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2702.TXT
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1993-03-31
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103 lines
___________________________________________________________________________
STACKER NOTE STACKER NOTE
Title: DOS startup message: "Bad or Missing Command Interpreter"
STAC FAX Index #2702 - 7/2/92
___________________________________________________________________________
Background.
Although this message can mean that Command.com is corrupt, it usually
indicates that DOS is unable to locate it. DOS attempts to load
Command.com after executing the last command in Config.sys. Therefore,
on a system where the boot drive has been Stacked, this means Command.com
will usually be loaded from the C: Stacker drive and not the original boot
drive. This is O.K. as long as Command.com is in the place that DOS is
looking.
Telling DOS where to look.
It is possible to instruct DOS where to find the command interpreter by
using the shell statement in Config.sys. For example, the following:
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /p
tells DOS to load Command.com from the DOS directory on the C: drive.
(Having no Shell command is the same as using shell=C:\COMMAND.COM /p.)
If you wish to load Command.com from the uncompressed (swapped) boot
drive, the command would be something like:
SHELL=D:\COMMAND.COM /p
where D: is the drive letter of the uncompressed, stacked boot drive.
Make sure Command.com exists in the location you are pointing the SHELL
statement!
Getting the system up and running.
When getting the "bad or missing command interpreter" message, there are
a couple ways to get the stacked system "up".
1. To disable the Stacker SSWAP and read Command.com from the
uncompressed drive, restart the system and hold down the
2 shift keys. (Do this after the diagnostic beep or you
will get a keyboard error.)
* SSWAP will then prompt: "proceed with SWAP y/n?"
* Type "N"o (or F10) to disable SSWAP.
The system will now read Command.com from the C: boot
drive. Examine the Shell statement in C:Config.sys and
make sure Command.com is in the right place (on the
Stacker drive).
2. Or, boot from a system diskette, edit C:\Config.sys and
redirect the SHELL to the uncompressed host boot drive.
For example: SHELL=D:\COMMAND.COM
In this example, Command.com needs to be in the root
directory of the boot drive.
Note: If swapping, make sure the /SYNC parameter is in
place on the SSWAP device line. For example:
DEVICE=C:\STACKER\SSWAP.COM C:\STACVOL.DSK /SYNC
This tells Stacker to make sure Command.com is in the
same place on both the Stacker drive and uncompressed
host.
If you are still encountering the message, try replacing Command.com with
a copy from the system startup disk. Still no luck ? It is possible that
the file is residing on a bad sector. Try running a surface test utility
on the drive to locate and mark any bad areas. You can also rename
Command.com and recopy from the system diskette to write it to another
area on the disk.
Q: I'm getting the message "Incorrect DOS version" "Bad or missing Command
Interpreter" after running the STACDOS5 (DOS 5.0 upgrade batch file).
A: Stacker's DOS 5.0 upgrade batch file will occasionally not finish because
DOS doesn't like the current partitioning of the hard disk. Upon system
restart, the user encounters this message because the new version of
Command.com is on the Stacker drive while the old versions of the
system files are on the Boot drive. To remedy this situation:
1. Get the system started by using one of the above methods.
2. Insert disk #1 of the MSDOS 5.0 Upgrade and run Setup /F to
install to floppies. ( You will need some extra floppies for
this operation and you will be asked to label them.)
3. Restart your system with the new STARTUP diskette in drive A:
4. Insert the new SUPPORT diskette and type: SYS C:
Note: this diskette may be labeled STARTUP/SUPPORT.
(If prompted to insert the system diskette, place the startup disk
back in A:)
5. The message "system transferred" tells you the hard disk is now
ready to boot under DOS 5.0.
6. Before restarting your system, examine the C:\DOS directory and
replace any of the old DOS files. Just compare the file dates
with those on your new diskettes, delete the old and copy in the
new.
7. The DOS 5.0 Upgrade should now be complete.
___________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 1993, Stac Electronics