created by the recover utility are stored in the root directory of
 the specified drive.

 When you use the recover utility on a disk or partition that is formatted for
 HPFS, you can reconstruct only one file at a time. The utility reconstructs
 the file with its original filename and location, if possible.

 If you type recover by itself (in the FAT file system), the utility tries to
 reconstruct all the files in the current directory on the current drive.

 Warning  Before you use this utility, make a backup copy of your disk and try
          to restore the files by using the restore utility. If this operation
          fails, use the recover utility to try to reconstruct the lost files
          one by one. Do not use recover to reconstruct an entire disk unless
          the entire disk is unreadable.

 You cannot use the recover utility on the drive from which you started your
 system, nor on the drive from which you are running recover. To reconstruct
 files on your start-up drive, you must run recover from the MS OS/2
 installation disks. You can do the same thing to reconstruct files on the
 drive from which you would normally run recover, or you can simply copy the
 utility to another drive and run it from there.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot use the recover utility on an HPFS disk or partition from the
 DOS session.

 You cannot use the recover utility with drives that you have assigned, joined,
 or substituted by using the assign , join , or subst utility.

 Examples  To try to reconstruct the file REPORT.TXT from the disk with bad
           sectors in drive B, type the following:

                      recover b:\report.txt

 To try to reconstruct the file JANUARY.FIL from drive C, which is your
 start-up drive, insert the MS OS/2 Install disk in drive A, press CTL+ALT+DEL,
 and press ESC when the logo appears. Insert the disk that contains the
 RECOVER.COM file into drive A, and then type the following at the command
 prompt:

  recover c:\january.fil


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.75. Rem ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two rem commands that you can use in MS OS/2. One, which displays a
message while a batch program is running, is used in batch programs in either
cmd or command . The other, which includes a remark or descriptive comment in
your CONFIG.SYS file, is a configuration command.

For more information, see the following commands:

 o Rem (Remark) Batch Command
 o Rem (Remark) Configuration Command


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.75.1. Rem (Remark) Batch Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

rem [comment]

Includes a descriptive comment in a batch file. If the echo feature is on when
MS OS/2 encounters a rem line in a batch file, MS OS/2 displays the line; if
the echo feature is off, MS OS/2 does not display the line. To use this version
of the rem command, place it in the batch file.

 comment

    Specifies the message you want to put in the batch file. Comment can be any
    combination of characters that fits on one line.

 If the comment you want to put in the batch file is too long to fit on one
 line, you must use the rem command again for each line in the comment. You can
 also use rem without comment to add spacing between blocks of comments or
 remarks.

 Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
 batch file (.CMD extension).

 Example  The following batch file uses the rem command both to include
          comments in the file and to add spacing:

                    @echo off
                    rem This batch file displays the directory
                    rem of the disk in drive A.
                    rem
                    rem You use the /w option to display
                    rem the directory in wide format.
                    rem
                    dir a: /w


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.75.2. Rem (Remark) Configuration Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

rem [text]

Includes a remark or descriptive comment in your CONFIG.SYS file. Lines that
begin with rem are not processed by MS OS/2. To use this version of the rem
command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 text

    Specifies the remark or comment that you want to include in your CONFIG.SYS
    file. Text may be any string of characters that fits on one line.

 If the comment you want to put in the CONFIG.SYS file is too long to fit on
 one line, you must use the rem command again for each line of the comment. You
 can also use rem without text to add spacing between blocks of comments or
 remarks.

 Example  To leave a comment in a configuration file for another person's use
          or to remind yourself of the purposes of the commands in the file,
          begin each line of the comment with the rem command, as follows:

                    rem MS OS/2 uses CONFIG.SYS to configure your system.
                    rem This command (rem) allows you to insert
                    rem comments in CONFIG.SYS that remind you
                    rem what a particular command is supposed to do.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.76. Rename ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

rename [drive:][path]filename1 filename2

Changes the name of a file or directory. You can abbreviate rename as ren.

 filename1

    Specifies the old name of the file or directory. If you do not specify a
    drive and path, MS OS/2 uses the current directory on the current drive.

 filename2

    Specifies the new name of the file or directory. You cannot specify a drive
    or path for the new name; the rename command changes only the name of the
    file or directory.

 You can use wildcard characters in filename1 and filename2.

 You cannot use the rename command to move files from one drive or directory to
 another.

 If a file or directory with the name specified for filename2 already exists in
 the parent directory, MS OS/2 displays an error message.

 Note  In the high-performance file system (HPFS), you can use the rename
       command to change the case of a filename or directory name by renaming
       the file or directory as itself. For example, you can change the
       filename "mytaxfile.txt" to "MYTAXFILE.TXT" by using the uppercase
       version of the name as the filename2 argument. (The quotation marks
       around the filenames are required when you are using HPFS. For more
       information about HPFS, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's
       Guide.)

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that you cannot rename directories in the DOS session.

 Example  To change the extension of all the files in the current directory in
          drive B that have a .DOC extension from .DOC to .TXT, type the
          following:

                    rename b:*.doc *.txt


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.77. Replace ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

replace [drive:][path]filename [[drive:]path] [[/a|/s]|[/a|/u]] [/p] [/r] [/w]
[/f]

Selectively replaces files in the destination directory with new versions of
those files from the source directory, or adds new files to the destination
directory.

 filename

    Specifies the source file that is to replace the file on the destination
    disk. You can use wildcard characters in the source-file name to replace
    groups of files that have similar names.

 path

    Specifies the directory that contains the file to be replaced or to which
    you want to add the file. If you do not specify a directory, replace uses
    the current directory on the current drive.

 /a Adds only the files specified in filename that do not exist in the
    destination directory, and does not replace existing files. You cannot use
    this option with the /s option.

 /p Prompts you for confirmation before replacing or adding a file.

 /r Replaces read-only files as well as unprotected files. If you do not use
    this option and you try to replace a read-only file, the replacement
    process stops and you see an error message.

 /s Replaces files in the subdirectories of the destination directory if the
    filenames match those specified in filename. The replace utility never
    searches subdirectories of the source directory. You cannot use this option
    with the /a option.

 /u Replaces only the target files that are older than their corresponding
    source files. You cannot use this option with the /a option.

 /w Instructs the replace utility to wait for you to insert a disk before
    beginning to search for source files. Otherwise, replace starts replacing
    or adding files immediately.

 /f Specifies that the replace utility should not discard the extended
    attributes of a file if the destination file system does not support
    extended attributes. In this case, the utility does not replace the file.

 The replace utility is usually used to update the software on your hard disk.
 You cannot use replace to update hidden files or system files.

 The replace utility copies the extended attributes of the new version of the
 file (the source file) to the destination file.

 If you omit the /f option when you use the replace utility to copy a file with
 extended attributes to a file system that does not support extended
 attributes, the utility copies the file and discards the extended attributes.
 If the file requires the extended attributes, replace does not copy the file
 but displays an explanatory message on the screen.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To update your phone-list file, PHONES.CLI, in all the directories
           on your hard disk (drive C) with the latest version of PHONES.CLI
           from the disk in drive B, type the following:

                      replace b:\phones.cli c:\ /s

 To add several new printer drivers from the disk in drive A to the directory
 MSTOOLS on your hard disk (drive C), type the following:

  replace a:*.prd c:\mstools /a


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.78. Restore ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

restore drive1: drive2:[path][filename] [/s] [/p] [/b:date] [/a:date] [/e:time]
[/l:time] [/m] [/n] [/f]

Restores backup files that were created by using the backup utility.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive that contains the backup disk on which the backup
    copies of your files are stored.

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive that contains the destination disk to which you want to
    restore the files. The destination disk does not have to be of the same
    type as the source disk.

 filename

    Specifies the file that you want to restore. You can use wildcard
    characters to specify multiple files with similar names. If you do not
    specify a filename, the restore utility searches the current directory on
    the current drive for filenames that match those found on drive1.

 /s Restores the files in subdirectories of the directory that contains
    filename.

 /p Prompts you for confirmation before restoring read-only files or files that
    have changed since the last backup operation.

 /b:date

    Restores only files that were modified on or before the specified date.

 /a:date

    Restores only files that were modified on or after the specified date.

 /e:time

    Restores only files that were modified at or before the specified time. Do
    not use this option without the /b:date or /a:date option.

 /l:time

    Restores only files that were modified at or after the specified time. Do
    not use this option without the /b:date or /a:date option.

 /m Restores only files that have been modified since the last backup operation
    and turns off the archive bits of the restored files.

 /n Restores only files that no longer exist on the destination disk.

 /f Specifies that the restore utility should not discard the extended
    attributes of a file if the destination file system does not support
    extended attributes. In this case, the utility does not restore the file.

 The restore utility can restore files only to their original directory.

 The restore utility cannot restore CMD.EXE, COMMAND.COM, or the hidden system
 files, nor can it restore files that are in use on your start-up drive. To
 restore the backup copies of the files on your start-up drive, you must run
 restore from the MS OS/2 installation disks.

 The restore utility restores backup files that were created by using the MS
 OS/2 backup utility or the MS-DOS backup utility (including versions 3.21 and
 earlier of MS-DOS, even though they use a different structure for backup
 files).

 The restore utility preserves the extended attributes of a file or directory.

 If you omit the /f option when you use the restore utility to copy a file with
 extended attributes to a file system that does not support extended
 attributes, the utility copies the file and discards the extended attributes.
 If the file requires the extended attributes, restore does not copy the file
 but displays an explanatory message on the screen.

 Examples  To restore all the backup files on drive A with the extension .NEW
           to the directory LETTERS on the disk in drive B, type the following:

                      restore a: b:\letters\*.new

 To restore the files on the disk in drive B to drive C, which is your start-up
 drive, insert the MS OS/2 Install disk in drive A, press CTRL+ALT+DEL, and
 press ESC when the logo appears. Insert the disk that contains the RESTORE.EXE
 file into drive A, and type the following at the command prompt:

  restore b: c:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.79. Rmdir (Remove Directory) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

rmdir [drive:]path [...]

Deletes a directory. You can abbreviate rmdir as rd.

 path

    Specifies the directory that you want to delete.

 Before you can delete a directory, you must delete all the files and
 subdirectories in that directory. (The empty directory still shows listings
 for the working directory [.] and the parent directory [..] if you list its
 contents with the dir command.)

 You can delete more than one directory at a time by specifying each directory
 separately on the same command line.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple directories.

 Example  To remove the directory BILLS and the directory NOTICES from the root
          directory on drive B, type the following:

                    rmdir b:\bills b:\notices


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.80. Rmsize (Real-Mode Size) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

rmsize=x

Specifies the amount of memory that MS OS/2 is to reserve for the DOS session.
To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the portion of memory reserved for the
    DOS session. This number must be in the range 256 through 640. The default
    value depends on the total amount of system memory.

 MS OS/2 uses the first x kilobytes of memory ("low memory") in your computer
 to run the DOS session; memory above x kilobytes is used for the rest of MS
 OS/2 (apart from certain device drivers and essential MS OS/2 functions that
 use a small portion of the first x kilobytes).

 The default size of x depends on how much memory your system has, but it is
 always the largest size possible on your system (up to the maximum of 640K).
 The default size is typically either 512K or 640K--the amount of memory
 installed below 1024K.

 The rmsize command sets a maximum amount of memory for the DOS session; if
 there is less than this amount of memory available, the DOS session uses the
 available amount.

 Because the rmsize command affects only the DOS session, it has no effect
 unless the protectonly command is set to no (the default setting). (If
 protectonly is set to yes, you cannot run the DOS session at all.)

 For more information about setting the size of the environment for the DOS
 session, see the shell command.

 Note  The memory reserved by the rmsize command cannot be swapped, so this
       memory is unavailable to any other program or process.

 Example  To reserve only 384 kilobytes of memory for the DOS session, include
          the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    rmsize=384


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.81. Run ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

run=[drive:][path]filename [arguments]

Starts a background program when you start your system. To use this command,
place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 filename

    Specifies the program you want to start, which must be one that can run in
    the background. You must include the extension (.COM or .EXE), and you must
    give the drive and path if the file is not located in the root directory of
    your start-up drive. The file cannot be a batch file.

 arguments

    Specifies any valid options or other variables for the program.

 You can include more than one run command in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 MS OS/2 processes all the device commands in your CONFIG.SYS file before it
 starts processing run commands.

 When processing a CONFIG.SYS file, MS OS/2 preserves the difference between
 uppercase and lowercase letters in arguments. This can be important for some
 programs that are case sensitive.

 To run a program that requires input from you, use the call command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.82. Set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In MS OS/2, you can use the set command to define an environment variable by
naming the variable and giving a value for it. You can use the set command from
the command line in cmd and command , or by placing it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

For more information, see the following commands:

 o Set MS OS/2 Command
 o Set Configuration Command


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.82.1. Set MS OS/2 Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

set [string1=[string2]]

Defines an environment variable by naming the variable and giving a value for
it.

 string1

    Specifies the name of the environment variable you want to set (for
    example, PATH, INIT, LIB, or PROMPT).

 string2

    Specifies the string of characters, paths, or filenames that defines the
    current value of the environment variable.

 If you type set by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current values for all the
 environment variables in the current session.

 If you type set string1=, MS OS/2 removes the current value for that
 environment variable.

 For more information about environment variables, see the Microsoft Operating
 System/2 User's Guide.

 You can also use the set command to define the replaceable batch parameters by
 name, instead of by number. For more information about using the set command
 in batch files and start-up files, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's
 Guide.

 This version of the set command affects only the current session.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To set the INCLUDE environment variable so that the Microsoft C
          Optimizing Compiler can find include files in the directory INC on
          drive C, type the following:

                    set include=c:\inc


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.82.2. Set Configuration Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

set string1=string2

Defines an environment variable by naming the variable and giving a value for
it. To use this version of the set command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 string1

    Specifies the name of the environment variable you want to set (for
    example, PATH, INIT, LIB, or PROMPT).

 string2

    Specifies the string of characters, paths, or filenames that defines the
    current value of the environment variable.

 The MS OS/2 installation program places the following set commands in your
 CONFIG.SYS file to specify the search paths to be used by cmd and other
 programs (PATH and DPATH) and the location of the command interpreter
 (COMSPEC):

  set path=c:\os2;c:\os2\system;c:\os2\install;c:\;
  set dpath=c:\os2;c:\os2\system;c:\os2\install;c:\;
  set comspec=c:\os2\cmd.exe

 For more information about environment variables, see the Microsoft Operating
 System/2 User's Guide.

 You can also use the set command in your CONFIG.SYS file to define the
 replaceable batch parameters by name, instead of by number. For more
 information about using the set command in batch files and start-up files, see
 the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 This version of the set command affects all OS/2 sessions; it does not affect
 the DOS session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.83. Setcom40 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

setcom40 COMx=on|off

Sets the address of the specified serial port so that a DOS application can
find the port and use it.

 x  Specifies the number of the serial port for which you want to set the
    address. This number can be 1, 2, or 3.

 on Sets the address of the serial port in memory.

 off Removes the address of the serial port from memory.

 If you used the device configuration command in your CONFIG.SYS file to load
 the COM0x.SYS device driver, you must use the setcom40 utility before you run
 a DOS application. Most DOS applications send their output directly to the
 serial port, rather than through the COM0x.SYS device driver, so they must
 have the port address.

 You must set the port address before you start the DOS application.

 Do not use the setcom40 utility if a program in either the Presentation
 Manager session or an OS/2 session is using the COM0x.SYS device driver to
 control access to the serial port that you want to use. Be sure that any MS
 OS/2 program that is using the serial port (including the spooler, which may
 have files queued up waiting to use the port) has finished running before you
 try to use the port from the DOS session. Conversely, once you have set
 setcom40 to on and given a DOS application access to a serial port, be sure
 that that application has finished running before you switch out of the DOS
 session.

 Examples  To set the address of serial port COM2 so that an application can
           use the port in the DOS session, type the following:

                      setcom40 com2=on

 To remove the address of COM2 from memory and give access to the port back to
 MS OS/2, type the following:

  setcom40 com2=off


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.84. Setlocal ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

setlocal

Saves the current drive, directory, and environment settings and specifies to
MS OS/2 that any changes to these settings that you make in a batch file are
valid only while the batch file is running. Use this command only in a batch
file.

After typing setlocal on a line by itself, you can set any variables you want
for the purposes of the batch file; MS OS/2 restores the original settings when
it encounters an endlocal command or when the batch file ends.

You can use multiple setlocal commands in a batch file without including
corresponding endlocal commands; each succeeding setlocal overrides the
previous one, in effect acting as an endlocal command for the previous setlocal
command.

You can use this command only in OS/2 batch files (files with the extension
.CMD).

Example  To have MS OS/2 search the root directory of the disk in drive B for
         programs, even though your normal path does not include drive B, type
         the following in the batch file:

                  setlocal
                  path b:
                    .
                    .
                    .
                  endlocal


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.85. Shell ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

shell=[drive:][path]filename [arguments]

Specifies the command interpreter that MS OS/2 is to use in the DOS session. To
use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the file (including its extension) that contains the
    DOS-session command interpreter. The default filename is COMMAND.COM. You
    must include the drive and/or path if the command interpreter is not in the
    root directory of the start-up drive.

 arguments

    Specifies any valid options or other variables for the command interpreter.

 The shell command itself does not accept arguments, but if the alternative
 command interpreter does, you can include them as part of the command.

 If you specify a filename other than COMMAND.COM, MS OS/2 starts the command
 interpreter you specify when it starts the DOS session. Since the DOS commands
 are included in COMMAND.COM, they will not be available to you unless they are
 also included in your new command interpreter.

 Example  To specify COMMAND.COM as the DOS command interpreter, instruct MS
          OS/2 to look for COMMAND.COM in the OS/2 directory on drive C, set
          the environment size to 512 bytes, and instruct command to stay in
          memory, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    shell=c:\os2\command.com c:\os2 /e:512 /p

 COMMAND.COM uses the C:\OS2 argument when it needs to reload transient
 portions of the program.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.86. Shift ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

shift

Shifts the positions of the numbered replaceable parameters (%0-%9) in a batch
file, so that you can deal with more than 10 values. Use this command only in a
batch file.

Each time MS OS/2 encounters the shift command, it discards the value in %0 and
shifts each of the other values to the next lowest replaceable parameter: The
value in %1 moves to the %0 position, %2 moves to %1, and so on. This frees the
last parameter, %9, so that the next value you type shifts into %9.

You can use the shift command as many times as you need to in a batch file. You
can use shift even if there are fewer than 10 values.

There is no backward shift command. After you have used shift once, the value
in the original %0 is gone and the batch file cannot use it again.

Works the same way in a DOS batch file (.BAT extension) as it does in an OS/2
batch file (.CMD extension).

Example  The following batch file (named COPYTO.CMD or COPYTO.BAT) uses the
         shift command to copy a list of files to your current directory:

                  @echo off
                  if "%1"=="" goto usage
                  :start
                  copy %1
                  shift
                  if "%1"=="" goto done
                  goto start
                  :usage
                  echo * This batch program copies any number
                  echo * of files to your current directory.
                  echo *
                  echo * Usage: copyto file1 file2 file3 [...]
                  :done


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.87. Sort ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

sort [/r] [/+n] < source

Sorts lines of input in alphabetical and numeric order and sends the output
lines to the screen.

 /r Sorts the lines in reverse order (that is, from Z to A, then from 9 to 0).

 /+n

    Starts sorting the lines according to the character in column n (that is,
    the nth character from the beginning of the line). If you do not specify
    this option, the sort utility starts sorting according to the first
    character of each line.

 source

    Specifies the source of the input. The keyboard is the default source, but
    you can also redirect a file or the output from another command. For more
    information about redirection, see the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's
    Guide.

 The sort utility uses the collating sequence table that is appropriate to the
 country-code and code-page settings. It does not distinguish between uppercase
 and lowercase letters.

 Note  If you try to sort a file that is too large, the sort utility displays
       an error message. A file is too large if it is larger than 63K or if the
       number of lines is greater than the value ((file size in bytes + 768) /
       4). To sort a large file, split the file into two or more smaller files.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Examples  To sort the contents of the file PHONE.TXT in reverse alphabetical
           order and display the output on your screen, type the following:

                      sort /r < phone.txt

 To sort a listing of the filenames in the CLIENTS directory on drive B and
 send the sorted list to the file CLIENTS.LST on drive C, type the following:

  dir b:\clients | sort > c:clients.lst


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.88. Spool ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

spool [/d:device1] [/o:device2]

Starts the printer spooler and Print Manager so that MS OS/2 can print files in
the background while doing something else. By using the spooler, you can
control the printing of files from several different applications.

 /d:device1

    Identifies the parallel port that is connected to the printing device. This
    is the device that the original printing command was sending its output to.
    The default device is LPT1. You cannot specify a serial device as device1,
    but you can use any parallel device (LPT1, LPT2, etc.) that supports
    monitors.

 /o:device2

    Identifies the output printing device. You can specify any parallel port
    (LPT1, LPT2, etc., or PRN) or any serial port (COM1, COM2, etc.). If you do
    not specify device2, the spool utility uses device1 as the default output
    printing device.

 The spooler intercepts files that are being sent by the print utility or the
 printing command of an application to a printer connected to a parallel port,
 holds the files temporarily in a directory on disk, and then prints them one
 at a time.

 Because the output printing device can be different from the one specified in
 the printing command, you can use the spool utility to redirect
 parallel-printer output (for example, to an asynchronous serial device).

 The spool utility affects all sessions.

 Example  To spool your print jobs and print them on a serial printer connected
          to COM1, type the following:

                    spool /o:com1


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.89. Start ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

start ["session"] [/k |/c |/n] [/f] [/fs |/win |/pm] [/i] [/pgm]
[drive:][path]command[.ext] [options]

or

start "session" [/k |/c] [/f] [/fs |/win |/pm] [/i]
"[drive:][path]command[.ext] [options]"

or

start ["session"] [/k] [/f] [/fs |/win] [/i]

Starts an MS OS/2 command interpreter and tells it to carry out the command you
specify.

 session

       Specifies the name of the new session as it will appear in the Task
       List. The name can be up to 60 characters and can include spaces; it
       must be surrounded by double quotation marks. If you do not specify a
       name, MS OS/2 uses the filename you specify for the command argument. If
       you do not specify either session or command, MS OS/2 uses CMD.EXE.

 /k    Instructs the new command interpreter to run the command you specify and
       then keep the session open when the command is completed. This is the
       default option unless command starts a Presentation Manager application,
       in which case the default option is /n. You cannot use /k with the /pm
       option.

 /c    Instructs the new command interpreter to carry out command and then end
       the session and return to the program from which it was started. You
       cannot use this option with the /pm option.

 /n    Instructs MS OS/2 to run command without starting a new command
       interpreter. This is the default option when command starts a
       Presentation Manager application. You cannot use /n if you have enclosed
       the command and its options in double quotation marks (see the following
       options description), nor can you use /n if command is a batch file or
       attempts to use a batch file (batch files require cmd as their batch
       processor).

 /f    Instructs MS OS/2 to run command in the foreground. Note that if you use
       several start commands in a batch file, you can use only one /f option;
       MS OS/2 ignores all but the first one.

 /fs   Instructs MS OS/2 to run command as a full-screen application in the
       foreground, in a session independent of Presentation Manager.

 /win  Instructs MS OS/2 to run command in a foreground Presentation Manager
       window.

 /pm   Instructs MS OS/2 to run command as a Presentation Manager application.
       You cannot use this option with the /k or /c option, nor can you use it
       if command is a batch file.

 /i    Instructs MS OS/2 to give the new session the environment set in your
       CONFIG.SYS file. The environment includes environment variables such as
       PATH, DPATH, and the drive and directory for a session.

 /pgm

       Specifies that the quoted string following this option in the command
       line is the name of the program to be run.

 command[.ext]

       Specifies the command you want the new command interpreter to carry out.
       This may be an MS OS/2 command, a utility, a batch file, or a command
       that starts an application. If you do not specify an extension, MS OS/2
       searches for command with the extensions .COM, .EXE, and .CMD, in that
       order.

 options

       Specifies any valid options for command. If you specify options, you
       must enclose command and options in double quotation marks so that MS
       OS/2 will not attempt to interpret the options as belonging to the start
       command.

 MS OS/2 runs command as an independent program according to the type of
 application it is. You can override the default start settings by using the
 /fs, /win, or /pm option.

 If you type start without specifying a command, MS OS/2 starts a new command
 interpreter (cmd) without running a command.

 If the name of the program you want to start must be enclosed in quotation
 marks (if the name contains spaces or characters not allowed in the FAT file
 system, for example) and you do not specify a session name, you must include
 the /pgm option before the program name. If you omit the session name and do
 not specify /pgm, MS OS/2 interprets the quoted string as the session name.

 Example  To start a new MS OS/2 command interpreter and run an application
          named Videophile in the foreground session, type the following
          (assuming that the command you use to start Videophile is videop):

                    start "Videophile" /f videop


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.90. Subst (Substitute) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

subst [[drive1: drive2:path]|[drive1: /d]]

Temporarily substitutes a drive letter for another drive letter and path. While
a substitution is in effect, MS OS/2 regards any reference to drive1 as a
reference to drive2:path.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive letter you want to substitute for a directory on
    drive2.

 drive2:path

    Specifies the drive and path of the directory for which you want to
    substitute drive1.

 /d Deletes an existing substitution. You must specify drive1 to identify which
    substitution is to be deleted; do not specify drive2:path with the /d
    option.

 If you type subst by itself, the utility displays the substitutions currently
 in effect.

 The following utilities do not work on a drive you have substituted for a
 directory on another drive:

 chkdsk            format

 diskcomp          label

 diskcopy          recover

 fdisk

 The subst utility affects only the DOS session.

 Example  To substitute the drive letter F for the path
          \MONTHLY\FEBRUARY\WEEKENDS on the disk in drive A, type the
          following:

                    subst f: a:\monthly\february\weekends


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.91. Swappath ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

swappath=drive:[path] [space]

Specifies the location of the swap file that temporarily holds the information
being swapped from memory if you have enabled swapping between memory and disk.
To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive on which the swap file is located.

 space

    Specifies the minimum amount of disk space, in kilobytes, to leave free on
    the swap drive (that is, the disk space that may not be used for swapping).
    This number must be in the range 0 through 32767; the default value is 512.

 The swappath command takes effect only if the memman command in your
 CONFIG.SYS file is set to allow swapping.

 For information about swapping, see the memman command.

 Example  To instruct MS OS/2 to put the swap file in the TEMP directory on
          your hard disk (drive C) and to reserve 1024K of free disk space on
          the swap drive, include the following line in your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    swappath=c:\temp 1024


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.92. Syslog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

syslog [/s | /r]

Suspends or resumes system-event logging. When logging is on, MS OS/2 records
system events in the system log file.

 /s Suspends system-event logging.

 /r Resumes system-event logging.

 If you type syslog by itself, MS OS/2 starts the OS/2 Logging Facility utility
 and displays its main menu. You can use the /s and /r options if you have
 specified the log command in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 The syslog utility affects only the current OS/2 session. For information
 about how to control system-event logging for all sessions, see the log
 command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.93. Threads ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

threads=x

Specifies the number of threads MS OS/2 can run at one time. To use this
command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the number of threads. This number must be in the range 64
    through 512; the MS OS/2 installation program sets the number to 128.
    Because threads take up memory in your system, it is recommended that you
    not increase the number of threads unless your application tells you to do
    so or you receive a message telling you that you have run out of threads.

 A thread is part of an application or other process that MS OS/2 can schedule
 to run on its own. A process generally contains multiple threads, which act
 like small programs that perform particular tasks in each process.
 Approximately forty of the threads you specify with the threads command are
 system threads that MS OS/2 uses (the number may vary, depending on how your
 system is configured). These threads are not available to applications.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.94. Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

time [hours:minutes][:seconds[.hundredths]]

Sets the system clock by specifying the current time.

 hours

    Specifies a number in the range 0 through 23.

 minutes

    Specifies a number in the range 0 through 59.

 seconds

    Specifies a number in the range 0 through 59; the default value is 0.

 hundredths

    Specifies a number in the range 0 through 99; the default value is 0.

 MS OS/2 keeps track of time in a 24-hour format and uses the time information
 to update directory listings whenever you create or change a file.

 You may use either colons (:) or periods (.) to separate the hours, minutes,
 and seconds. To separate hundredths, you must use a period.

 If you type time by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current time and then prompts
 you for a new time. If you do not want to change the time, just press ENTER.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To set the system time to 1:36 P.M., type the following:

                    time 13:36


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.95. Timeslice ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

timeslice=x[,y]

Sets the amount of time that MS OS/2 allocates to a thread before checking the
priority of other threads. Time slices are the units of time that MS OS/2 uses
to schedule its activities. To use this command, place it in your CONFIG.SYS
file.

 x  Specifies the minimum length of the time slice, in milliseconds; the
    default value is 32.

 y  Specifies the maximum length of the time slice, in milliseconds. This
    number must be equal to or greater than x. If you do not specify y, MS OS/2
    uses x as the maximum length also. If you do not include the timeslice
    command in your CONFIG.SYS file, the default value of y is 248.

 When timeslice is set to 32 (the default value), the process that is running
 in the foreground receives the most central-processing-unit (CPU) time. For
 more information about this topic, see the maxwait and priority commands and
 the Microsoft Operating System/2 User's Guide.

 Example  To set the minimum length of the time slice to 45 milliseconds and
          the maximum length to 148 milliseconds, include the following line in
          your CONFIG.SYS file:

                    timeslice=45,148


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.96. Trace ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The system trace records actions, such as hardware interrupts or system
functions, that MS OS/2 has taken or processed while running. These actions are
known as events and are identified by event codes. The system-trace information
can be useful if you are writing a program to run with MS OS/2.

The trace utility and the trace configuration command are similar. However, the
trace utility cannot create a trace buffer in which to store information.
Therefore, in order for the trace utility to work, there must be either a trace
or tracebuf configuration command in your CONFIG.SYS file when you start your
system.

For more information, see the following commands:

 o Trace MS OS/2 Utility
 o Trace Configuration Command


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.96.1. Trace MS OS/2 Utility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

trace [on|off] [eventcode|tdf [, eventcode|tdf] [...]] [/p:all|/p:pid[,...]]
[/c] [/s|/r]

Turns the system trace on or off.

 on Starts system-event tracing.

 off Stops system-event tracing.

 eventcode

    Specifies a single event by using a decimal code number in the range 0
    through 255. You use event codes to selectively turn on or off the tracing
    of specific system events. You can specify more than one event code,
    separating them with commas.

 tdf

    Specifies a trace definition file. The filename must not include a drive,
    path, or filename extension.

 /p:all

    Turns tracing on or off for all present and future processes in the system.

 /p:pid

    Turns tracing on or off for only the processes specified. The system
    identifies a process by its hexadecimal process identification number
    (pid). You can specify more than one process by listing all their process
    identification numbers, separated by commas.

 /c Clears the current contents of the trace buffer.

 /s Suspends tracing temporarily but keeps the current specified set of trace
    points. This option cannot be used with the /r option.

 /r Resumes tracing with the currently specified trace points. This option
    cannot be used with the /s option.

 The system trace records actions, such as hardware interrupts or system
 functions, that MS OS/2 has taken or processed while running. These actions
 are known as events and are identified by event codes. The system-trace
 information can be useful if you are writing a program to run with MS OS/2.

 The trace utility is similar to the trace configuration command. However, the
 trace utility cannot create a trace buffer in which to store the trace
 information. Therefore, the utility does not work unless either the trace or
 the tracebuf configuration command is in your CONFIG.SYS file when you start
 your system.

 If you specify an invalid event code, MS OS/2 still traces the other events
 listed but also displays an error message.

 Example  To trace events 0 and 1, and no other system events, first type the
          following to turn off the system trace:

                    trace off

 Then type the following to turn on the trace for the events you want recorded:

  trace on 0, 1


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.96.2. Trace Configuration Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

trace=on|off [eventcode[, eventcode][...]]

Turns the system trace on or off. To use this command, place it in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

 on Starts system-event tracing.

 off Stops system-event tracing. This is the default setting.

 eventcode

    Specifies a single event by using a decimal code number in the range 0
    through 255. You use event codes to selectively turn on or off the tracing
    of specific system events. You can specify more than one event code,
    separating them with commas.

 The system trace records actions, such as hardware interrupts or system
 functions, that MS OS/2 has taken or processed while running. These actions
 are known as events and are identified by event codes. The system-trace
 information can be useful if you are writing a program to run with MS OS/2.

 If you do not specify an event code, the trace command turns the system trace
 on or off for all events.

 If you specify an invalid event code, MS OS/2 still traces the other events
 listed but also displays an error message.

 If you include the trace command in your CONFIG.SYS file but do not use the
 tracebuf command to specify a size for the trace buffer, MS OS/2 sets aside 4
 kilobytes of memory (the default size) for the trace buffer.

 You must include either the trace command or the tracebuf command in your
 CONFIG.SYS file in order for system tracing to work.

 Example  To turn on the system trace for all events except those that have the
          event codes 31 through 34, include the following lines in your
          CONFIG.SYS file:

                    trace=on
                    trace=off 31,32,33,34


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.97. Tracebuf (Trace Buffer) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

tracebuf=x

Sets the size of the system-trace buffer, where MS OS/2 stores information
about system events that are being traced. To use this command, place it in
your CONFIG.SYS file.

 x  Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the trace buffer. This number must be
    in the range 1 through 63; the default value is 4.

 If you include the trace command in your CONFIG.SYS file but do not use the
 tracebuf command to specify a size for the trace buffer, MS OS/2 sets aside 4
 kilobytes of memory (the default size) for the trace buffer.

 You must include either the trace command or the tracebuf command in your
 CONFIG.SYS file in order for system tracing to work.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.98. Tracefmt (Trace Formatter) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

tracefmt

Displays the contents of the system-trace buffer.

The tracefmt utility analyzes and formats each trace record in the system-trace
buffer and then displays the formatted trace records. (You may want to redirect
the tracefmt output to a file.) The utility displays these formatted trace
records, which consist of heading information and other trace-event
information, in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent
event.

You must create the system-trace buffer when you start your system; to create
the buffer, include either the trace or the tracebuf configuration command in
your CONFIG.SYS file. If you have not done this, there is no buffer and the
tracefmt utility has nothing to display.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.99. Tree ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

tree [drive:] [/f]

Displays the path of each directory on a disk and lists all the subdirectories
(and, as an option, all the files as well).

 drive:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk for which you want to display
    the directory structure. If you do not specify a drive, the utility
    displays the directory structure of the disk in the current drive.

 /f Lists the names of all the files in each directory and subdirectory on the
    disk.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To display a list of all the directories and files on the disk in
          drive B, one screenful at a time, type the following:

                    tree b: /f | more


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.100. Type ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

type [drive:][path]filename [...]

Displays the contents of one or more text files, in the order specified,
without modifying them.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the text file you want displayed. You can specify
    multiple filenames, and you can use wildcard characters to specify groups
    of files with similar names.

 If you use the type command to display a file that contains tabs, MS OS/2
 expands all the tabs to eight spaces.

 If you use the type command to display a binary file or a file created by an
 application, you may see unusual characters, such as bells, formfeeds, and
 escape-sequence symbols, in addition to the text.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple filenames, nor can you use
 wildcard characters.

 Example  To display the contents of the file REPORT.JAN from the disk in drive
          B, type the following:

                    type b:report.jan


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.101. Unpack ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

unpack [drive:][path]filename [drive2:][path2] [/v]

Decompresses and copies a compressed file.

 filename

    Specifies the name of the compressed file. This filename has an @ symbol as
    the third character of its extension.

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive you want the files to be copied to. If you do not
    specify a drive, the unpack utility uses the current drive.

 path2

    Specifies the directory you want the files to be copied to. If you do not
    specify a directory, the unpack utility uses the current directory on the
    specified drive. The utility always uses the original filename and
    extension as the destination filename.

 /v Checks whether the sectors that the files were written to can be read.

 The MS OS/2 installation program uses the copy command to copy uncompressed
 files from the installation disks to your system and uses the unpack utility
 to decompress and copy compressed files--those with an @ symbol as the third
 character of their extension.

 The unpack utility also copies files that are not compressed, so you can use
 unpack to copy a disk that contains both kinds of files.

 The unpack utility uses the date, time, and any file attributes of the
 original, compressed file in the header of the uncompressed file.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To decompress the compressed files on a floppy disk in drive A that
          contains both compressed and uncompressed files and then copy all the
          files on the disk to the root directory of your hard disk (drive C),
          type the following:

                    unpack a:\* c:\


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.102. Ver (Version) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ver

Displays the MS OS/2 version number.

Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.103. Verify ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

verify [on|off]

Turns write verification on or off.

When verification is on, each time MS OS/2 writes a file to a disk it checks
whether the sectors the information was written to can be read (that no
information was written to bad sectors, for example) and displays an error
message if it cannot successfully write the file to the disk. (Verifying does
not mean comparing the information that MS OS/2 just wrote with the information
that MS OS/2 just read.) The default setting is off.

If you type verify by itself, MS OS/2 displays the current verification
setting.

This command affects only the current session.

Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.104. Vol (Volume Label) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

vol [drive:] [...]

Displays the volume label and the volume serial number of the specified disk,
if they exist.

 drive:

    Specifies the drive containing the disk for which you want to know the
    label and serial number. You can see the labels and serial numbers of more
    than one disk by specifying more than one drive. If you do not specify a
    drive, MS OS/2 displays the volume label and serial number of the disk in
    the current drive.

 If you are displaying volume labels and serial numbers for multiple drives and
 MS OS/2 cannot display this information for one of them (for example, if one
 of the drives you specified does not exist), MS OS/2 displays an error message
 and continues displaying the information for the rest of the drives.

 Disks formatted under versions of MS-DOS earlier than 4.0 do not have serial
 numbers.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session, except
 that in the DOS session you cannot specify multiple drive names.

 Example  To find out what the volume labels and serial numbers are for the
          disk in drive A and for your hard disk (drive C), type the following:

                    vol a: c:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.105. Xcopy (External Copy) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

xcopy [drive1:][path1][filename1] [drive2:][path2][filename2] [/s] [/e] [/p]
[/v] [/a] [/m] [/f] [/d:date]

Copies files and directories, including any subdirectories, from one disk to
another.

 drive1:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk from which you want to copy
    files (the source disk). You can use this argument by itself, with path1,
    or with path1 and filename1. If you specify only drive1, the xcopy utility
    copies all the files in the current directory on that drive.

 path1

    Specifies the directory where the files you want to copy are located. If
    you specify path1 without drive1 or filename1, xcopy copies all files in
    the specified directory on the current drive.

 filename1

    Specifies the name of the file you want to copy. You can use wildcard
    characters to copy multiple files with similar names.

 drive2:

    Specifies the drive that contains the disk to which you want to copy files
    (the destination disk). You can use this argument by itself, with path2, or
    with path2 and filename2. If you specify only drive2, the xcopy utility
    copies files to the current directory on that drive and uses the original
    filenames.

 path2

    Specifies the directory you want the files copied to. If you specify path2
    without filename2, xcopy uses the original filenames.

 filename2

    Specifies the filename to which you want to copy the file. You can use
    wildcard characters to give multiple files similar names.

 /s Copies directories and subdirectories, unless they are empty. If you omit
    this option, xcopy works within a single directory.

 /e Copies all subdirectories, even if they are empty. If you use this option,
    you must also use the /s option.

 /p Prompts you to confirm that you want to create each new file.

 /v Checks whether the sectors that the files and directories were written to
    can be read.

 /a Copies files that have their archive bits set, without modifying the
    archive bit of the original file.

 /m Copies files that have their archive bits set and turns off the archive bit
    of the original file.

 /f Specifies that the xcopy utility should not discard the extended attributes
    of a file if the destination file system does not support extended
    attributes. In this case, the utility does not copy the file.

 /d:date

    Copies files that were modified on or after the specified date. The format
    of date depends on the country code you are using; the default format is
    mm-dd-yy.

 All files or directories created by the xcopy utility have the same extended
 attributes as the original files or directories.

 If you omit the /f option when you use the xcopy utility to copy a file with
 extended attributes to a file system that does not support extended
 attributes, the utility copies the file and discards the extended attributes.
 If the file requires the extended attributes, xcopy does not copy the file but
 displays an explanatory message on the screen.

 Works the same way in the DOS session as it does in an OS/2 session.

 Example  To copy all the files, directories, and subdirectories, even empty
          ones, on the disk in drive A to the disk in drive B, and to verify
          each file as it is copied, type the following:

                    xcopy a:\ b: /s /e /v